Sri Lankan Population in New York by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Sri Lankan population in New York totals 10,162. Richmond County contains the largest Sri Lankan community with 3,217 residents, followed by Queens County (1,371), Nassau County (740), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in New York by their Sri Lankan populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Sri Lankan population in New York

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  • 1
    Richmond County
    Sri Lankan population in Richmond County is 3,217
    0.65% of Richmond County population is Sri Lankan
  • 2
    Queens County
    Sri Lankan population in Queens County is 1,371
    0.06% of Queens County population is Sri Lankan
  • 3
    Nassau County
    Sri Lankan population in Nassau County is 740
    0.05% of Nassau County population is Sri Lankan
  • 4
    Monroe County
    Sri Lankan population in Monroe County is 738
    0.10% of Monroe County population is Sri Lankan
  • 5
    Erie County
    Sri Lankan population in Erie County is 686
    0.07% of Erie County population is Sri Lankan

Overview of Sri Lankan population in New York

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate New York contains 10,162 Sri Lankan residents (0.051% of 19.9 million total state population), positioning the state at the 97th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Sri Lankan population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate New York's Sri Lankan population of 0.051% exceeds the national average of 0.023% by a factor of 2.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates New York's 10,162 Sri Lankan residents constitute 13.1% of the nation's total Sri Lankan population of 77,570, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 13.1% of all American Sri Lankan Americans residing within state boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document New York with 0.22 Sri Lankan Americans per square mile, more than nine times the national average density of 0.022 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with significantly elevated demographic concentrations nationally.
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62 Counties in New York Ranked by Sri Lankan Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Sri Lankan population in New York distributed across multiple counties, led by Richmond County, Queens County, Nassau County, and Monroe County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Sri Lankan 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 counties included in this analysis*.
counties in New York ranked by Sri Lankan population count
Rank by Sri Lankan Population
County
Sri Lankan Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total New York Sri Lankan Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Richmond County 3,217 0.65% 31.66%
2 Queens County 1,371 0.06% 13.49%
3 Nassau County 740 0.05% 7.28%
4 Monroe County 738 0.10% 7.26%
5 Erie County 686 0.07% 6.75%
6 Suffolk County 582 0.04% 5.73%
7 Westchester County 527 0.05% 5.19%
8 510 0.02% 5.02%
9 449 0.03% 4.42%
10 302 0.02% 2.97%
11 191 0.10% 1.88%
12 131 0.04% 1.29%
13 95 0.03% 0.93%
14 93 0.08% 0.92%
15 86 0.02% 0.85%
16 79 0.08% 0.78%
17 74 0.05% 0.73%
18 61 0.02% 0.60%
19 51 0.01% 0.50%
19 51 0.05% 0.50%
20 42 0.02% 0.41%
21 29 0.01% 0.29%
22 27 0.03% 0.27%
23 10 0.01% 0.10%
23 10 0.01% 0.10%
24 4 0.01% 0.04%
25 3 0.00% 0.03%
25 3 0.01% 0.03%
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 0 - -
26 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 county in New York by their Sri Lankan population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Sri Lankan alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Sri Lankan .
  2. % of Total New York Sri Lankan Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Sri Lankan 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 Sri Lankan 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.
  • County that don’t have any reported Sri Lankan 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 Sri Lankan populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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