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

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Salvadoran population in the United States stands at 2.5 million individuals. Los Angeles contains the largest Salvadoran community with 260,137 residents, followed by Houston (97,463) and New York (48,869), with many other cities across the country home to active Salvadoran communities of varying sizes. This nationwide ranking highlights how Salvadoran populations are distributed across American cities, offering a broader view into their settlement patterns and regional diversity.

Top 5 cities with the largest Salvadoran population in United States

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  • 1
    Los Angeles
    Salvadoran population in Los Angeles is 260,137
    6.74% of Los Angeles population is Salvadoran
  • 2
    Houston
    Salvadoran population in Houston is 97,463
    4.24% of Houston population is Salvadoran
  • 3
    New York
    Salvadoran population in New York is 48,869
    0.57% of New York population is Salvadoran
  • 4
    Hempstead town
    Salvadoran population in Hempstead town is 42,290
    5.36% of Hempstead town population is Salvadoran
  • 5
    Islip town
    Salvadoran population in Islip town is 37,744
    11.14% of Islip town population is Salvadoran

U.S. Cities by Salvadoran Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Salvadoran populations in leading metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and Hempstead town, while numerous other incorporated cities recorded minimal or zero residents identified as Americans of full or partial Salvadoran descent. 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 Salvadoran population count
Rank by Salvadoran Population
City
Salvadoran Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total United States Salvadoran Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles 260,137 6.74% 10.47%
2 Houston 97,463 4.24% 3.92%
3 New York 48,869 0.57% 1.97%
4 Hempstead town 42,290 5.36% 1.70%
5 Islip town 37,744 11.14% 1.52%
6 Dallas 25,996 2.00% 1.05%
7 Queens borough 23,710 1.02% 0.95%
8 22,421 8.79% 0.90%
9 18,272 2.72% 0.74%
10 16,630 1.99% 0.67%
11 15,578 1.76% 0.63%
12 14,070 6.46% 0.57%
13 12,664 21.62% 0.51%
14 12,017 7.26% 0.48%
15 11,920 0.45% 0.48%
16 11,829 1.82% 0.48%
17 11,618 8.55% 0.47%
18 11,243 1.14% 0.45%
19 10,918 1.64% 0.44%
20 10,835 2.22% 0.44%
21 9,340 23.67% 0.38%
22 8,935 7.74% 0.36%
23 8,848 1.93% 0.36%
24 8,302 1.90% 0.33%
25 8,171 16.60% 0.33%
26 8,169 0.84% 0.33%
27 8,085 3.42% 0.33%
28 7,774 11.23% 0.31%
29 7,374 4.70% 0.30%
30 7,151 1.60% 0.29%
31 7,031 1.72% 0.28%
32 6,998 2.85% 0.28%
33 6,973 4.10% 0.28%
34 6,886 0.25% 0.28%
35 6,702 12.29% 0.27%
36 6,647 0.41% 0.27%
37 6,622 0.47% 0.27%
38 6,591 6.53% 0.27%
39 6,548 15.34% 0.26%
40 6,525 9.83% 0.26%
41 6,350 2.04% 0.26%
42 6,181 1.57% 0.25%
43 6,144 0.42% 0.25%
44 6,082 10.15% 0.24%
45 5,987 6.52% 0.24%
46 5,945 2.81% 0.24%
47 5,891 2.57% 0.24%
48 5,858 2.95% 0.24%
49 5,837 2.87% 0.24%
50 5,783 1.00% 0.23%
51 5,628 2.54% 0.23%
52 5,614 0.62% 0.23%
53 5,565 0.34% 0.22%
54 5,554 1.61% 0.22%
55 5,505 0.58% 0.22%
56 5,448 3.42% 0.22%
57 5,358 1.14% 0.22%
58 5,336 5.20% 0.21%
59 5,068 4.53% 0.20%
60 4,930 5.64% 0.20%
61 4,850 4.59% 0.20%
62 4,812 10.91% 0.19%
63 4,796 1.66% 0.19%
64 4,749 0.34% 0.19%
65 4,740 7.26% 0.19%
66 4,663 2.27% 0.19%
67 4,628 1.51% 0.19%
68 4,537 8.46% 0.18%
69 4,508 1.16% 0.18%
70 4,500 2.14% 0.18%
71 4,478 21.47% 0.18%
72 4,477 0.92% 0.18%
73 4,439 0.85% 0.18%
74 4,413 1.40% 0.18%
75 4,362 17.78% 0.18%
76 4,346 1.62% 0.18%
77 4,345 2.68% 0.17%
78 4,259 33.93% 0.17%
79 4,258 2.87% 0.17%
80 4,253 1.70% 0.17%
81 4,210 5.22% 0.17%
82 4,167 14.83% 0.17%
83 4,072 5.70% 0.16%
84 4,068 2.12% 0.16%
85 4,065 3.27% 0.16%
86 4,028 7.79% 0.16%
87 3,984 2.23% 0.16%
88 3,948 1.32% 0.16%
89 3,861 3.34% 0.16%
90 3,768 1.66% 0.15%
91 3,703 2.97% 0.15%
92 3,611 1.70% 0.15%
93 3,592 3.47% 0.14%
94 3,556 2.68% 0.14%
95 3,547 4.13% 0.14%
96 3,524 0.65% 0.14%
97 3,509 20.74% 0.14%
98 3,470 2.54% 0.14%
99 3,422 1.26% 0.14%
100 3,402 3.64% 0.14%
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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 Salvadoran population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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