Swedish Population in Washoe County, NV by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Swedish population in Washoe County, NV totals 7,262 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Reno and Sparks account for 3,318 and 1,669 residents respectively, suggesting a shared urban presence. However, the remaining population appears to reside outside city boundaries, likely spread across unincorporated parts of Washoe County or smaller incorporated cities not captured in this ranking analysis*. The analysis below explores this hybrid distribution and how it reflects broader trends across Nevada counties.

Top 5 cities with the largest Swedish population in Washoe County

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  • 1
    Reno
    Swedish population in Reno is 3,318
    1.23% of Reno population is Swedish
  • 2
    Sparks
    Swedish population in Sparks is 1,669
    1.53% of Sparks population is Swedish

Overview of Swedish population in Washoe County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Washoe County contains 7,262 Swedish residents (1.5% of 491,770 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 77th percentile within Nevada for Swedish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Washoe County's Swedish population of 1.5% surpassing both Nevada's state average of 0.94% and the national average of 1%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Washoe County's 7,262 Swedish residents constitute 24.7% of Nevada's total Swedish population of 29,432, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 24.7% of all Nevada Swedish Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Washoe County's density of 1.1 Swedish Americans per square mile exceeds Nevada's average of 0.27 per square mile by four and one-quarter times, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Swedish demographic communities.
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Washoe County Cities by Swedish Population

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ACS [1] population records show Reno and Sparks account for 3,318 and 1,669 Swedish residents. The following table shows comprehensive population data, demographic percentages, density measurements, and complete comparison metrics for both cities in Washoe County, NV.
cities in Washoe County, NV ranked by Swedish population count
Rank by Swedish Population
City
Swedish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Washoe County Swedish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Reno 3,318 1.23% 45.69%
2 Sparks 1,669 1.53% 22.98%
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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 Washoe County, NV by their Swedish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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