Jewish Population By State In The United States [2023]

Jewish population by state in the United States research summary. The data team at HomeSnacks looked at population studies and surveys conducted over the past several years to determine the Jewish population by state in the United States. Key findings include:

There are 7,387,992 Jewish people in the United States.
2.2% of people in the United States are Jewish.
New York has the largest percentage of Jewish people — 9.08%.
New York has the largest Jewish population — 1,785,727 people.
South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Jewish people — 0.03%.
South Dakota has the smallest Jewish population — 250 people.

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Map: Jewish Population By State

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The most recent estimates predict that there are over 7 million Jewish people in the United states. This population estimate has been slowly increasing over time from about 1 million at the turn of the previous century.

Sometimes called Jews, a Jewish person is anyone whose religion is Judaism. There is also a cultural component to Judaism as almost 20% of Jewish adults consider themselves Jewish, but of no religion.

There are currently 18 million Jews throughout the world with Israel having the second largest population after the United States. The vast majority, 95%,, of Jewish Americans are Ashkenazi Jews and were born in the United States. Ashkenazi Jews originate from Central and Eastern Europe.

While New York state, New Jersey, and California have large Jewish populations, the cities with the largest Jewish populations include New York City, Boston, and Miami. Many Jews originally emigrated to New York City and then followed the community south to Miami and north to Boston.

States With The Largest Jewish Population

Here is a breakdown of the ten states with the largest number of Jewish people in the United States as a percent:

New York – 9.08%
New Jersey – 6.76%
Massachusetts – 4.32%
Maryland – 3.89%
Pennsylvania – 3.35%
Connecticut – 3.26%
California – 3.16%
Florida – 3.02%
Illinois – 2.58%
Nevada – 2.51%

States With The Smallest Jewish Population

Here is a breakdown of the ten states with the smallest number of Jewish people in the United States as a percent:

South Dakota – 0.03%
Mississippi – 0.05%
North Dakota – 0.05%
Arkansas – 0.07%
Oklahoma – 0.11%
Idaho – 0.11%
West Virginia – 0.13%
Montana – 0.13%
Iowa – 0.17%
Utah – 0.17%

Related Research:

Table: Jewish Population By State

Rank	State	Jewish Population	Population	% Jewish
1	New York	1,785,727	19,677,151	9.08%
2	New Jersey	626,220	9,261,699	6.76%
3	Massachusetts	301,880	6,981,974	4.32%
4	Maryland	240,100	6,164,660	3.89%
5	Pennsylvania	434,165	12,972,008	3.35%
6	Connecticut	118,350	3,626,205	3.26%
7	California	1,234,540	39,029,342	3.16%
8	Florida	672,465	22,244,823	3.02%
9	Illinois	325,160	12,582,032	2.58%
10	Nevada	79,800	3,177,772	2.51%
11	Virginia	150,620	8,683,619	1.73%
12	Rhode Island	18,750	1,093,734	1.71%
13	Colorado	98,400	5,839,926	1.68%
13	Arizona	123,725	7,359,197	1.68%
15	Delaware	15,100	1,018,396	1.48%
16	Ohio	151,640	11,756,058	1.29%
16	Georgia	141,020	10,912,876	1.29%
18	Vermont	7,865	647,064	1.22%
19	Minnesota	65,900	5,717,184	1.15%
20	Missouri	67,800	6,177,957	1.1%
21	Washington	75,350	7,785,786	0.97%
22	Oregon	40,650	4,240,137	0.96%
23	Maine	12,550	1,385,340	0.91%
24	Michigan	87,905	10,034,113	0.88%
25	New Hampshire	10,120	1,395,231	0.73%
26	Alaska	5,300	733,583	0.72%
27	New Mexico	12,625	2,113,344	0.6%
28	Texas	175,655	30,029,572	0.58%
29	Kansas	16,825	2,937,150	0.57%
29	Wisconsin	33,455	5,892,539	0.57%
31	Hawaii	7,100	1,440,196	0.49%
32	Nebraska	9,350	1,967,923	0.48%
33	North Carolina	48,935	10,698,973	0.46%
34	Kentucky	17,500	4,512,310	0.39%
35	Indiana	26,045	6,833,037	0.38%
37	South Carolina	16,820	5,282,634	0.32%
37	Louisiana	14,900	4,590,241	0.32%
37	Tennessee	22,800	7,051,339	0.32%
39	Wyoming	1,350	581,381	0.23%
40	Alabama	10,325	5,074,296	0.2%
41	Utah	5,650	3,380,800	0.17%
41	Iowa	5,475	3,200,517	0.17%
43	Montana	1,495	1,122,867	0.13%
43	West Virginia	2,310	1,775,156	0.13%
45	Idaho	2,125	1,939,033	0.11%
45	Oklahoma	4,425	4,019,800	0.11%
47	Arkansas	2,250	3,045,637	0.07%
48	Mississippi	1,525	2,940,057	0.05%
48	North Dakota	400	779,261	0.05%
50	South Dakota	250	909,824	0.03%

Methodology

Using data from the Jewish Virtual Library and the most recent Census data, we found the Jewish population per capita for each state in the United States.

Conclusion

Based on our trend analysis, the overall Jewish population in America continues to grow steadily, as it has done for over 100 years.

The largest Jewish populations in the United States can be found in the Northeast. The smallest Jewish populations are found in the Mountain West. New York and New Jersey are home to the largest Jewish population on a percentage basis, excluding Washington DC. States in the surrounding area, such as Pennslyvania and Maryland, have seen a growing Jewish population in the past several years.