Russian Population in California by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, California is home to 332,619 Russian residents. Los Angeles County contains the largest Russian community with 106,044 individuals, followed by San Diego County (29,335), Orange County (25,128), and several other counties contributing to this statewide total. The remaining difference may reflect Russian populations in lower-population counties not listed above or minor reporting adjustments in the census data. This demographic breakdown ranks all counties in California by their Russian population, offering insights into community patterns across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Russian population in California

View All
  • 1
    Los Angeles County
    Russian population in Los Angeles County is 106,044
    1.08% of Los Angeles County population is Russian
  • 2
    San Diego County
    Russian population in San Diego County is 29,335
    0.89% of San Diego County population is Russian
  • 3
    Orange County
    Russian population in Orange County is 25,128
    0.79% of Orange County population is Russian
  • 4
    Sacramento County
    Russian population in Sacramento County is 20,547
    1.30% of Sacramento County population is Russian
  • 5
    Santa Clara County
    Russian population in Santa Clara County is 19,052
    1.00% of Santa Clara County population is Russian

Overview of Russian population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate California contains 332,619 Russian residents (0.85% of 39.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 100th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Russian population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate California's Russian population of 0.85% exceeds the national average of 0.69% by a factor of 1.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates California's 332,619 Russian residents constitute 14.5% of the nation's total Russian population of 2.3 million, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 14.5% of all American Russian Americans residing within state boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates California's density of 2.1 Russian Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.65 per square mile by three and one-quarter times, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Russian demographic communities.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

55 Counties in California Ranked by Russian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Russian population in California distributed across multiple counties, led by Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Orange County, and Sacramento County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans who trace their ancestry to Russia. 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 Russian population count
Rank by Russian Population
County
Russian Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total California Russian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles County 106,044 1.08% 31.88%
2 San Diego County 29,335 0.89% 8.82%
3 Orange County 25,128 0.79% 7.55%
4 Sacramento County 20,547 1.30% 6.18%
5 Santa Clara County 19,052 1.00% 5.73%
6 San Francisco County 14,934 1.79% 4.49%
7 Alameda County 13,495 0.82% 4.06%
8 10,817 0.93% 3.25%
9 10,045 0.41% 3.02%
10 9,845 1.32% 2.96%
11 9,560 1.14% 2.87%
12 6,104 1.26% 1.84%
13 6,096 0.28% 1.83%
14 5,940 2.30% 1.79%
15 4,638 1.12% 1.39%
16 3,681 0.36% 1.11%
17 3,496 1.61% 1.05%
18 3,194 0.72% 0.96%
19 3,110 1.17% 0.94%
20 2,754 0.98% 0.83%
21 2,175 0.39% 0.65%
22 2,115 0.23% 0.64%
23 2,030 0.47% 0.61%
24 2,001 0.25% 0.60%
25 1,853 0.41% 0.56%
26 1,698 0.88% 0.51%
27 1,486 1.45% 0.45%
28 1,279 0.61% 0.38%
29 1,125 0.83% 0.34%
30 1,023 0.75% 0.31%
31 984 0.54% 0.30%
32 877 1.60% 0.26%
33 830 0.92% 0.25%
34 815 0.17% 0.25%
35 603 0.73% 0.18%
36 499 0.17% 0.15%
37 439 0.28% 0.13%
38 389 0.57% 0.12%
39 317 0.48% 0.10%
40 282 0.69% 0.08%
41 266 0.58% 0.08%
42 245 0.16% 0.07%
43 198 0.45% 0.06%
44 185 0.19% 0.06%
45 178 0.27% 0.05%
46 131 0.60% 0.04%
47 106 0.54% 0.03%
48 97 0.34% 0.03%
49 96 0.73% 0.03%
50 56 0.18% 0.02%
51 54 0.20% 0.02%
52 32 0.17% 0.01%
53 19 0.01% 0.01%
54 8 0.29% 0.00%
55 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 county in California by their Russian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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