Where the most Russian Americans live, from Brooklyn to Burleigh County
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About 2.2 million Americans reported Russian ancestry in the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey. Nearly a sixth of them live in the New York metro area, which counts 347,702.
California has the largest number of any state, 322,532, followed by New York at 300,662, Florida at 184,773, Pennsylvania at 138,807, and New Jersey at 129,072.
| State | Russian ancestry | Share of state |
|---|---|---|
| California | 322,532 | 0.8% |
| New York | 300,662 | 1.5% |
| Florida | 184,773 | 0.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 138,807 | 1.1% |
| New Jersey | 129,072 | 1.4% |
| Illinois | 93,334 | 0.7% |
| Massachusetts | 83,940 | 1.2% |
| Texas | 76,588 | 0.3% |
Measured as a share of a state's population, the list looks different. North Dakota is first at 2.1 percent, well ahead of New York at 1.5 percent, New Jersey at 1.4 percent, the District of Columbia at 1.3 percent, and Connecticut and Massachusetts at 1.2 percent. North Dakota's count is only 16,352 people, but the state is small.
The counties and towns
Los Angeles County has the most residents of Russian ancestry, 102,717, followed by Kings County, New York, which is Brooklyn, at 61,155, Cook County, Illinois, at 51,555, Manhattan at 50,516, and Palm Beach County, Florida, at 38,164.
By share among counties of at least 50,000 people, Burleigh County, North Dakota, leads at 4.3 percent, then Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, at 3.3 percent, Manhattan at 3.1 percent, and Palm Beach County and Staten Island at 2.5 percent each.
The most concentrated town in the country is Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, at 12.3 percent. Then come Highland Park, Illinois, at 8.5 percent, Pikesville, Maryland, at 6.9 percent, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, at 6.8 percent, and Aventura, Florida, at 6.4 percent. Three of those five are in metro Miami or metro New York.
In raw counts, New York City has 159,691 residents of Russian ancestry, Los Angeles 61,190, Chicago 23,193, Philadelphia 19,048, and San Diego 14,391.
Numbers fell
The national figure has fallen, from about 2.5 million in the 2016 to 2020 survey to 2.2 million now, a drop of 12.4 percent in four years.
More is on the Russian American origin hub and in the ranking of states with the largest Russian population. Nearby groups: Italian Americans, German Americans, and Hungarian Americans.
Sources
Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B04006 (people reporting ancestry), 2020-2024 for current figures and 2016-2020 for the comparison. Respondents may report up to two ancestries, so totals across groups exceed the population. Ancestry is not citizenship, birthplace, or language spoken at home; the Bureau publishes those separately. City figures cover places with 20,000 or more residents, and county share figures cover counties with 50,000 or more.
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How many Russian Americans are there?
About 2.2 million people reported Russian ancestry in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, down from roughly 2.5 million in the 2016-2020 survey. The question is self-reported family origin, so it is not a count of Russian speakers or of people born in Russia.
Which state has the most Russian Americans?
California has the most by count, 322,532, followed by New York at 300,662 and Florida at 184,773. By share of population, North Dakota leads at 2.1 percent, ahead of New York at 1.5 percent and New Jersey at 1.4 percent.
Which city has the largest Russian population?
New York City has the most by count at 159,691, followed by Los Angeles at 61,190. By share, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida is highest at 12.3 percent, then Highland Park, Illinois at 8.5 percent and Pikesville, Maryland at 6.9 percent.
