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Iranian Population in United States
Iranian Americans are those having origins in any of the original peoples of Iran and the Iranian Ancestry. Approximately 0.5 to 1 million people identified as Iranian Americans. It’s the second-largest group among Middle Eastern Asians* and West Asians in the United States. Today, the United States contains the highest number of Iranians outside of Iran.
As per the United States Census Bureau 2020, the Iranian American population is 476,242. The Estimated population of Iranian Americans in the United States as of 2024 is 0.5 million.
The Iranian American population in the U.S., 2000-2020
| Year | Population |
| 2000 | 283,225 |
| 2010 | 357,000 |
| 2020 | 476,242 |
also read about Asian Americans
*Iranian Americans are a sub-group of people from the Middle East and North America and are considered “White” in the census count. The U.S. Census Bureau Bureau defines “White” people to be those “having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
Iranian Americans Population by US State
Although Iranians have lived in the United States in relatively small numbers since the 1930s, a large number of Iranian Americans immigrated to the United States after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. As per Census counts and various reports their population is close to 0.5 to 1 million.
About half of the nation’s Iranians reside in the state of California alone. Other large communities include New York/New Jersey, which has 9.1% of the U.S.’s Iranian population, followed by Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia (8.3%) and Texas (6.7%). In general, Iranian Americans are most heavily concentrated in the West and Northeast regions of the country.
Let’s have a look at the Top States with Iranian Population
| State | Iranian Population | Iranian % |
| California | 210,128 | 0.54% |
| Texas | 41,925 | 0.14% |
| New York | 27,722 | 0.14% |
| Virginia | 19,953 | 0.23% |
| Maryland | 16,597 | 0.27% |
| Florida | 15,291 | 0.07% |
| Washington | 14,965 | 0.19% |
| Illinois | 11,180 | 0.09% |
| Georgia | 10,424 | 0.09% |
| Massachusetts | 9,287 | 0.13% |
| Arizona | 8,282 | 0.11% |
| New Jersey | 7,196 | 0.08% |
| Oregon | 7,011 | 0.17% |
| Pennsylvania | 6,950 | 0.05% |
| Colorado | 6,222 | 0.11% |
| North Carolina | 6,205 | 0.06% |
| Nevada | 5,812 | 0.18% |
| Ohio | 5,495 | 0.05% |
| Michigan | 4,867 | 0.05% |
| Tennessee | 4,389 | 0.06% |
| Oklahoma | 3,990 | 0.10% |
| Utah | 3,370 | 0.10% |
| Indiana | 3,303 | 0.05% |
| Minnesota | 3,002 | 0.05% |
| Connecticut | 2,663 | 0.07% |
| District of Columbia | 2,554 | 0.38% |
| Missouri | 2,464 | 0.04% |
| Kansas | 2,378 | 0.08% |
| Kentucky | 2,232 | 0.05% |
| Wisconsin | 2,061 | 0.03% |
| South Carolina | 1,882 | 0.04% |
| Alabama | 1,877 | 0.04% |
| Louisiana | 1,862 | 0.04% |
| New Mexico | 1,542 | 0.07% |
| Iowa | 991 | 0.03% |
| Hawaii | 872 | 0.06% |
| Idaho | 852 | 0.04% |
| Mississippi | 835 | 0.03% |
| West Virginia | 807 | 0.05% |
| Arkansas | 764 | 0.02% |
| Nebraska | 662 | 0.03% |
| New Hampshire | 626 | 0.04% |
| Alaska | 574 | 0.08% |
| Maine | 468 | 0.03% |
| Delaware | 467 | 0.05% |
| Montana | 402 | 0.04% |
| Vermont | 382 | 0.06% |
| North Dakota | 316 | 0.04% |
| Rhode Island | 285 | 0.03% |
| Wyoming | 178 | 0.03% |
| South Dakota | 113 | 0.01% |
| United States | 484,675 | 0.14% |
Source: US Census 2020
also read about Middle Eastern Americans
Top U.S. Cities by Iranian population
Iranian Americans are mostly found in large cities of California, namely Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Sacramento, and Fresno. In Los Angeles, Iranians were concentrated in Tarzana, West Hills, Hidden Hills, Woodland Hills, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Brentwood, and Rancho Palos Verdes. Other large communities include New York/ New Jersey, which has 9.1% of the U.S.’s Iranian population, followed by Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia (8.3%) and Texas (6.7%)
Los Angeles metro area with 123,610 people of Iranian ancestry, has the largest population of Iranian Americans. It’s followed by Los Angeles (32,813) and the Miami metro area (31,662).
Top Metro Areas by Population
| # | Metro Area | Population |
| 1 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 123,610 |
| 2 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 32,813 |
| 3 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 31,662 |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 28,113 |
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 22,880 |
| 6 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 20,232 |
| 7 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 19,151 |
| 8 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 17,022 |
| 9 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 13,825 |
| 10 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 10,713 |
| 11 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 10,065 |
| 12 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 9,953 |
| 13 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 8,494 |
| 14 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 6,698 |
| 15 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 6,338 |
| 16 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 6,231 |
| 17 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5,064 |
| 18 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 4,993 |
| 19 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 4,844 |
| 20 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 3,384 |
Source: US Census 2021 Estimates
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