Somali Population in United States by State : 2025 Ranking & Insights

Based on the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Somali population in the United States stands at 163,769. Minnesota reports the largest population with 61,353 residents, followed by Ohio (26,402) and Washington (14,202). Several other states and the District of Columbia also show meaningful Somali presence. This national overview explores how Somali populations are distributed across different U.S. states, with insights into both established communities and emerging patterns.

Top 5 states with the largest Somali population in United States

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  • 1
    Minnesota
    Somali population in Minnesota is 61,353
    1.07% of Minnesota population is Somali
  • 2
    Ohio
    Somali population in Ohio is 26,402
    0.22% of Ohio population is Somali
  • 3
    Washington
    Somali population in Washington is 14,202
    0.18% of Washington population is Somali
  • 4
    California
    Somali population in California is 4,871
    0.01% of California population is Somali
  • 5
    Georgia
    Somali population in Georgia is 3,726
    0.03% of Georgia population is Somali

U.S. States by Somali Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Somali populations in leading states, including Minnesota, Ohio, Washington, and California, while other states recorded minimal number of residents identified as Americans of Somali birth or descent. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all states included in this analysis*.
states in United States ranked by Somali population count
Rank by Somali Population
State
Somali Population
% of Total State Population
% of Total United States Somali Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Minnesota 61,353 1.07% 37.46%
2 Ohio 26,402 0.22% 16.12%
3 Washington 14,202 0.18% 8.67%
4 California 4,871 0.01% 2.97%
5 Georgia 3,726 0.03% 2.28%
6 Texas 3,688 0.01% 2.25%
7 Virginia 3,622 0.04% 2.21%
8 3,232 0.02% 1.97%
9 2,959 0.15% 1.81%
10 2,730 0.20% 1.67%
11 2,722 0.04% 1.66%
12 2,718 0.05% 1.66%
13 2,637 0.08% 1.61%
14 2,555 0.04% 1.56%
15 2,194 0.03% 1.34%
16 2,193 0.03% 1.34%
17 2,022 0.02% 1.23%
18 2,003 0.03% 1.22%
19 1,960 0.02% 1.20%
20 1,916 0.05% 1.17%
21 1,730 0.22% 1.06%
22 1,692 0.05% 1.03%
23 1,687 0.04% 1.03%
24 1,552 0.02% 0.95%
25 1,061 0.04% 0.65%
26 1,012 0.01% 0.62%
27 743 0.08% 0.45%
28 679 0.01% 0.41%
29 625 0.05% 0.38%
30 547 0.07% 0.33%
31 522 0.00% 0.32%
32 482 0.07% 0.29%
33 459 0.02% 0.28%
34 178 0.00% 0.11%
34 178 0.00% 0.11%
35 175 0.03% 0.11%
36 172 0.01% 0.11%
37 170 0.00% 0.10%
38 167 0.00% 0.10%
39 115 0.00% 0.07%
40 42 0.00% 0.03%
41 30 0.00% 0.02%
42 23 0.00% 0.01%
43 12 0.00% 0.01%
44 10 0.00% 0.01%
45 1 - 0.00%
46 0 - -
46 0 - -
46 0 - -
46 0 - -
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 state in United States 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 state. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total State Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Somali .
  2. % of Total United States 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.
  • State 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.