South African Population in Allegheny County, PA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The South African population in Allegheny County, PA is reported at 284 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Most cities in Allegheny County - including Mount Lebanon township, Pittsburgh, Plum, and others - report some South African presence. With a total matching the county''s, this suggests a fully urbanized footprint for the group. The section below compares this even spread with similar counties in Pennsylvania.

Top 5 cities with the largest South African population in Allegheny County

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  • 1
    Mount Lebanon township
    South African population in Mount Lebanon township is 58
    0.17% of Mount Lebanon township population is South African
  • 2
    Pittsburgh
    South African population in Pittsburgh is 50
    0.02% of Pittsburgh population is South African
  • 3
    Plum
    South African population in Plum is 43
    0.16% of Plum population is South African
  • 4
    Forest Hills
    South African population in Forest Hills is 34
    0.54% of Forest Hills population is South African
  • 5
    Shaler township
    South African population in Shaler township is 32
    0.12% of Shaler township population is South African

Overview of South African population in Allegheny County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Allegheny County with 284 South African residents (0.023% of 1.2 million total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 97th percentile within Pennsylvania for South African population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate Allegheny County's South African population of 0.023% exceeds Pennsylvania's state average of 0.017% while remaining below the national average of 0.025%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Allegheny County's 284 South African residents constitute 13% of Pennsylvania's total South African population of 2,193, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 13% of all Pennsylvania South African Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Allegheny County with 0.39 South African Americans per square mile, more than seven times Pennsylvania's average density of 0.049 per square mile, placing the county among the most densely concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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122 Cities in Allegheny County Ranked by South African Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show South African populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Mount Lebanon township, Pittsburgh, Plum, and Forest Hills. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 122 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Allegheny County, PA ranked by South African population count
Rank by South African Population
City
South African Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Allegheny County South African Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Mount Lebanon township 58 0.17% 20.42%
2 Pittsburgh 50 0.02% 17.61%
3 Plum 43 0.16% 15.14%
4 Forest Hills 34 0.54% 11.97%
5 Shaler township 32 0.12% 11.27%
6 Franklin Park 24 0.16% 8.45%
7 Ross township 16 0.05% 5.63%
8 12 0.15% 4.23%
9 11 0.17% 3.87%
10 4 0.06% 1.41%
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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 Allegheny County, PA by their South African population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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