Somali Population in Franklin County, OH by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Somali population in Franklin County, OH is reported at 24,432 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Franklin County - including Columbus, Urbancrest, Minerva Park, and others - contribute to the Somali population, but the total county figure of 24,432 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Somali residents are distributed in Ohio and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Somali population in Franklin County

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  • 1
    Columbus
    Somali population in Columbus is 22,899
    2.53% of Columbus population is Somali
  • 2
    Urbancrest
    Somali population in Urbancrest is 375
    35.48% of Urbancrest population is Somali
  • 3
    Minerva Park
    Somali population in Minerva Park is 249
    11.89% of Minerva Park population is Somali
  • 4
    Hilliard
    Somali population in Hilliard is 143
    0.39% of Hilliard population is Somali
  • 5
    Westerville
    Somali population in Westerville is 52
    0.13% of Westerville population is Somali

Overview of Somali population in Franklin County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Franklin County contains 24,432 Somali residents (1.8% of 1.3 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 98th percentile within Ohio for Somali demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Franklin County's Somali population of 1.8% surpassing both Ohio's state average of 0.22% and the national average of 0.049%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Franklin County hosts 24,432 Somali residents, constituting 92.5% of Ohio's total Somali population of 26,402, creating a demographic concentration where more than half of the state's Somali community resides within a single county—a geographic clustering pattern rarely documented in American demographic research.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Franklin County contains $dem_per_sqmi Somali Americans per square mile—exactly seventy-one times Ohio's average of 0.65 per square mile—placing the county as a demographic outlier with one of the most concentrated Somali communities documented in United States demographic research.
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21 Cities in Franklin County Ranked by Somali Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Somali populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Columbus, Urbancrest, Minerva Park, and Hilliard. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 21 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Franklin County, OH ranked by Somali population count
Rank by Somali Population
City
Somali Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Franklin County Somali Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Columbus 22,899 2.53% 93.73%
2 Urbancrest 375 35.48% 1.53%
3 Minerva Park 249 11.89% 1.02%
4 Hilliard 143 0.39% 0.59%
5 Westerville 52 0.13% 0.21%
6 Gahanna 51 0.14% 0.21%
7 Whitehall 17 0.09% 0.07%
8 4 0.03% 0.02%
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 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 Franklin County, OH by their Somali population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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