Polish Ancestry in United States
Polish Americans are Americans who have full or partial Polish ancestry. People of Polish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. There are roughly 20,000,000 people of Polish ancestry living outside Poland, making the Polish diaspora one of the largest in the world.
In the 2020 United States census, close to 9 million people identified as having either full or partial Polish ancestry, making them the fifth-largest group among White Americans after English, German, Irish, and Italian ancestries.
Polish American Population
According to the United States Census 2020, there were 8,936,423 (2.71% of the U.S. population) people of Polish descent in the U.S. Polish Americans are the second-largest Central European ethnic group after German Americans and the eighth-largest ethnic group overall in the United States.
Census 2021 Estimates
| Polish Americans | Population 2021 | % of Total |
| Polish alone and in any combination | 8,810,275 | 2.70% |
| Polish alone | 2,744,941 | 0.80% |
also read about the Polish Population in Canada
Top US States with Polish population
Population wise New York (865,052) has the largest number of people with Polish Ancestry followed by Illinois (840,294), Michigan (795,784), Pennsylvania (773,073), Florida (488,198), and Wisconsin (488,012).
Percentage-wise top US states with Polish Ancestry are Wisconsin (8.40%), Michigan (7.98%), Connecticut (6.87%), Illinois (6.61%), and Pennsylvania (6.04%).
List of States by Polish Ancestry Population
| # | States | Responses | Percentage |
| 1 | Alabama | 28,530 | 0.58% |
| 2 | Alaska | 13,888 | 1.88% |
| 3 | Arizona | 155,175 | 2.16% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 22,661 | 0.75% |
| 5 | California | 462,622 | 1.18% |
| 6 | Colorado | 133,104 | 2.34% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 245,392 | 6.87% |
| 8 | Delaware | 40,124 | 4.15% |
| 9 | District of Columbia | 15,161 | 2.16% |
| 10 | Florida | 488,198 | 2.30% |
| 11 | Georgia | 109,701 | 1.04% |
| 12 | Hawaii | 12,833 | 0.90% |
| 13 | Idaho | 21,963 | 1.25% |
| 14 | Illinois | 840,294 | 6.61% |
| 15 | Indiana | 200,475 | 2.99% |
| 16 | Iowa | 39,784 | 1.26% |
| 17 | Kansas | 38,474 | 1.32% |
| 18 | Kentucky | 40,431 | 0.91% |
| 19 | Louisiana | 21,852 | 0.47% |
| 20 | Maine | 29,650 | 2.21% |
| 21 | Maryland | 176,639 | 2.93% |
| 22 | Massachusetts | 290,585 | 4.23% |
| 23 | Michigan | 795,784 | 7.98% |
| 24 | Minnesota | 241,205 | 4.31% |
| 25 | Mississippi | 12,556 | 0.42% |
| 26 | Missouri | 98,922 | 1.62% |
| 27 | Montana | 19,702 | 1.86% |
| 28 | Nebraska | 63,977 | 3.33% |
| 29 | Nevada | 55,449 | 1.83% |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 54,766 | 4.04% |
| 31 | New Jersey | 467,026 | 5.26% |
| 32 | New Mexico | 20,418 | 0.97% |
| 33 | New York | 865,052 | 4.43% |
| 34 | North Carolina | 148,746 | 1.43% |
| 35 | North Dakota | 17,279 | 2.27% |
| 36 | Ohio | 422,103 | 3.62% |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 30,769 | 0.78% |
| 38 | Oregon | 68,620 | 1.64% |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 773,073 | 6.04% |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 37,204 | 3.52% |
| 41 | South Carolina | 74,757 | 1.47% |
| 42 | South Dakota | 14,207 | 1.62% |
| 43 | Tennessee | 75,693 | 1.12% |
| 44 | Texas | 291,864 | 1.02% |
| 45 | Utah | 25,959 | 0.82% |
| 46 | Vermont | 22,567 | 3.61% |
| 47 | Virginia | 154,072 | 1.81% |
| 48 | Washington | 129,944 | 1.73% |
| 49 | West Virginia | 28,605 | 1.58% |
| 50 | Wisconsin | 488,012 | 8.40% |
| 51 | Wyoming | 10,135 | 1.74% |
Source: US Census 2020
Read about US States by population
Top U.S Cities by Polish population
Chicago Metro area with 732,131 people of Polish ancestry, has the largest population of Polish Americans. It’s followed by New York (663,941) and the Detroit metro area (376,910).
Top Metro Areas by Polish Population
| # | Metro Area | Population | % of Total |
| 1 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 732,131 | 7.70% |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 663,941 | 3.36% |
| 3 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 376,910 | 8.63% |
| 4 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 261,238 | 4.19% |
| 5 | Pittsburgh, PA | 181,315 | 7.70% |
| 6 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 156,810 | 13.49% |
| 7 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 152,093 | 9.71% |
| 8 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 144,407 | 3.91% |
| 9 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 140,532 | 2.87% |
| 10 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 139,869 | 1.08% |
| 11 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 139,782 | 6.73% |
| 12 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 123,375 | 1.94% |
| 13 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 108,711 | 2.20% |
| 14 | Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT | 107,082 | 8.84% |
| 15 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 99,512 | 1.63% |
| 16 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 95,580 | 3.37% |
| 17 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 86,421 | 2.68% |
| 18 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 77,122 | 1.07% |
| 19 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 74,052 | 0.95% |
| 20 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 72,272 | 2.43% |
Source: US Census Estimates
Also read about Top US cities by population
Polish Ancestry in Americas
People of Polish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. As per the US Census 2020. the Polish ancestry is estimated at 9 million people. It also forms an important minority Group in Canada (1.1 million), Brazil (3 million), and Argentina (500,000).
Let’s have a look at other Countries with significant Polish ancestry
Polish Canadians
Polish Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Polish ancestry. Polish Canadians account for about 3.21% of the total population of Canada. According to the Canadian Census 2021, there were 1,106,585 people of Polish descent in Canada.
read more about Polish Population in Canada
Polish Brazilians
Polish Brazilians are Brazilians who have full or partial Polish ancestry. The number of people of Polish descent in Brazil is estimated at 3 million.
The oldest and largest concentration of Poles is in the city of Curitiba, Paraná. Another large community is to be found in Espírito Santo. Both are in the South and Southeastern Regions.
Source: estimates
Polish Argentines
Polish Argentines are Argentine who have full or partial Polish ancestry. The number of people of Polish descent in Argentinais estimated at 500,000.
Poland was the fourth largest net migrants contributor after Italy, Spain and Germany. The Polish minority in Argentina is both one of the most significant minorities in Argentina and one of the largest groups of Polish minority.
Source: estimates
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