Swedish Ancestry in United States
Swedish Americans are Americans who have full or partial Swedish ancestry. People of Swedish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. Between 1846 and 1930, roughly 1.3 million people, about 20% of the Swedish population, left the country and settled in North America. In the United States census of 2020, 3.7 million people self-identified as being fully or partly of Swedish ancestry.
According to the United States Ancestry Census 2020, there were 3,627,796 (1.11% of the U.S. population) people of Swedish descent in the U.S.
Top US States by Swedish population
Top 10 U.S. states by Swedish Population
Population wise Minnesota (410,091) has the largest number of people with Swedish Ancestry followed by California (357,926), Illinois (241,187), Washington (209,559), and Florida (143,896).
| # | States | 2020 Population |
| 1 | Minnesota | 410,091 |
| 2 | California | 357,926 |
| 3 | Illinois | 241,187 |
| 4 | Washington | 209,559 |
| 5 | Florida | 143,896 |
| 6 | Texas | 140,123 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 138,599 |
| 8 | Michigan | 132,003 |
| 9 | Colorado | 122,644 |
| 10 | New York | 109,623 |
Percentage-wise Top U.S. States by Swedish Ancestry
Percentage-wise top US states with Swedish Ancestry are Minnesota (7.32%), North Dakota (3.90%), Nebraska (3.69%), Utah (3.44%), and South Dakota (3.0%).
| # | States | Percentage |
| 1 | Minnesota | 7.32% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 3.90% |
| 3 | Nebraska | 3.69% |
| 4 | Utah | 3.44% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 3.00% |
| 6 | Idaho | 2.80% |
| 7 | Washington | 2.79% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 2.77% |
| 9 | Montana | 2.70% |
| 10 | Iowa | 2.49% |
Complete List of States by Swedish Ancestry Population
| # | States | 2020 Estimates pop. | Percentage |
| 1 | Alabama | 14,952 | 0.31% |
| 2 | Alaska | 14,781 | 2.01% |
| 3 | Arizona | 95,995 | 1.34% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 13,574 | 0.45% |
| 5 | California | 357,926 | 0.91% |
| 6 | Colorado | 122,644 | 2.16% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 49,315 | 1.38% |
| 8 | Delaware | 7,226 | 0.75% |
| 9 | District of Columbia | 5,592 | 0.80% |
| 10 | Florida | 143,896 | 0.68% |
| 11 | Georgia | 42,287 | 0.40% |
| 12 | Hawaii | 9,184 | 0.65% |
| 13 | Idaho | 49,151 | 2.80% |
| 14 | Illinois | 241,187 | 1.90% |
| 15 | Indiana | 52,950 | 0.79% |
| 16 | Iowa | 78,456 | 2.49% |
| 17 | Kansas | 57,965 | 1.99% |
| 18 | Kentucky | 17,107 | 0.38% |
| 19 | Louisiana | 11,753 | 0.25% |
| 20 | Maine | 21,676 | 1.62% |
| 21 | Maryland | 31,399 | 0.52% |
| 22 | Massachusetts | 104,211 | 1.52% |
| 23 | Michigan | 132,003 | 1.32% |
| 24 | Minnesota | 410,091 | 7.32% |
| 25 | Mississippi | 8,696 | 0.29% |
| 26 | Missouri | 55,260 | 0.90% |
| 27 | Montana | 28,717 | 2.70% |
| 28 | Nebraska | 70,921 | 3.69% |
| 29 | Nevada | 32,449 | 1.07% |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 25,551 | 1.89% |
| 31 | New Jersey | 48,759 | 0.55% |
| 32 | New Mexico | 15,035 | 0.72% |
| 33 | New York | 109,623 | 0.56% |
| 34 | North Carolina | 57,417 | 0.55% |
| 35 | North Dakota | 29,630 | 3.90% |
| 36 | Ohio | 67,149 | 0.58% |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 23,779 | 0.60% |
| 38 | Oregon | 97,651 | 2.34% |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 93,901 | 0.73% |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 15,721 | 1.49% |
| 41 | South Carolina | 23,408 | 0.46% |
| 42 | South Dakota | 26,383 | 3.00% |
| 43 | Tennessee | 30,738 | 0.45% |
| 44 | Texas | 140,123 | 0.49% |
| 45 | Utah | 108,317 | 3.44% |
| 46 | Vermont | 10,170 | 1.63% |
| 47 | Virginia | 52,819 | 0.62% |
| 48 | Washington | 209,559 | 2.79% |
| 49 | West Virginia | 5,975 | 0.33% |
| 50 | Wisconsin | 138,599 | 2.39% |
| 51 | Wyoming | 16,125 | 2.77% |
Source: US Census estimates 2020
Top U.S metropolitan areas by population
Minneapolis metro area with 252,963 people of Swedish ancestry, has the largest population of Swedish Americans. It’s followed by Chicago (143,830) and the Seattle metro area (96,844).
Top Metro Areas by Swedish Population
| # | Metro Area | States Cov. | Population | % of Total |
| 1 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | MN-WI | 252,963 | 6.85% |
| 2 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | IL-IN-WI | 142,978 | 1.50% |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | WA | 114,471 | 2.85% |
| 4 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | CA | 78,366 | 0.60% |
| 5 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | AZ | 66,385 | 1.34% |
| 6 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | NY-NJ-PA | 65,991 | 0.33% |
| 7 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | MA-NH | 61,930 | 1.26% |
| 8 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | OR-WA | 60,554 | 2.41% |
| 9 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | CO | 54,112 | 1.82% |
| 10 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | DC-VA-MD-WV | 44,512 | 0.70% |
| 11 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | CA | 43,496 | 0.94% |
| 12 | Salt Lake City | UT | 37,659 | 2.98% |
| 13 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | CA | 36,395 | 1.11% |
| 14 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | TX | 34,612 | 0.45% |
| 15 | Omaha-Council Bluffs | NE-IA | 29,878 | 3.07% |
| 16 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | TX | 29,696 | 0.41% |
| 17 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | CA | 27,925 | 0.60% |
| 18 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | PA-NJ-DE-MD | 27,882 | 0.45% |
| 19 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | MI | 27,483 | 0.63% |
| 20 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | CA | 26,813 | 1.11% |
Source: US Census Estimates
Other Countries having significant Swedish ancestry
People of Swedish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. It forms an important minority Group in Canada, Brazil, and Argentina.
Swedish Canadians
Swedish Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Swedish ancestry. Swedish Canadians account for about 1.01% of the total population of Canada. According to the Canadian Census 2021, there were 334,505 people of Swedish descent in Canada.
read in detail about Swedish population in Canada
Swedish Argentines
Swedish Argentines are Argentine citizens of Swedish descent, as well as Swedish-born people who reside in Argentina. Argentina is home to the largest Swedish community in Latin America. Numerous communities can be found in Misiones Province and Buenos Aires and as per the estimate Swedish population in Argentina is around 40,000.
Swedish Brazilians
Swedish Brazilians are Brazilians who have full or partial Swedish ancestry. In Brazil, they are considered part of a large Scandinavian Brazilian group. The Scandinavian settlement in Brazil began in the mid to late 19th century and was predominant when around 3,640 Scandinavian peoples arrived in Brazil, mainly from Sweden. As per the estimates, there were 23,048 people of Swedish descent in Brazil.
Regions with a significant Swedish population.
- Rio de Janeiro,
- Natal
- Curitiba
- São Paulo
- Ceará
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