French Population in United States by State : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, all 50 states and the District of Columbia report a measurable French population, totaling 6.6 million nationwide. California leads with 546,919 residents, followed by Texas (465,829) and Louisiana (442,346). This ranking examines how French communities are distributed across the entire United States, highlighting regional patterns, cultural concentrations, and state-level differences.

Top 5 states with the largest French population in United States

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  • 1
    California
    French population in California is 546,919
    1.39% of California population is French
  • 2
    Texas
    French population in Texas is 465,829
    1.57% of Texas population is French
  • 3
    Louisiana
    French population in Louisiana is 442,346
    9.57% of Louisiana population is French
  • 4
    Florida
    French population in Florida is 389,820
    1.78% of Florida population is French
  • 5
    Massachusetts
    French population in Massachusetts is 346,470
    4.96% of Massachusetts population is French

U.S. States by French Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show French populations present across states nationwide, with the largest counts in California, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all states included in this analysis*.
states in United States ranked by French population count
Rank by French Population
State
French Population
% of Total State Population
% of Total United States French Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 California 546,919 1.39% 8.27%
2 Texas 465,829 1.57% 7.04%
3 Louisiana 442,346 9.57% 6.69%
4 Florida 389,820 1.78% 5.89%
5 Massachusetts 346,470 4.96% 5.24%
6 New York 331,596 1.67% 5.01%
7 Michigan 317,216 3.16% 4.80%
8 201,671 1.71% 3.05%
9 188,755 2.44% 2.85%
10 183,082 1.44% 2.77%
11 172,381 1.33% 2.61%
12 161,928 11.76% 2.45%
13 154,798 2.71% 2.34%
14 151,664 10.93% 2.29%
15 150,225 2.55% 2.27%
16 149,213 1.41% 2.26%
17 146,260 4.06% 2.21%
18 143,397 2.32% 2.17%
19 137,389 1.89% 2.08%
20 131,775 2.27% 1.99%
21 128,296 1.48% 1.94%
22 121,934 1.13% 1.84%
23 113,118 1.66% 1.71%
24 106,099 2.50% 1.60%
25 95,928 1.37% 1.45%
26 86,729 0.94% 1.31%
27 83,820 7.65% 1.27%
28 79,919 1.53% 1.21%
29 77,671 1.26% 1.17%
30 62,608 1.24% 0.95%
31 59,141 1.48% 0.89%
32 58,728 1.30% 0.89%
33 58,487 9.06% 0.88%
34 58,063 1.98% 0.88%
35 55,097 1.87% 0.83%
36 52,646 1.68% 0.80%
37 51,105 1.53% 0.77%
38 48,532 1.52% 0.73%
39 42,401 1.40% 0.64%
40 39,333 2.08% 0.59%
41 34,068 1.73% 0.52%
42 31,673 1.50% 0.48%
43 30,128 2.73% 0.46%
44 20,461 1.15% 0.31%
45 19,069 2.45% 0.29%
46 16,378 1.82% 0.25%
47 13,859 2.39% 0.21%
48 13,371 1.82% 0.20%
49 11,898 1.18% 0.18%
50 11,680 1.74% 0.18%
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 state in United States by their French population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French alone or in combination in state. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total State Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as French .
  2. % of Total United States French Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French 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 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.
  • State that don’t have any reported French 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 populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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