The Largest Ethnic Communities in the United States

The answer depends on how “ethnic group” is defined. In the United States, official statistics commonly separate race, Hispanic or Latino origin, and ancestry. These categories overlap, so a person may identify as Black and Hispanic, Asian and Chinese, or White and Irish American at the same time.

By the broadest measure, Hispanic or Latino Americans form the largest ethnic-origin population in the country. Non-Hispanic White Americans remain the largest single racial and ethnic category when measured as a combined group, while Black or African American, Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander and multiracial communities make up other major populations.

For readers in Australia, the comparison with the Australian Bureau of Statistics is useful. The ABS asks about ancestry and country of birth, while the US Census Bureau uses several separate questions. This means American population figures can look different depending on whether the source is counting race, Hispanic origin, ancestry, birthplace or household language.

Hispanic And Latino Americans

Hispanic or Latino Americans are the largest ethnic-origin population in the United States, with more than 60 million people according to recent census estimates. The category includes people with family origins in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, South America and Spain. It is an ethnicity rather than a race, so Hispanic or Latino people may identify as White, Black, Indigenous, Asian, multiracial or another race.

Mexican Americans make up the largest part of this population. Puerto Rican communities are especially prominent in New York, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while Cuban Americans have a major presence in Florida. Salvadoran, Dominican, Guatemalan and Colombian communities are also sizeable and have shaped food, music, business and neighbourhood life across the country.

The largest concentrations are found in California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois. Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, New York City and Chicago are important centres, although Hispanic and Latino communities are growing in places such as North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada and Utah. An Australian visitor may notice that “Latino” is widely used in everyday American English, while “Hispanic” is more common in government statistics and official forms.

White Americans And European Ancestry

Non-Hispanic White Americans are the largest broad population category in the United States. In the 2020 Census, people identifying as White alone and not Hispanic or Latino represented roughly 58 per cent of the population. This figure is different from the number of people who simply select “White”, because the latter can include Hispanic and Latino respondents.

European ancestry remains important within this broad category. German, Irish, English and Italian ancestry are among the most frequently reported backgrounds, followed by groups with Polish, French, Scottish, Dutch and Norwegian roots. Many people report more than one ancestry, so these figures should not be added together as if each person belonged to only one group.

The distribution often reflects earlier migration patterns. Irish and Italian American history is particularly visible in parts of the Northeast, German ancestry is widespread through the Midwest, and Scandinavian roots are common in states such as Minnesota and North Dakota. In Australia, this is somewhat comparable to seeing British, Irish, Italian, Greek or German ancestry listed in census results, although the American categories and historical migration waves are not identical.

Black Or African American Communities

Black or African American people account for about 14 per cent of the US population when people identifying as Black alone or in combination are counted, with the exact percentage varying by dataset and definition. The population includes descendants of enslaved Africans, more recent immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, and people with mixed heritage.

Large African American populations are concentrated in the Southeast, reflecting the history of slavery, emancipation, segregation and the Great Migration. Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York, California and North Carolina contain some of the largest Black populations by number. Cities such as Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and New Orleans have played major roles in African American political, cultural and economic life.

The wording matters. “Black” can describe a broad racial identity, while “African American” is often used for Black Americans with a particular historical and cultural connection to the United States. African immigrants and Caribbean Americans may use more specific identities, such as Nigerian American, Ethiopian American, Jamaican American or Haitian American.

Asian American And Pacific Islander Populations

Asian Americans represent roughly 6 to 7 per cent of the US population, depending on whether the source counts people identifying as Asian alone or in combination. The group includes people with Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese backgrounds, as well as many other communities from South, East and Southeast Asia.

Indian Americans and Chinese Americans are among the largest Asian-origin groups. Filipino Americans have deep historical links with California and Hawaii, while Vietnamese communities are prominent in California and Texas. Korean Americans have significant communities around Los Angeles and New York, and Japanese American history is especially associated with Hawaii and the West Coast.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander communities are counted separately in many federal statistics. Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Chamorros and other Pacific peoples have strong cultural and family connections across the Pacific. For Australians, the geography is familiar: American Pacific communities, like Pacific Islander communities in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, are diverse rather than a single uniform population.

Major Asian-origin communities commonly identified in US statistics

• Indian Americans, with large populations in California, Texas, New Jersey and New York
• Chinese Americans, especially in California, New York and major metropolitan areas
• Filipino Americans, with strong communities in California, Hawaii and Nevada
• Vietnamese Americans, particularly in California and Texas
• Korean and Japanese Americans, with long-established communities on both coasts and in Hawaii

Indigenous, Multiracial And Newer American Communities

American Indian and Alaska Native people form a smaller share of the national population, but their history and legal status are significant. The 2020 Census counted several million people identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination. The population includes citizens of federally recognised tribes, members of state-recognised tribes and people with Indigenous ancestry who may not belong to a tribal nation.

Important population centres include Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, South Dakota, Montana and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Tribal nations retain distinct political and cultural identities, so “Native American” should not be treated as a single ethnic group in the same way as a broad census category. The terms used by individuals can vary by region and community.

Multiracial Americans are one of the fastest-growing categories in recent census results. More than 10 per cent of residents selected two or more races in the 2020 Census, although part of the increase also reflects changes in question design and how responses were processed. People may identify with combinations such as Black and White, Asian and White, or American Indian and another race.

The United States also has substantial Middle Eastern and North African communities, although federal classification has historically placed many people from these backgrounds within the White category. Arab Americans, Iranian Americans, Lebanese Americans, Egyptian Americans and Armenian Americans may therefore be difficult to identify accurately in older official tables. Recent policy discussions have focused on creating a separate Middle Eastern or North African response category.

How to read US population figures accurately

• Check whether the source counts race, Hispanic or Latino origin, ancestry or birthplace
• Look for “alone” and “alone or in combination” wording before comparing percentages
• Remember that one person may report several ancestries or racial identities
• Treat state and city rankings separately because national totals can hide local concentration
• Use the census year, since categories, question wording and population estimates change

American identity is therefore best understood as layered rather than divided into a single list of mutually exclusive groups. A person can be a fourth-generation American, have Mexican ancestry, identify as multiracial and speak English at home. Another person can be a recent arrival from India who identifies as Asian American, Indian American and Hindu, while a neighbour from Puerto Rico may identify as both Hispanic and Black.

The country’s largest communities also vary by location. California and Texas have especially large Hispanic, Asian and multiracial populations. The Southeast has many African American communities, while the Northeast includes long-established Irish, Italian, Jewish, Caribbean, South Asian and East Asian populations. Metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, San Francisco and Washington, DC are among the most ethnically diverse parts of the country.

For Australians comparing the figures with local experience, it helps to remember that “ethnicity” is used differently in ordinary conversation. An Australian might mention being Lebanese Australian, Chinese Australian, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Anglo-Celtic, while a US form may ask separate questions about race, Hispanic origin and ancestry. The result is useful demographic information, but it is not a perfect ranking of cultural communities.

Use the latest US Census Bureau tables when precise numbers matter, especially for visa applications, relocation research, education, market analysis or travel planning. Checking the definitions beside each figure will give a much clearer picture of the country’s population than relying on a single list of ethnic labels.