South African Population in United States by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the South African population in the United States stands at 83,184 individuals. New York contains the largest South African community with 2,684 residents, followed by Los Angeles (2,194) and Manhattan borough (1,397), with many other cities across the country home to active South African communities of varying sizes. This nationwide ranking highlights how South African populations are distributed across American cities, offering a broader view into their settlement patterns and regional diversity.

Top 5 cities with the largest South African population in United States

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  • 1
    New York
    South African population in New York is 2,684
    0.03% of New York population is South African
  • 2
    Los Angeles
    South African population in Los Angeles is 2,194
    0.06% of Los Angeles population is South African
  • 3
    Manhattan borough
    South African population in Manhattan borough is 1,397
    0.09% of Manhattan borough population is South African
  • 4
    Fulshear
    South African population in Fulshear is 1,320
    4.89% of Fulshear population is South African
  • 5
    San Diego
    South African population in San Diego is 1,172
    0.08% of San Diego population is South African

U.S. Cities by South African Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant South African populations in leading metropolitan areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Manhattan borough, and Fulshear, while numerous other incorporated cities recorded minimal or zero residents identified as Americans of South African ancestry. 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 South African population count
Rank by South African Population
City
South African Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total United States South African Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 New York 2,684 0.03% 3.23%
2 Los Angeles 2,194 0.06% 2.64%
3 Manhattan borough 1,397 0.09% 1.68%
4 Fulshear 1,320 4.89% 1.59%
5 San Diego 1,172 0.08% 1.41%
6 Houston 916 0.04% 1.10%
7 Irvine 793 0.26% 0.95%
8 727 0.03% 0.87%
9 653 0.04% 0.79%
10 581 0.07% 0.70%
11 484 1.23% 0.58%
12 482 0.06% 0.58%
13 472 0.05% 0.57%
13 472 0.74% 0.57%
14 466 0.07% 0.56%
15 458 0.02% 0.55%
16 442 0.03% 0.53%
17 409 2.12% 0.49%
18 398 1.11% 0.48%
19 379 0.04% 0.46%
19 379 0.02% 0.46%
20 364 0.47% 0.44%
21 358 0.54% 0.43%
22 351 0.05% 0.42%
23 335 0.05% 0.40%
24 295 0.06% 0.35%
25 266 0.05% 0.32%
26 264 0.03% 0.32%
27 255 0.20% 0.31%
27 255 0.22% 0.31%
28 248 0.02% 0.30%
29 230 2.33% 0.28%
30 224 0.17% 0.27%
31 223 0.03% 0.27%
32 220 0.05% 0.26%
33 211 3.09% 0.25%
34 210 0.01% 0.25%
35 209 0.11% 0.25%
36 208 0.02% 0.25%
37 207 0.10% 0.25%
38 204 0.25% 0.25%
39 203 0.02% 0.24%
40 198 0.10% 0.24%
41 195 3.63% 0.23%
42 193 0.78% 0.23%
43 189 0.42% 0.23%
44 186 0.19% 0.22%
45 185 0.03% 0.22%
46 183 0.03% 0.22%
46 183 0.29% 0.22%
47 182 0.04% 0.22%
48 171 0.01% 0.21%
49 167 0.17% 0.20%
49 167 0.02% 0.20%
49 167 0.80% 0.20%
49 167 0.12% 0.20%
50 166 0.23% 0.20%
51 165 0.33% 0.20%
51 165 0.45% 0.20%
52 162 0.25% 0.19%
53 161 0.14% 0.19%
54 160 0.13% 0.19%
54 160 0.19% 0.19%
55 158 0.08% 0.19%
56 155 0.05% 0.19%
56 155 0.43% 0.19%
57 154 0.08% 0.19%
58 150 0.15% 0.18%
59 146 0.14% 0.18%
59 146 0.24% 0.18%
60 145 0.16% 0.17%
60 145 1.12% 0.17%
60 145 0.28% 0.17%
61 144 0.35% 0.17%
62 143 0.22% 0.17%
63 138 0.07% 0.17%
63 138 0.13% 0.17%
64 136 0.07% 0.16%
65 135 0.43% 0.16%
66 134 0.16% 0.16%
67 132 0.06% 0.16%
68 131 0.11% 0.16%
68 131 0.14% 0.16%
69 129 0.04% 0.16%
70 128 0.02% 0.15%
70 128 1.24% 0.15%
71 127 0.04% 0.15%
72 126 0.05% 0.15%
73 124 0.15% 0.15%
73 124 0.90% 0.15%
73 124 0.03% 0.15%
74 122 0.91% 0.15%
75 121 0.02% 0.15%
76 120 0.15% 0.14%
77 119 0.05% 0.14%
78 118 0.05% 0.14%
79 116 1.14% 0.14%
79 116 0.28% 0.14%
80 115 0.02% 0.14%
80 115 0.17% 0.14%
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 city in United States 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 United States 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.