Samoan Population in San Diego County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Samoan population in San Diego County, CA is reported at 6,702 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in San Diego County - including San Diego, Oceanside, Vista, and others - contribute to the Samoan population, but the total county figure of 6,702 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Samoan residents are distributed in California and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Samoan population in San Diego County

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  • 1
    San Diego
    Samoan population in San Diego is 2,220
    0.16% of San Diego population is Samoan
  • 2
    Oceanside
    Samoan population in Oceanside is 931
    0.54% of Oceanside population is Samoan
  • 3
    Vista
    Samoan population in Vista is 570
    0.58% of Vista population is Samoan
  • 4
    Escondido
    Samoan population in Escondido is 567
    0.38% of Escondido population is Samoan
  • 5
    El Cajon
    Samoan population in El Cajon is 413
    0.39% of El Cajon population is Samoan

Overview of Samoan population in San Diego County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document San Diego County with 6,702 Samoan residents (0.2% of 3.3 million total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 96th percentile within California for Samoan population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show San Diego County's Samoan population of 0.2% surpassing both California's state average of 0.16% and the national average of 0.071%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate San Diego County's 6,702 Samoan residents constitute 10.6% of California's total Samoan population of 63,221, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 10.6% of all California Samoan Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate San Diego County's density of 1.6 Samoan Americans per square mile exceeds California's average of 0.41 per square mile by more than triple, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Samoan demographic communities.
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18 Cities in San Diego County Ranked by Samoan Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Samoan populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by San Diego, Oceanside, Vista, and Escondido. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 18 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in San Diego County, CA ranked by Samoan population count
Rank by Samoan Population
City
Samoan Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total San Diego County Samoan Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 San Diego 2,220 0.16% 33.12%
2 Oceanside 931 0.54% 13.89%
3 Vista 570 0.58% 8.50%
4 Escondido 567 0.38% 8.46%
5 El Cajon 413 0.39% 6.16%
6 Chula Vista 269 0.10% 4.01%
7 Santee 239 0.40% 3.57%
8 187 0.20% 2.79%
9 143 0.52% 2.13%
10 81 0.13% 1.21%
11 47 0.10% 0.70%
12 35 0.03% 0.52%
13 34 0.06% 0.51%
14 12 0.06% 0.18%
15 0 - -
15 0 - -
15 0 - -
15 0 - -
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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 San Diego County, CA by their Samoan population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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