Somali Population by State 2026

Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States at 1.07% of the state's total population, with an estimated 64,000+ Somali residents.

Minnesota's Somali community is concentrated primarily in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area, supported by federal refugee resettlement programs and long-established community networks.

There are approximately 165,000 Somalis in the United States, spread across 40 states.

Somalis represent a small but growing share of the US population, with most arrivals coming as refugees since the early 1990s following the Somali Civil War.

Minnesota has the largest Somali population at 1.07% of its total population. The states with the largest Somali communities as a percentage of total population are Minnesota (1.07%), Ohio (0.24%), and Maine (0.18%).

Somali communities tend to grow where refugee resettlement programs, employment opportunities, and established family and community networks create pathways for new arrivals.

Several states report no recorded Somali residents, primarily in the South and rural Mountain West.

Somali settlement patterns are heavily influenced by refugee resettlement agency locations, job availability, and established community networks, which is why populations remain concentrated in a relatively small number of states.