French Canadian Population in Lee County, FL by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The French Canadian population in Lee County, FL is reported at 4,574 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Each of the five cities in Lee County - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach - reports French Canadian residents. Their combined count forms most of the 4,574 total, with the rest residing in unincorporated areas. This distribution is detailed in the breakdown below.

Top 5 cities with the largest French Canadian population in Lee County

View All
  • 1
    Cape Coral
    French Canadian population in Cape Coral is 1,149
    0.56% of Cape Coral population is French Canadian
  • 2
    Fort Myers
    French Canadian population in Fort Myers is 594
    0.65% of Fort Myers population is French Canadian
  • 3
    Bonita Springs
    French Canadian population in Bonita Springs is 350
    0.64% of Bonita Springs population is French Canadian
  • 4
    Sanibel
    French Canadian population in Sanibel is 63
    0.98% of Sanibel population is French Canadian
  • 5
    Fort Myers Beach
    French Canadian population in Fort Myers Beach is 55
    0.99% of Fort Myers Beach population is French Canadian

Overview of French Canadian population in Lee County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Lee County with 4,574 French Canadian residents (0.58% of 792,692 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 90th percentile within Florida for French Canadian population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Lee County's French Canadian population of 0.58% surpassing both Florida's state average of 0.45% and the national average of 0.51%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Lee County with 4,574 French Canadian residents, representing 4.6% of Florida's total French Canadian population of 99,454.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Lee County's density of 5.9 French-Canadian Americans per square mile exceeds Florida's average of 1.9 per square mile by just over triple, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for French Canadian demographic communities.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

Lee County Cities Ranked by French Canadian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] indicate French Canadian populations across all five cities, led by Cape Coral with 1,149 residents, followed by Fort Myers with 594 residents. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for the five incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Lee County, FL ranked by French Canadian population count
Rank by French Canadian Population
City
French Canadian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Lee County French Canadian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Cape Coral 1,149 0.56% 25.12%
2 Fort Myers 594 0.65% 12.99%
3 Bonita Springs 350 0.64% 7.65%
4 Sanibel 63 0.98% 1.38%
5 Fort Myers Beach 55 0.99% 1.20%
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 city in Lee County, FL 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 city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as French Canadian .
  2. % of Total Lee County 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.
  • City 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.