Polish Population in California by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Polish population in California stands at 439,900. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Los Angeles County leading at 104,112, followed by San Diego County (53,552) and Orange County (43,518). 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 Polish population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Polish population in California

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  • 1
    Los Angeles County
    Polish population in Los Angeles County is 104,112
    1.06% of Los Angeles County population is Polish
  • 2
    San Diego County
    Polish population in San Diego County is 53,552
    1.63% of San Diego County population is Polish
  • 3
    Orange County
    Polish population in Orange County is 43,518
    1.38% of Orange County population is Polish
  • 4
    Riverside County
    Polish population in Riverside County is 23,723
    0.97% of Riverside County population is Polish
  • 5
    Santa Clara County
    Polish population in Santa Clara County is 19,464
    1.02% of Santa Clara County population is Polish

Overview of Polish population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents California with 439,900 Polish residents (1.1% of 39.2 million total state population), ranking the state at the 85th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Polish demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show California's Polish demographic representation of 1.1% remains below the national average of 2.6%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show California hosts 439,900 Polish residents, representing 5.2% of the nation's total Polish population of 8.5 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 2.8 Polish Americans per square mile, above the national average of 2.4 per square mile, indicating marginally stronger community presence than most U.S. states.
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55 Counties in California Ranked by Polish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Polish 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 Polish population count
Rank by Polish Population
County
Polish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total California Polish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles County 104,112 1.06% 23.67%
2 San Diego County 53,552 1.63% 12.17%
3 Orange County 43,518 1.38% 9.89%
4 Riverside County 23,723 0.97% 5.39%
5 Santa Clara County 19,464 1.02% 4.42%
6 Alameda County 18,282 1.11% 4.16%
7 San Bernardino County 17,273 0.79% 3.93%
8 16,813 1.06% 3.82%
9 15,303 1.83% 3.48%
10 14,898 1.28% 3.39%
11 13,360 1.59% 3.04%
12 9,580 1.29% 2.18%
13 8,952 1.84% 2.04%
14 7,023 2.71% 1.60%
15 5,832 1.41% 1.33%
16 5,647 1.27% 1.28%
17 5,076 1.80% 1.15%
18 4,986 0.55% 1.13%
19 4,674 0.59% 1.06%
20 4,650 1.75% 1.06%
21 3,746 0.83% 0.85%
22 3,465 0.80% 0.79%
23 3,342 1.74% 0.76%
24 3,331 0.33% 0.76%
25 3,180 1.46% 0.72%
26 3,063 0.55% 0.70%
27 2,408 1.33% 0.55%
28 2,284 1.69% 0.52%
29 2,038 1.99% 0.46%
30 1,867 0.89% 0.42%
31 1,861 1.37% 0.42%
32 1,274 0.27% 0.29%
33 942 1.13% 0.21%
34 938 1.03% 0.21%
35 903 1.33% 0.21%
36 861 0.54% 0.20%
37 848 1.55% 0.19%
38 819 2.00% 0.19%
39 729 0.26% 0.17%
40 556 0.84% 0.13%
41 510 0.78% 0.12%
42 508 1.10% 0.12%
43 493 1.12% 0.11%
44 423 3.21% 0.10%
45 414 2.20% 0.09%
46 408 0.27% 0.09%
47 388 0.39% 0.09%
48 252 0.81% 0.06%
49 243 0.14% 0.06%
50 211 0.77% 0.05%
51 198 1.01% 0.05%
52 197 0.69% 0.04%
53 47 1.72% 0.01%
54 31 0.14% 0.01%
55 23 0.27% 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 Polish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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