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

Based on the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Iraqi population in the United States stands at 170,349. Michigan reports the largest population with 37,698 residents, followed by California (26,919) and Texas (19,259). Several other states and the District of Columbia also show meaningful Iraqi presence. This national overview explores how Iraqi populations are distributed across different U.S. states, with insights into both established communities and emerging patterns.

Top 5 states with the largest Iraqi population in United States

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  • 1
    Michigan
    Iraqi population in Michigan is 37,698
    0.38% of Michigan population is Iraqi
  • 2
    California
    Iraqi population in California is 26,919
    0.07% of California population is Iraqi
  • 3
    Texas
    Iraqi population in Texas is 19,259
    0.07% of Texas population is Iraqi
  • 4
    Illinois
    Iraqi population in Illinois is 8,239
    0.06% of Illinois population is Iraqi
  • 5
    New York
    Iraqi population in New York is 7,332
    0.04% of New York population is Iraqi

U.S. States by Iraqi Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Iraqi populations in leading states, including Michigan, California, Texas, and Illinois, while other states recorded minimal number of 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 states included in this analysis*.
states in United States ranked by Iraqi population count
Rank by Iraqi Population
State
Iraqi Population
% of Total State Population
% of Total United States Iraqi Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Michigan 37,698 0.38% 22.13%
2 California 26,919 0.07% 15.80%
3 Texas 19,259 0.07% 11.31%
4 Illinois 8,239 0.06% 4.84%
5 New York 7,332 0.04% 4.30%
6 Virginia 7,185 0.08% 4.22%
7 Arizona 7,171 0.10% 4.21%
8 5,333 0.07% 3.13%
9 4,019 0.06% 2.36%
10 3,895 0.04% 2.29%
11 3,890 0.02% 2.28%
12 3,666 0.05% 2.15%
13 2,900 0.02% 1.70%
14 2,703 0.14% 1.59%
15 2,515 0.02% 1.48%
16 2,332 0.04% 1.37%
17 2,126 0.03% 1.25%
18 1,997 0.02% 1.17%
19 1,867 0.04% 1.10%
20 1,744 0.03% 1.02%
21 1,545 0.04% 0.91%
22 1,516 0.05% 0.89%
23 1,419 0.02% 0.83%
24 1,324 0.02% 0.78%
25 1,278 0.01% 0.75%
26 1,204 0.04% 0.71%
27 1,102 0.04% 0.65%
28 1,004 0.05% 0.59%
29 1,001 0.02% 0.59%
30 904 0.01% 0.53%
31 733 0.02% 0.43%
32 655 0.05% 0.38%
33 636 0.03% 0.37%
34 529 0.01% 0.31%
35 491 0.02% 0.29%
36 468 0.07% 0.27%
37 458 0.03% 0.27%
38 384 0.01% 0.23%
39 188 0.00% 0.11%
40 163 0.01% 0.10%
41 148 0.02% 0.09%
42 136 0.01% 0.08%
43 81 0.01% 0.05%
44 73 0.00% 0.04%
45 52 0.01% 0.03%
46 44 0.00% 0.03%
47 5 0.00% 0.00%
47 5 0.00% 0.00%
48 0 - -
48 0 - -
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 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 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 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.
  • State 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.