Somali Americans
About 166,157 US residents are of Somali ancestry, 0.1% of the population · up 4.1% since 2020. Data from the 2024 American Community Survey.
Largest Somali populations
Highest Somali share
How the group compares
From the Census Bureau's Selected Population Profile (S0201), which publishes socioeconomic data for detailed groups at the national level. US-overall figures shown for comparison.
Where Somali Americans earn the most
| Tennessee | $75,726 | 16.5% | 14.2% | 17.5% | 2,418 |
| North Carolina | $62,832 | 20.5% | 20.2% | 63.9% | 1,481 |
| Colorado | $56,166 | 9.9% | 30.6% | 30.4% | 3,426 |
| Virginia | $46,682 | 43.3% | 28.0% | 27.1% | 3,953 |
| Maine | $41,834 | 11.6% | 26.7% | 7.5% | 3,251 |
| California | $41,111 | 20.5% | 34.0% | 9.2% | 5,159 |
| Michigan | $41,013 | 14.7% | 31.4% | 20.4% | 1,948 |
| Washington | $38,448 | 11.9% | 44.0% | 11.4% | 14,997 |
| Nebraska | $36,529 | 8.0% | 30.0% | 3.4% | 2,471 |
| Georgia | $36,000 | 17.3% | 54.3% | 49.8% | 3,538 |
| Kentucky | $35,333 | 4.9% | 69.7% | 12.1% | 2,443 |
| Texas | $34,668 | 18.4% | 56.8% | 10.3% | 4,551 |
| Arizona | $34,313 | 10.2% | 43.3% | 2.1% | 2,751 |
| Ohio | $33,118 | 8.8% | 45.8% | 9.1% | 21,051 |
| Minnesota | $31,697 | 14.9% | 44.5% | 8.4% | 64,354 |
| North Dakota | $31,427 | 10.0% | 24.8% | 0.0% | 2,320 |
| Iowa | $31,278 | 20.6% | 33.9% | 10.0% | 1,173 |
| Utah | $30,156 | 11.0% | 65.8% | 0.9% | 2,629 |
| New York | $29,522 | 13.9% | 41.5% | 4.6% | 5,122 |
| Wisconsin | $29,071 | 10.9% | 24.8% | 8.6% | 1,898 |
| Missouri | $28,792 | 15.2% | 36.1% | 20.8% | 2,700 |
| Oregon | $26,250 | 13.1% | 70.9% | 14.1% | 2,241 |
| Massachusetts | $20,158 | 9.4% | 59.1% | 0.7% | 2,388 |
| Illinois | – | 19.6% | 67.5% | 3.1% | 944 |
Sorted by median household income by default; click any column header to re-sort. Figures come from the 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Selected Population Tables, which pool five years of survey responses to cover smaller communities the annual survey cannot. The Census publishes a state only when the group's population there clears the survey's reporting threshold, so smaller states are absent by design.
Somali Americans across metro areas
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $57,472 | 13.5% | 31.5% | 43.0% | 2,915 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME | $55,438 | 15.4% | 38.2% | 2.3% | 1,377 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $50,494 | 10.7% | 30.7% | 30.3% | 1,643 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $47,583 | 46.9% | 19.4% | 28.2% | 3,976 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $42,037 | 12.3% | 35.8% | 2.9% | 2,057 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $40,071 | 3.8% | 15.7% | 3.9% | 1,525 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $38,405 | 9.0% | 40.0% | 2.0% | 3,955 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $38,327 | 11.7% | 44.0% | 11.0% | 14,529 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | $36,000 | 17.5% | 54.3% | 49.8% | 3,513 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $35,861 | 6.9% | 67.4% | 14.8% | 1,845 |
| Rochester, MN | $35,625 | 15.7% | 34.3% | 19.1% | 2,867 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | $34,239 | 16.1% | 44.4% | 6.5% | 1,384 |
| Columbus, OH | $32,933 | 8.5% | 47.3% | 8.8% | 20,367 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $32,823 | 16.9% | 41.8% | 8.9% | 49,867 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $31,319 | 24.8% | 67.6% | 2.6% | 2,661 |
| Faribault-Northfield, MN | $30,613 | 3.1% | 40.4% | 0.0% | 2,393 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $28,972 | 6.1% | 37.4% | 0.0% | 2,158 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $28,068 | 3.0% | 70.6% | 1.2% | 5,555 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $27,909 | 13.6% | 66.2% | 17.2% | 2,375 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $27,282 | 13.6% | 66.4% | 0.9% | 2,453 |
| Syracuse, NY | $24,321 | 4.7% | 38.2% | 4.1% | 1,292 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $20,556 | 7.2% | 43.3% | 0.0% | 1,503 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | – | 8.2% | 46.4% | 16.2% | 930 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | – | 16.1% | 68.6% | 3.1% | 929 |
Sorted by median household income by default; click any column header to re-sort. Figures come from the 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Selected Population Tables, which pool five years of survey responses to cover smaller communities the annual survey cannot. The Census publishes a metro area only when the group's population there clears the survey's reporting threshold, so smaller metro areas are absent by design.
Somali Americans across cities
| Columbia Heights | $80,781 | 30.3% | 10.2% | 55.5% | 1,630 |
| Burnsville | $64,299 | 9.3% | 18.5% | 4.9% | 1,487 |
| Eagan | $57,821 | 27.7% | 5.6% | 2.5% | 1,615 |
| Lewiston | $55,813 | 15.6% | 38.0% | 2.3% | 1,364 |
| Kent | $49,781 | 8.3% | 20.1% | 10.3% | 2,885 |
| San Diego | $38,100 | 8.6% | 39.3% | 0.0% | 3,182 |
| Rochester | $35,625 | 15.7% | 34.4% | 19.1% | 2,857 |
| Omaha | $34,076 | 16.2% | 44.6% | 5.7% | 1,378 |
| Columbus | $33,079 | 8.8% | 46.2% | 8.2% | 18,669 |
| St. Cloud | $33,036 | 1.8% | 66.2% | 1.4% | 4,857 |
| Faribault | $30,613 | 3.1% | 40.4% | 0.0% | 2,380 |
| Seattle | $30,548 | 9.1% | 62.6% | 7.8% | 4,205 |
| Portland | $29,763 | 4.2% | 84.1% | 7.7% | 1,457 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) | $29,120 | 0.0% | 78.5% | 17.4% | 1,576 |
| St. Paul | $28,705 | 14.2% | 39.6% | 3.3% | 5,332 |
| Phoenix | $28,681 | 17.5% | 60.8% | 3.1% | 1,115 |
| Eden Prairie | $27,190 | 7.7% | 57.8% | 10.9% | 2,204 |
| Syracuse | $24,321 | 4.7% | 38.2% | 4.1% | 1,292 |
| Minneapolis | $21,493 | 9.0% | 53.7% | 3.6% | 22,026 |
| Boston | $20,114 | 7.4% | 41.5% | 0.0% | 1,408 |
| Bloomington | – | 18.0% | 28.6% | 4.4% | 1,386 |
Sorted by median household income by default; click any column header to re-sort. Figures come from the 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Selected Population Tables, which pool five years of survey responses to cover smaller communities the annual survey cannot. The Census publishes a citie only when the group's population there clears the survey's reporting threshold, so smaller cities are absent by design.
Frequently asked
About 166,157 US residents are of Somali ancestry, roughly 0.1% of the population, according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
Columbus, OH has the largest Somali population of any US city, with about 25,156 residents of Somali ancestry.
Minnesota leads all states with about 63,026 residents of Somali ancestry.
Somali Americans have a median household income of about $48,294, per the 2024 ACS 1-year Selected Population Profile.
Other ancestry groups
DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR DETAILED-ORIGIN TABLES (B03001 / B02015 / B02019 / B04006) · PROFILE: ACS 1-YEAR S0201 · UPDATED 2024