Sierra Leonean Population in United States by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Sierra Leonean population in the United States stands at 36,380 individuals. New York contains the largest Sierra Leonean community with 1,807 residents, followed by Columbus (1,559) and Alexandria (952), with many other cities across the country home to active Sierra Leonean communities of varying sizes. This nationwide ranking highlights how Sierra Leonean populations are distributed across American cities, offering a broader view into their settlement patterns and regional diversity.

Top 5 cities with the largest Sierra Leonean population in United States

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  • 1
    New York
    Sierra Leonean population in New York is 1,807
    0.02% of New York population is Sierra Leonean
  • 2
    Columbus
    Sierra Leonean population in Columbus is 1,559
    0.17% of Columbus population is Sierra Leonean
  • 3
    Alexandria
    Sierra Leonean population in Alexandria is 952
    0.61% of Alexandria population is Sierra Leonean
  • 4
    Philadelphia
    Sierra Leonean population in Philadelphia is 917
    0.06% of Philadelphia population is Sierra Leonean
  • 5
    Pennsauken township
    Sierra Leonean population in Pennsauken township is 846
    2.28% of Pennsauken township population is Sierra Leonean

U.S. Cities by Sierra Leonean Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Sierra Leonean populations in leading metropolitan areas, including New York, Columbus, Alexandria, and Philadelphia, while numerous other incorporated cities recorded minimal or zero residents identified as Americans who are descended from Sierra Leoneans. 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 Sierra Leonean population count
Rank by Sierra Leonean Population
City
Sierra Leonean Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total United States Sierra Leonean Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 New York 1,807 0.02% 4.97%
2 Columbus 1,559 0.17% 4.29%
3 Alexandria 952 0.61% 2.62%
4 Philadelphia 917 0.06% 2.52%
5 Pennsauken township 846 2.28% 2.33%
6 Bronx borough 694 0.05% 1.91%
7 Houston 589 0.03% 1.62%
8 577 1.00% 1.59%
9 517 0.10% 1.42%
10 474 0.56% 1.30%
11 470 0.01% 1.29%
12 406 0.06% 1.12%
13 400 0.06% 1.10%
14 392 0.01% 1.08%
15 378 1.24% 1.04%
16 356 3.34% 0.98%
17 340 0.12% 0.93%
18 319 0.03% 0.88%
19 298 4.98% 0.82%
20 292 0.27% 0.80%
21 284 0.67% 0.78%
22 276 0.07% 0.76%
23 275 0.09% 0.76%
24 273 0.24% 0.75%
25 269 1.17% 0.74%
26 264 6.26% 0.73%
27 239 0.02% 0.66%
28 194 1.60% 0.53%
29 189 0.28% 0.52%
30 182 0.42% 0.50%
31 178 1.37% 0.49%
32 177 0.01% 0.49%
33 176 0.06% 0.48%
34 167 0.03% 0.46%
35 166 0.58% 0.46%
35 166 0.07% 0.46%
36 164 0.23% 0.45%
37 163 0.19% 0.45%
38 157 0.52% 0.43%
39 156 0.03% 0.43%
40 147 1.62% 0.40%
40 147 0.38% 0.40%
41 145 0.83% 0.40%
42 138 0.16% 0.38%
43 136 0.03% 0.37%
44 134 0.05% 0.37%
45 126 0.48% 0.35%
46 125 0.23% 0.34%
47 121 0.76% 0.33%
47 121 0.01% 0.33%
48 118 0.22% 0.32%
49 114 0.03% 0.31%
50 113 0.99% 0.31%
51 107 0.87% 0.29%
52 106 0.74% 0.29%
53 102 0.02% 0.28%
54 99 0.00% 0.27%
54 99 0.17% 0.27%
54 99 0.01% 0.27%
55 92 0.29% 0.25%
56 91 0.39% 0.25%
57 89 0.09% 0.24%
58 88 0.99% 0.24%
59 87 0.09% 0.24%
60 85 0.21% 0.23%
61 84 0.01% 0.23%
61 84 0.35% 0.23%
62 83 0.15% 0.23%
63 81 0.26% 0.22%
64 78 0.96% 0.21%
65 77 0.02% 0.21%
66 76 0.03% 0.21%
66 76 0.02% 0.21%
66 76 0.01% 0.21%
67 72 0.25% 0.20%
68 71 0.25% 0.20%
68 71 0.12% 0.20%
69 69 0.51% 0.19%
70 66 0.31% 0.18%
70 66 0.15% 0.18%
71 63 0.02% 0.17%
72 62 0.67% 0.17%
73 61 0.13% 0.17%
74 60 0.44% 0.16%
74 60 0.07% 0.16%
75 59 0.02% 0.16%
75 59 0.17% 0.16%
76 58 0.01% 0.16%
76 58 0.12% 0.16%
77 57 0.06% 0.16%
77 57 0.90% 0.16%
78 56 0.92% 0.15%
79 55 0.06% 0.15%
80 53 0.01% 0.15%
80 53 0.26% 0.15%
80 53 0.28% 0.15%
81 52 0.72% 0.14%
82 51 0.15% 0.14%
82 51 0.03% 0.14%
83 50 0.02% 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 Sierra Leonean population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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