Sri Lankan Population in United States by State : 2025 Ranking & Insights

Based on the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Sri Lankan population in the United States stands at 77,570. California reports the largest population with 15,934 residents, followed by New York (10,162) and Texas (7,040). Several other states and the District of Columbia also show meaningful Sri Lankan presence. This national overview explores how Sri Lankan populations are distributed across different U.S. states, with insights into both established communities and emerging patterns.

Top 5 states with the largest Sri Lankan population in United States

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  • 1
    California
    Sri Lankan population in California is 15,934
    0.04% of California population is Sri Lankan
  • 2
    New York
    Sri Lankan population in New York is 10,162
    0.05% of New York population is Sri Lankan
  • 3
    Texas
    Sri Lankan population in Texas is 7,040
    0.02% of Texas population is Sri Lankan
  • 4
    New Jersey
    Sri Lankan population in New Jersey is 5,561
    0.06% of New Jersey population is Sri Lankan
  • 5
    Maryland
    Sri Lankan population in Maryland is 4,719
    0.08% of Maryland population is Sri Lankan

U.S. States by Sri Lankan Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Sri Lankan populations in leading states, including California, New York, Texas, and New Jersey, while other states recorded minimal number of 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 states included in this analysis*.
states in United States ranked by Sri Lankan population count
Rank by Sri Lankan Population
State
Sri Lankan Population
% of Total State Population
% of Total United States Sri Lankan Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 California 15,934 0.04% 20.54%
2 New York 10,162 0.05% 13.10%
3 Texas 7,040 0.02% 9.08%
4 New Jersey 5,561 0.06% 7.17%
5 Maryland 4,719 0.08% 6.08%
6 Massachusetts 2,767 0.04% 3.57%
7 Florida 2,680 0.01% 3.45%
8 2,587 0.03% 3.34%
9 1,989 0.02% 2.56%
10 1,837 0.01% 2.37%
11 1,718 0.03% 2.21%
12 1,567 0.02% 2.02%
13 1,554 0.01% 2.00%
14 1,460 0.01% 1.88%
15 1,452 0.01% 1.87%
16 1,400 0.04% 1.80%
17 1,197 0.01% 1.54%
18 1,126 0.02% 1.45%
19 1,122 0.02% 1.45%
20 1,010 0.01% 1.30%
21 835 0.03% 1.08%
22 828 0.02% 1.07%
23 774 0.01% 1.00%
24 462 0.01% 0.60%
25 432 0.01% 0.56%
26 430 0.01% 0.55%
27 363 0.01% 0.47%
28 342 0.01% 0.44%
29 305 0.00% 0.39%
30 300 0.02% 0.39%
31 295 0.03% 0.38%
32 293 0.02% 0.38%
33 274 0.01% 0.35%
34 273 0.01% 0.35%
35 256 0.03% 0.33%
36 251 0.01% 0.32%
37 204 0.02% 0.26%
38 201 0.01% 0.26%
39 198 0.01% 0.26%
40 194 0.03% 0.25%
41 171 0.01% 0.22%
42 169 0.01% 0.22%
43 134 0.00% 0.17%
44 112 0.01% 0.14%
45 111 0.02% 0.14%
46 98 0.02% 0.13%
47 85 0.01% 0.11%
48 68 0.00% 0.09%
49 14 0.00% 0.02%
50 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 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 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 Sri Lankan .
  2. % of Total United States 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.
  • State 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.