Iraqi Population in United States by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Iraqi population in the United States stands at 170,349 individuals. El Cajon contains the largest Iraqi community with 8,005 residents, followed by Sterling Heights (6,328) and West Bloomfield charter township (4,772), with many other cities across the country home to active Iraqi communities of varying sizes. This nationwide ranking highlights how Iraqi populations are distributed across American cities, offering a broader view into their settlement patterns and regional diversity.

Top 5 cities with the largest Iraqi population in United States

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  • 1
    El Cajon
    Iraqi population in El Cajon is 8,005
    7.63% of El Cajon population is Iraqi
  • 2
    Sterling Heights
    Iraqi population in Sterling Heights is 6,328
    4.74% of Sterling Heights population is Iraqi
  • 3
    West Bloomfield charter township
    Iraqi population in West Bloomfield charter township is 4,772
    7.27% of West Bloomfield charter township population is Iraqi
  • 4
    Dearborn
    Iraqi population in Dearborn is 4,697
    4.36% of Dearborn population is Iraqi
  • 5
    Dearborn Heights
    Iraqi population in Dearborn Heights is 3,814
    6.14% of Dearborn Heights population is Iraqi

U.S. Cities by Iraqi Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Iraqi populations in leading metropolitan areas, including El Cajon, Sterling Heights, West Bloomfield charter township, and Dearborn, while numerous other incorporated cities recorded minimal or zero residents identified as Americans of Iraqi ancestry. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in United States ranked by Iraqi population count
Rank by Iraqi Population
City
Iraqi Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total United States Iraqi Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 El Cajon 8,005 7.63% 4.70%
2 Sterling Heights 6,328 4.74% 3.71%
3 West Bloomfield charter township 4,772 7.27% 2.80%
4 Dearborn 4,697 4.36% 2.76%
5 Dearborn Heights 3,814 6.14% 2.24%
6 Houston 3,148 0.14% 1.85%
7 Phoenix 2,750 0.17% 1.61%
8 2,425 0.03% 1.42%
9 2,389 0.82% 1.40%
10 2,310 1.67% 1.36%
11 2,222 0.08% 1.30%
12 1,567 0.25% 0.92%
13 1,465 1.76% 0.86%
14 1,459 0.10% 0.86%
15 1,441 0.04% 0.85%
16 1,323 0.53% 0.78%
17 1,279 1.46% 0.75%
18 1,263 0.09% 0.74%
19 1,215 1.53% 0.71%
20 1,119 0.07% 0.66%
21 985 1.07% 0.58%
22 977 0.10% 0.57%
23 943 1.42% 0.55%
24 938 0.79% 0.55%
25 926 0.23% 0.54%
26 865 0.10% 0.51%
27 825 0.56% 0.48%
28 790 0.41% 0.46%
29 786 0.03% 0.46%
30 768 0.33% 0.45%
31 763 0.37% 0.45%
32 748 0.15% 0.44%
33 742 2.59% 0.44%
34 725 1.22% 0.43%
35 722 0.07% 0.42%
36 714 0.53% 0.42%
37 673 0.35% 0.40%
38 629 3.79% 0.37%
39 625 4.04% 0.37%
40 618 0.87% 0.36%
41 608 0.42% 0.36%
42 593 0.10% 0.35%
42 593 0.07% 0.35%
43 580 0.08% 0.34%
44 579 0.54% 0.34%
45 544 0.06% 0.32%
46 538 0.28% 0.32%
47 529 0.14% 0.31%
48 517 1.18% 0.30%
49 487 0.51% 0.29%
50 475 0.06% 0.28%
51 472 0.08% 0.28%
52 470 2.74% 0.28%
53 468 0.07% 0.27%
54 438 1.77% 0.26%
55 424 0.08% 0.25%
56 418 0.26% 0.25%
57 417 1.47% 0.24%
58 414 0.15% 0.24%
59 400 0.06% 0.23%
60 399 0.66% 0.23%
61 398 1.22% 0.23%
62 394 0.03% 0.23%
62 394 0.41% 0.23%
63 391 0.30% 0.23%
64 386 0.32% 0.23%
65 384 0.89% 0.23%
65 384 0.02% 0.23%
66 382 0.38% 0.22%
67 377 0.31% 0.22%
68 366 0.03% 0.21%
69 359 0.31% 0.21%
70 358 0.60% 0.21%
71 354 0.36% 0.21%
72 339 0.05% 0.20%
73 338 0.86% 0.20%
73 338 0.15% 0.20%
74 333 0.12% 0.20%
74 333 0.35% 0.20%
75 331 0.05% 0.19%
76 326 0.83% 0.19%
77 322 0.52% 0.19%
78 320 0.06% 0.19%
79 317 0.07% 0.19%
80 312 0.53% 0.18%
81 305 0.26% 0.18%
81 305 0.55% 0.18%
82 304 1.00% 0.18%
83 301 0.10% 0.18%
84 289 0.26% 0.17%
85 283 0.42% 0.17%
86 281 4.43% 0.17%
87 276 0.92% 0.16%
88 268 0.11% 0.16%
89 267 1.86% 0.16%
89 267 0.26% 0.16%
89 267 0.84% 0.16%
89 267 0.39% 0.16%
90 265 0.30% 0.16%
91 262 1.46% 0.15%
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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 city in United States by their Iraqi population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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