English Ancestry in United States
English Americans are individuals in the United States who trace their ancestry either fully or partially to England. According to the 1980 US Census, the largest reported ancestry group in the country was English, with some tracing their lineage back to the original thirteen colonies.
The 2020 United States Census reported that people of English ancestry form the largest ancestry group in the country. A total of 25.54 million people (12.5%) identified as “English only.” Another 21.01 million people reported English ancestry along with one or more other ethnic origins.
This means that, in total, 46.55 million Americans identified themselves as having English ancestry. This group represents about 19.8% of all people who identified as White (alone or in combination) in the census.
English American Population
English origin only: 25,536,410
English origin combined with another ancestry: 21,014,558
Total English ancestry population: 46,550,968
Top US State by English Population
The English alone population was the largest detailed White group nationally, in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Population-wise top States
- California – 2.1 million
- Texas – 1.8 million
- Florida – 1.5 million
Percentage-wise top States
- Utah – 24.13%
- Maine – 18.99%
- Idaho – 17%
- Vermont – 16.97%
- New Hampshire – 16.90%
List of States by English Ancestry Population
| # | State | Number | Percentage |
| 1 | Alabama | 385,088 | 7.87% |
| 2 | Alaska | 58,856 | 7.99% |
| 3 | Arizona | 608,928 | 8.49% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 247,382 | 8.21% |
| 5 | California | 2,140,130 | 5.44% |
| 6 | Colorado | 592,137 | 10.42% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 299,636 | 8.39% |
| 8 | Delaware | 90,771 | 9.38% |
| 9 | Florida | 1,477,490 | 6.96% |
| 10 | Georgia | 818,610 | 7.78% |
| 11 | Hawaii | 57,496 | 4.05% |
| 12 | Idaho | 299,782 | 17.09% |
| 13 | Illinois | 725,577 | 5.71% |
| 14 | Indiana | 583,348 | 8.71% |
| 15 | Iowa | 256,125 | 8.13% |
| 16 | Kansas | 298,306 | 10.24% |
| 17 | Kentucky | 491,660 | 11.02% |
| 18 | Louisiana | 254,550 | 5.46% |
| 19 | Maine | 254,612 | 18.99% |
| 20 | Maryland | 439,760 | 7.28% |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 641,698 | 9.34% |
| 22 | Michigan | 882,533 | 8.85% |
| 23 | Minnesota | 315,718 | 5.64% |
| 24 | Mississippi | 218,528 | 7.33% |
| 25 | Missouri | 556,965 | 9.09% |
| 26 | Montana | 123,227 | 11.61% |
| 27 | Nebraska | 154,029 | 8.01% |
| 28 | Nevada | 220,689 | 7.28% |
| 29 | New Hampshire | 229,053 | 16.90% |
| 30 | New Jersey | 429,774 | 4.84% |
| 31 | New Mexico | 138,500 | 6.60% |
| 32 | New York | 988,345 | 5.06% |
| 33 | North Carolina | 1,014,096 | 9.76% |
| 34 | North Dakota | 32,784 | 4.31% |
| 35 | Ohio | 1,006,003 | 8.62% |
| 36 | Oklahoma | 317,835 | 8.05% |
| 37 | Oregon | 478,043 | 11.45% |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | 926,879 | 7.24% |
| 39 | Rhode Island | 111,805 | 10.57% |
| 40 | South Carolina | 460,300 | 9.04% |
| 41 | South Dakota | 54,222 | 6.17% |
| 42 | Tennessee | 637,071 | 9.41% |
| 43 | Texas | 1,772,914 | 6.19% |
| 44 | Utah | 760,362 | 24.13% |
| 45 | Vermont | 105,935 | 16.97% |
| 46 | Virginia | 833,300 | 9.79% |
| 47 | Washington | 772,527 | 10.28% |
| 48 | West Virginia | 200,009 | 11.07% |
| 49 | Wisconsin | 336,875 | 5.80% |
| 50 | Wyoming | 73,981 | 12.73% |
| – | District of Columbia | 39,375 | 5.61% |
Source: US Census estimates 2020
Top U.S. Cities by English population
English alone or in any combination was the largest detailed White group in approximately two-thirds (2,050) of the counties in the United States and Puerto Rico. The English population was the most prevalent group in northern New England, the South, and throughout the West, as well as in Puerto Rico
Dallas Metro area with 725,706 people of English ancestry, has the largest population of English Americans. It’s followed by Atlanta (474,655) and the New York metro area (610,442).
*These figures don’t include British Americans and Welsh Americans
Top Metro Areas by English Population
| # | Metro Area | Population 2020 | % of Total |
| 1 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 725,706 | 9.35% |
| 2 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 614,359 | 10.00% |
| 3 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 610,442 | 3.09% |
| 4 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 600,744 | 4.62% |
| 5 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 546,151 | 8.59% |
| 6 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 501,806 | 10.24% |
| 7 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 488,240 | 6.77% |
| 8 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 483,774 | 5.09% |
| 9 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 483,236 | 7.76% |
| 10 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 479,383 | 9.69% |
| 11 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 463,767 | 11.56% |
| 12 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 366,053 | 12.31% |
| 13 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 363,818 | 8.33% |
| 14 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 348,339 | 13.87% |
| 15 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 333,711 | 7.22% |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | 325,585 | 25.78% |
| 17 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 313,299 | 11.60% |
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 313,214 | 9.73% |
| 19 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 289,738 | 10.32% |
| 20 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 287,738 | 12.72% |
| 21 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 286,651 | 13.03% |
| 22 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 280,933 | 13.95% |
| 23 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 269,263 | 7.30% |
| 24 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 261,030 | 9.20% |
| 25 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 259,901 | 11.05% |
| 26 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 255,354 | 7.77% |
| 27 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 248,486 | 5.34% |
| 28 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 244,999 | 11.51% |
| 29 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 239,737 | 9.94% |
| 30 | Columbus, OH | 237,406 | 11.04% |
| 31 | Pittsburgh, PA | 230,155 | 9.78% |
| 32 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 205,428 | 11.37% |
| 33 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 201,083 | 13.88% |
| 34 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 201,077 | 3.30% |
| 35 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 197,359 | 7.33% |
| 36 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 187,461 | 9.03% |
| 37 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 183,275 | 10.94% |
| 38 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 177,428 | 13.81% |
| 39 | Jacksonville, FL | 176,204 | 10.76% |
| 40 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 173,510 | 6.67% |
| 41 | Oklahoma City, OK | 170,475 | 11.83% |
| 42 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 170,051 | 7.42% |
| 43 | Richmond, VA | 169,950 | 12.90% |
| 44 | Rochester, NY | 143,497 | 13.23% |
| 45 | Tulsa, OK | 125,803 | 12.28% |
| 46 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 115,789 | 13.47% |
| 47 | Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT | 112,482 | 9.28% |
| 48 | Tucson, AZ | 105,610 | 10.04% |
| 49 | Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI | 105,536 | 9.67% |
| 50 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 99,807 | 5.11% |
Source: US Census 2020
English Ancestry in Americas
English ANcestry are also the Largest ancestry Group in Canada with approximately 6.4 million people and 18.34% of Canada’s population. Chileans of English ancestry are estimated to number 700,000 (4% of the national population) and there are about 100,000 people of English descent in Argentina.
English Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial English ancestry. English Canadians account for about 18.34% of the total population of Canada and form the second-largest ancestry group in Canada.
read more about English Ancestry in Canada
English
Español
Português
Deutsch