Scottish Population in California by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Scottish population in California totals 453,079, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Los Angeles (27,592), followed by San Diego (18,593) and San Francisco (10,815), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Scottish residents are distributed across California''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Scottish population in California

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  • 1
    Los Angeles
    Scottish population in Los Angeles is 27,592
    0.72% of Los Angeles population is Scottish
  • 2
    San Diego
    Scottish population in San Diego is 18,593
    1.34% of San Diego population is Scottish
  • 3
    San Francisco
    Scottish population in San Francisco is 10,815
    1.29% of San Francisco population is Scottish
  • 4
    San Jose
    Scottish population in San Jose is 7,111
    0.72% of San Jose population is Scottish
  • 5
    Sacramento
    Scottish population in Sacramento is 5,399
    1.03% of Sacramento population is Scottish

Overview of Scottish population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents California with 453,079 Scottish residents (1.2% of 39.2 million total state population), ranking the state at the 100th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Scottish demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show California's Scottish demographic representation of 1.2% remains below the national average of 1.6%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show California hosts 453,079 Scottish residents, representing 8.6% of the nation's total Scottish population of 5.3 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 show California maintains 2.9 Scottish Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 1.5, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

473 Cities in California Ranked by Scottish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Scottish population in California present in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. 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 California ranked by Scottish population count
Rank by Scottish Population
City
Scottish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total California Scottish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles 27,592 0.72% 6.09%
2 San Diego 18,593 1.34% 4.10%
3 San Francisco 10,815 1.29% 2.39%
4 San Jose 7,111 0.72% 1.57%
5 Sacramento 5,399 1.03% 1.19%
6 Oakland 4,843 1.11% 1.07%
7 Fresno 4,324 0.80% 0.95%
8 4,097 1.00% 0.90%
9 4,086 2.08% 0.90%
10 4,008 0.87% 0.88%
11 3,437 1.94% 0.76%
12 3,187 2.90% 0.70%
13 3,092 1.79% 0.68%
14 2,934 2.88% 0.65%
15 2,829 1.86% 0.62%
16 2,821 0.92% 0.62%
17 2,805 1.22% 0.62%
18 2,742 2.39% 0.61%
19 2,682 2.43% 0.59%
20 2,640 3.13% 0.58%
21 2,479 0.78% 0.55%
22 2,402 1.10% 0.53%
23 2,329 2.11% 0.51%
24 2,318 1.93% 0.51%
25 2,273 2.44% 0.50%
26 2,229 1.77% 0.49%
27 2,191 1.96% 0.48%
28 2,127 2.94% 0.47%
29 2,052 2.18% 0.45%
30 2,016 2.35% 0.45%
30 2,016 3.17% 0.45%
31 1,971 1.42% 0.44%
32 1,917 2.18% 0.42%
33 1,908 2.06% 0.42%
34 1,906 1.55% 0.42%
35 1,904 0.59% 0.42%
36 1,901 3.20% 0.42%
37 1,864 1.50% 0.41%
38 1,852 1.47% 0.41%
39 1,850 2.13% 0.41%
40 1,814 2.21% 0.40%
41 1,789 1.25% 0.39%
42 1,767 1.93% 0.39%
43 1,729 0.90% 0.38%
44 1,707 2.77% 0.38%
45 1,697 1.98% 0.37%
46 1,695 1.24% 0.37%
47 1,682 0.49% 0.37%
48 1,654 1.10% 0.37%
49 1,645 1.16% 0.36%
50 1,639 1.56% 0.36%
51 1,608 2.70% 0.35%
52 1,606 1.55% 0.35%
53 1,596 2.62% 0.35%
54 1,502 0.86% 0.33%
55 1,490 3.35% 0.33%
56 1,465 0.64% 0.32%
57 1,438 1.59% 0.32%
58 1,429 1.86% 0.32%
59 1,420 2.03% 0.31%
60 1,398 2.29% 0.31%
61 1,385 2.63% 0.31%
62 1,382 0.78% 0.31%
63 1,381 1.75% 0.30%
64 1,372 0.81% 0.30%
65 1,358 2.03% 0.30%
66 1,356 0.85% 0.30%
67 1,331 2.58% 0.29%
68 1,324 2.73% 0.29%
69 1,323 2.94% 0.29%
70 1,292 1.31% 0.29%
71 1,279 2.00% 0.28%
72 1,271 2.46% 0.28%
73 1,257 1.80% 0.28%
74 1,243 1.16% 0.27%
75 1,212 0.44% 0.27%
76 1,204 1.46% 0.27%
77 1,199 1.78% 0.26%
78 1,186 5.21% 0.26%
79 1,162 1.54% 0.26%
80 1,161 1.65% 0.26%
81 1,155 1.89% 0.25%
82 1,142 0.80% 0.25%
83 1,136 2.21% 0.25%
84 1,131 2.35% 0.25%
85 1,091 0.84% 0.24%
86 1,052 1.23% 0.23%
87 1,012 1.46% 0.22%
88 998 1.15% 0.22%
89 995 1.24% 0.22%
90 992 2.28% 0.22%
91 984 0.64% 0.22%
92 979 1.26% 0.22%
93 976 0.46% 0.22%
94 970 0.97% 0.21%
94 970 0.95% 0.21%
95 959 2.77% 0.21%
96 956 1.31% 0.21%
97 931 1.15% 0.21%
98 930 0.98% 0.21%
99 902 2.57% 0.20%
100 888 1.97% 0.20%
100 888 2.59% 0.20%
101 882 0.74% 0.19%
102 874 2.66% 0.19%
103 868 1.34% 0.19%
104 865 0.52% 0.19%
105 861 0.54% 0.19%
106 860 1.28% 0.19%
107 856 0.95% 0.19%
108 849 2.86% 0.19%
109 839 1.77% 0.19%
110 824 1.04% 0.18%
111 821 1.35% 0.18%
112 820 4.45% 0.18%
113 814 1.03% 0.18%
114 804 2.18% 0.18%
115 800 0.64% 0.18%
116 797 0.97% 0.18%
117 785 2.98% 0.17%
118 777 0.25% 0.17%
119 773 0.86% 0.17%
120 770 1.50% 0.17%
121 750 1.59% 0.17%
121 750 0.87% 0.17%
122 741 1.41% 0.16%
123 738 1.67% 0.16%
124 733 2.55% 0.16%
125 726 0.43% 0.16%
126 712 1.00% 0.16%
127 705 0.77% 0.16%
127 705 0.61% 0.16%
128 703 1.25% 0.16%
129 702 0.67% 0.15%
129 702 2.68% 0.15%
130 699 0.60% 0.15%
131 698 2.48% 0.15%
132 697 0.79% 0.15%
133 688 2.23% 0.15%
134 684 1.26% 0.15%
135 680 0.38% 0.15%
136 676 1.58% 0.15%
137 671 0.30% 0.15%
138 667 2.12% 0.15%
139 664 0.94% 0.15%
140 657 2.00% 0.15%
141 653 1.82% 0.14%
142 646 0.96% 0.14%
143 638 3.67% 0.14%
144 629 1.92% 0.14%
145 623 0.42% 0.14%
146 622 1.70% 0.14%
147 616 0.31% 0.14%
148 613 2.28% 0.14%
149 605 1.11% 0.13%
150 591 0.36% 0.13%
151 588 1.98% 0.13%
152 580 0.80% 0.13%
153 577 0.99% 0.13%
154 572 2.08% 0.13%
155 568 2.28% 0.13%
156 567 1.90% 0.13%
157 563 1.14% 0.12%
158 554 2.15% 0.12%
159 552 1.44% 0.12%
159 552 1.49% 0.12%
160 549 2.82% 0.12%
161 547 2.16% 0.12%
161 547 0.50% 0.12%
162 544 1.45% 0.12%
163 540 1.08% 0.12%
164 534 4.08% 0.12%
165 532 4.96% 0.12%
166 530 3.06% 0.12%
167 526 1.54% 0.12%
168 524 1.60% 0.12%
169 521 1.71% 0.12%
170 518 0.38% 0.11%
171 499 4.66% 0.11%
172 497 3.31% 0.11%
173 494 3.89% 0.11%
174 492 1.12% 0.11%
175 486 2.28% 0.11%
176 479 3.73% 0.11%
177 477 2.57% 0.11%
177 477 0.77% 0.11%
178 467 0.67% 0.10%
179 466 0.51% 0.10%
180 462 0.22% 0.10%
180 462 1.32% 0.10%
181 459 1.22% 0.10%
182 451 0.55% 0.10%
182 451 2.07% 0.10%
183 448 2.27% 0.10%
184 447 4.06% 0.10%
185 441 1.90% 0.10%
186 439 2.28% 0.10%
187 436 0.57% 0.10%
188 435 1.42% 0.10%
189 433 2.30% 0.10%
190 432 0.55% 0.10%
191 430 0.72% 0.09%
192 427 0.73% 0.09%
193 426 1.38% 0.09%
194 423 0.90% 0.09%
195 421 2.99% 0.09%
196 419 0.37% 0.09%
197 418 0.76% 0.09%
198 415 2.24% 0.09%
199 408 2.45% 0.09%
199 408 2.41% 0.09%
200 407 0.78% 0.09%
201 402 2.92% 0.09%
201 402 0.48% 0.09%
201 402 2.39% 0.09%
202 385 2.99% 0.09%
203 382 0.56% 0.08%
204 376 2.96% 0.08%
204 376 3.41% 0.08%
205 368 1.15% 0.08%
206 360 0.66% 0.08%
207 359 0.38% 0.08%
208 356 3.94% 0.08%
209 355 1.38% 0.08%
210 354 3.54% 0.08%
211 353 0.88% 0.08%
212 350 0.33% 0.08%
213 349 1.29% 0.08%
214 345 1.72% 0.08%
215 344 1.80% 0.08%
216 343 1.73% 0.08%
217 339 0.53% 0.07%
218 336 0.78% 0.07%
219 324 4.52% 0.07%
220 323 1.47% 0.07%
221 317 1.05% 0.07%
222 316 8.33% 0.07%
223 315 1.08% 0.07%
223 315 0.67% 0.07%
223 315 0.30% 0.07%
224 307 4.37% 0.07%
225 303 4.06% 0.07%
226 296 0.53% 0.07%
227 295 0.47% 0.07%
228 291 1.77% 0.06%
229 288 1.97% 0.06%
230 287 0.29% 0.06%
231 282 1.26% 0.06%
232 280 1.06% 0.06%
233 279 2.47% 0.06%
234 278 0.87% 0.06%
234 278 0.36% 0.06%
235 274 0.51% 0.06%
236 273 0.99% 0.06%
237 271 3.75% 0.06%
238 266 0.64% 0.06%
239 264 0.56% 0.06%
240 263 5.30% 0.06%
241 260 0.83% 0.06%
242 259 1.00% 0.06%
242 259 2.41% 0.06%
243 256 1.29% 0.06%
244 253 5.24% 0.06%
245 252 1.10% 0.06%
246 250 5.06% 0.06%
247 245 0.80% 0.05%
248 244 3.24% 0.05%
248 244 2.07% 0.05%
249 240 0.73% 0.05%
249 240 2.10% 0.05%
249 240 0.22% 0.05%
250 237 0.74% 0.05%
251 235 1.25% 0.05%
251 235 0.72% 0.05%
251 235 0.93% 0.05%
252 234 0.55% 0.05%
253 232 3.08% 0.05%
254 231 0.47% 0.05%
255 228 4.48% 0.05%
256 225 0.29% 0.05%
257 221 1.08% 0.05%
257 221 3.06% 0.05%
258 220 2.90% 0.05%
259 218 1.31% 0.05%
260 217 0.42% 0.05%
261 215 0.86% 0.05%
262 214 0.85% 0.05%
263 212 1.62% 0.05%
263 212 2.64% 0.05%
264 209 1.68% 0.05%
265 208 0.99% 0.05%
266 205 4.07% 0.05%
267 203 3.83% 0.04%
267 203 0.57% 0.04%
268 202 1.84% 0.04%
268 202 1.63% 0.04%
269 201 0.35% 0.04%
270 198 1.96% 0.04%
271 195 3.83% 0.04%
272 194 1.60% 0.04%
273 187 1.91% 0.04%
274 185 1.10% 0.04%
275 184 4.94% 0.04%
276 182 3.02% 0.04%
277 178 0.82% 0.04%
278 173 0.17% 0.04%
278 173 0.29% 0.04%
279 171 1.21% 0.04%
280 169 1.89% 0.04%
281 168 0.69% 0.04%
281 168 2.06% 0.04%
282 164 0.19% 0.04%
283 162 0.34% 0.04%
283 162 0.30% 0.04%
284 158 0.51% 0.03%
285 157 1.39% 0.03%
285 157 2.11% 0.03%
286 156 0.88% 0.03%
287 155 4.87% 0.03%
287 155 1.39% 0.03%
288 153 0.31% 0.03%
288 153 4.04% 0.03%
289 152 0.40% 0.03%
290 149 1.40% 0.03%
290 149 0.69% 0.03%
291 148 1.16% 0.03%
292 147 1.76% 0.03%
293 145 0.84% 0.03%
294 144 0.58% 0.03%
295 142 3.28% 0.03%
296 139 1.77% 0.03%
297 135 1.79% 0.03%
298 133 1.29% 0.03%
298 133 1.06% 0.03%
299 131 0.20% 0.03%
300 130 1.17% 0.03%
301 128 0.33% 0.03%
301 128 2.47% 0.03%
302 125 1.19% 0.03%
302 125 2.00% 0.03%
303 124 0.98% 0.03%
303 124 1.58% 0.03%
304 123 1.66% 0.03%
305 122 0.81% 0.03%
306 121 1.64% 0.03%
307 120 1.47% 0.03%
307 120 0.37% 0.03%
307 120 1.16% 0.03%
308 117 3.69% 0.03%
309 116 0.26% 0.03%
309 116 0.89% 0.03%
310 114 1.68% 0.03%
311 113 7.26% 0.02%
311 113 0.11% 0.02%
311 113 5.44% 0.02%
311 113 0.20% 0.02%
312 112 0.29% 0.02%
313 111 3.21% 0.02%
314 110 0.38% 0.02%
315 109 0.43% 0.02%
316 103 0.13% 0.02%
316 103 0.64% 0.02%
317 102 1.10% 0.02%
318 101 1.88% 0.02%
319 100 1.47% 0.02%
320 99 1.60% 0.02%
321 97 0.16% 0.02%
321 97 1.68% 0.02%
322 96 0.37% 0.02%
323 94 0.63% 0.02%
324 93 3.44% 0.02%
325 92 0.14% 0.02%
326 88 3.57% 0.02%
327 83 2.12% 0.02%
327 83 0.37% 0.02%
327 83 2.59% 0.02%
327 83 1.70% 0.02%
328 82 11.70% 0.02%
329 81 0.30% 0.02%
330 76 0.12% 0.02%
331 75 2.86% 0.02%
331 75 0.61% 0.02%
332 73 1.04% 0.02%
333 72 1.18% 0.02%
334 71 1.50% 0.02%
334 71 1.28% 0.02%
335 70 0.28% 0.02%
336 69 0.26% 0.02%
337 63 1.87% 0.01%
337 63 0.07% 0.01%
338 59 0.12% 0.01%
338 59 0.24% 0.01%
339 57 3.74% 0.01%
340 56 0.29% 0.01%
341 54 0.08% 0.01%
342 52 0.34% 0.01%
343 48 0.75% 0.01%
343 48 0.21% 0.01%
344 47 0.17% 0.01%
345 44 0.31% 0.01%
346 43 0.11% 0.01%
346 43 1.56% 0.01%
347 42 1.74% 0.01%
347 42 0.22% 0.01%
348 40 0.79% 0.01%
348 40 0.19% 0.01%
349 39 0.43% 0.01%
350 38 0.14% 0.01%
351 37 0.36% 0.01%
351 37 0.27% 0.01%
351 37 0.45% 0.01%
351 37 2.45% 0.01%
352 36 0.52% 0.01%
353 35 0.14% 0.01%
354 34 0.52% 0.01%
355 33 3.31% 0.01%
355 33 0.10% 0.01%
356 32 1.53% 0.01%
357 31 0.60% 0.01%
357 31 0.05% 0.01%
358 30 0.08% 0.01%
358 30 1.98% 0.01%
358 30 0.21% 0.01%
358 30 1.42% 0.01%
359 28 0.24% 0.01%
360 27 0.05% 0.01%
361 26 0.03% 0.01%
362 25 0.13% 0.01%
362 25 0.19% 0.01%
362 25 0.74% 0.01%
363 24 0.19% 0.01%
363 24 0.17% 0.01%
364 22 0.04% 0.00%
364 22 0.06% 0.00%
365 21 2.59% 0.00%
365 21 0.78% 0.00%
366 20 0.17% 0.00%
366 20 0.23% 0.00%
366 20 1.15% 0.00%
367 19 0.10% 0.00%
368 18 1.21% 0.00%
369 17 2.76% 0.00%
369 17 0.03% 0.00%
370 14 0.10% 0.00%
370 14 0.04% 0.00%
371 13 0.11% 0.00%
371 13 1.04% 0.00%
372 9 0.11% 0.00%
373 8 0.56% 0.00%
374 7 0.13% 0.00%
375 6 0.72% 0.00%
375 6 0.03% 0.00%
376 4 0.18% 0.00%
376 4 0.51% 0.00%
377 2 0.01% 0.00%
377 2 0.03% 0.00%
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 0 - -
378 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 California by their Scottish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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