English Population in California by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the English population in California stands at 2.4 million. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Los Angeles County leading at 361,212, followed by San Diego County (248,675) and Orange County (227,081). The combined total across counties is slightly lower than the statewide figure - a gap that may reflect rounding, data lag, or unassigned residents in certain census tracts. This analysis ranks all counties in California by their English population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest English population in California

View All
  • 1
    Los Angeles County
    English population in Los Angeles County is 361,212
    3.67% of Los Angeles County population is English
  • 2
    San Diego County
    English population in San Diego County is 248,675
    7.58% of San Diego County population is English
  • 3
    Orange County
    English population in Orange County is 227,081
    7.18% of Orange County population is English
  • 4
    Riverside County
    English population in Riverside County is 151,634
    6.19% of Riverside County population is English
  • 5
    Sacramento County
    English population in Sacramento County is 122,837
    7.75% of Sacramento County population is English

Overview of English population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents California with 2.4 million English residents (6.1% of 39.2 million total state population), ranking the state at the 100th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for English demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show California's English demographic representation of 6.1% remains below the national average of 9.1%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show California hosts 2.4 million English residents, representing 8% of the nation's total English population of 30.1 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data show California maintains 15.4 English Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 8.5, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

55 Counties in California Ranked by English Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show English populations across every county in California, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Los Angeles County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in California ranked by English population count
Rank by English Population
County
English Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total California English Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles County 361,212 3.67% 15.02%
2 San Diego County 248,675 7.58% 10.34%
3 Orange County 227,081 7.18% 9.45%
4 Riverside County 151,634 6.19% 6.31%
5 Sacramento County 122,837 7.75% 5.11%
6 San Bernardino County 93,487 4.27% 3.89%
7 Santa Clara County 91,210 4.79% 3.79%
8 89,638 7.72% 3.73%
9 88,612 5.36% 3.69%
10 68,946 8.22% 2.87%
11 57,351 11.81% 2.39%
12 57,304 13.89% 2.38%
13 49,904 5.97% 2.08%
14 49,878 5.48% 2.07%
15 47,188 4.66% 1.96%
16 44,366 5.95% 1.85%
17 40,565 5.15% 1.69%
18 39,528 14.04% 1.64%
19 36,063 8.12% 1.50%
20 33,982 13.13% 1.41%
21 33,563 6.08% 1.40%
22 29,941 11.26% 1.25%
23 26,229 5.82% 1.09%
24 26,117 13.58% 1.09%
25 24,386 11.64% 1.01%
26 24,050 5.52% 1.00%
27 22,456 4.72% 0.93%
28 22,391 12.33% 0.93%
29 19,761 9.07% 0.82%
30 16,697 12.33% 0.69%
31 16,124 15.74% 0.67%
32 13,978 10.27% 0.58%
33 10,024 11.05% 0.42%
34 9,591 3.36% 0.40%
35 9,439 13.85% 0.39%
36 9,297 16.94% 0.39%
37 9,142 5.76% 0.38%
38 8,669 18.85% 0.36%
39 8,571 13.08% 0.36%
40 8,286 8.37% 0.34%
41 6,680 4.37% 0.28%
42 6,568 14.98% 0.27%
43 6,402 7.71% 0.27%
44 6,384 15.56% 0.27%
45 4,956 7.50% 0.21%
46 3,436 12.59% 0.14%
47 3,274 1.83% 0.14%
48 3,113 15.88% 0.13%
49 2,574 8.26% 0.11%
50 1,923 10.23% 0.08%
51 1,903 6.65% 0.08%
52 1,326 15.34% 0.06%
53 1,320 6.03% 0.05%
54 1,223 9.29% 0.05%
55 457 16.73% 0.02%
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in California by their English population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines English population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having English ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as English alone, while others identify as English along with another race (such as English and German).
  • We’ve used the “English alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the English population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as English alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as English .
  2. % of Total California English Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. English population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small English populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported English population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where English populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.