French Canadian Population in California by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the French Canadian population in California stands at 84,919. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Los Angeles County leading at 15,153, followed by San Diego County (9,871) and Orange County (8,512). 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 French Canadian population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest French Canadian population in California

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  • 1
    Los Angeles County
    French Canadian population in Los Angeles County is 15,153
    0.15% of Los Angeles County population is French Canadian
  • 2
    San Diego County
    French Canadian population in San Diego County is 9,871
    0.30% of San Diego County population is French Canadian
  • 3
    Orange County
    French Canadian population in Orange County is 8,512
    0.27% of Orange County population is French Canadian
  • 4
    Riverside County
    French Canadian population in Riverside County is 6,679
    0.27% of Riverside County population is French Canadian
  • 5
    Santa Clara County
    French Canadian population in Santa Clara County is 3,766
    0.20% of Santa Clara County population is French Canadian

Overview of French Canadian population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate California contains 84,919 French Canadian residents (0.22% of 39.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 85th percentile nationally among U.S. states for French Canadian population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show California's French Canadian demographic representation of 0.22% remains below the national average of 0.51%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show California hosts 84,919 French Canadian residents, representing 5% of the nation's total French Canadian population of 1.7 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 documents California contains 0.54 French-Canadian Americans per square mile, above the national average of 0.48 per square mile, indicating marginally stronger community presence than most U.S. states.
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55 Counties in California Ranked by French Canadian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show French Canadian 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 French Canadian population count
Rank by French Canadian Population
County
French Canadian Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total California French Canadian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles County 15,153 0.15% 17.84%
2 San Diego County 9,871 0.30% 11.62%
3 Orange County 8,512 0.27% 10.02%
4 Riverside County 6,679 0.27% 7.87%
5 Santa Clara County 3,766 0.20% 4.43%
6 San Bernardino County 3,759 0.17% 4.43%
7 Sacramento County 3,148 0.20% 3.71%
8 2,877 0.17% 3.39%
9 2,721 0.23% 3.20%
10 2,278 0.27% 2.68%
11 2,098 0.25% 2.47%
12 1,703 0.35% 2.01%
13 1,666 0.40% 1.96%
14 1,478 0.20% 1.74%
15 1,301 0.29% 1.53%
16 1,177 0.13% 1.39%
17 1,086 0.42% 1.28%
18 1,074 0.11% 1.26%
19 1,070 0.24% 1.26%
20 995 0.13% 1.17%
21 992 0.35% 1.17%
22 981 0.37% 1.16%
23 963 0.50% 1.13%
24 817 0.15% 0.96%
25 794 0.44% 0.94%
26 792 0.18% 0.93%
27 745 0.36% 0.88%
28 741 0.72% 0.87%
29 653 0.30% 0.77%
30 528 0.39% 0.62%
31 511 0.38% 0.60%
32 498 0.91% 0.59%
33 478 0.10% 0.56%
34 313 0.38% 0.37%
35 290 0.10% 0.34%
36 287 0.70% 0.34%
37 275 0.28% 0.32%
38 205 0.13% 0.24%
39 194 0.44% 0.23%
40 182 0.28% 0.21%
41 166 0.09% 0.20%
41 166 0.24% 0.20%
42 126 0.14% 0.15%
43 109 0.56% 0.13%
44 98 0.06% 0.12%
45 89 0.68% 0.10%
46 86 0.19% 0.10%
47 71 0.25% 0.08%
48 57 0.21% 0.07%
49 51 0.08% 0.06%
50 45 0.21% 0.05%
51 40 0.13% 0.05%
52 21 0.11% 0.02%
53 14 0.51% 0.02%
54 12 0.14% 0.01%
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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 French Canadian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines French Canadian 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 French Canadian 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 French Canadian alone, while others identify as French Canadian along with another race (such as French Canadian and German).
  • We’ve used the “French Canadian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the French Canadian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French Canadian 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 French Canadian .
  2. % of Total California French Canadian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French Canadian 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 French Canadian 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 French Canadian 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 French Canadian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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