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Comparison of Dearborn Muslim population to other US cities
Executive summary
Dearborn is widely reported to have the largest proportion of Muslims (and people of Middle Eastern or North African — MENA — ancestry) among U.S. cities, with recent census-derived reporting putting MENA ancestry at about 54–55% of the city’s residents (ClickOnDetroit: 54.5%; The Guardian: ~55%) [1] [2]. Estimates that convert that ancestry share into a Muslim population vary; one secondary site estimates roughly 48,600 Muslims (about 54% of a ~90,000 population), but available reporting does not provide a single definitive census count of religious affiliation [3] [1].
1. Dearborn’s scale: a majority MENA community, not a religion-only figure
U.S. Census Bureau ancestry data reported in local coverage shows people of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry now form a majority in Dearborn — ClickOnDetroit cites 54.5% based on newly available census responses [1]. Journalists and some analysts commonly use this MENA ancestry share as a proxy for the city’s Muslim population, but ancestry and religion are distinct: the census ancestry figure does not directly measure religion, and reporting acknowledges Dearborn’s population includes both Muslims and Christian Arabs [1].
2. Where the “largest Muslim proportion” claim comes from
Multiple secondary summaries and encyclopedic entries state Dearborn has the proportionally largest Muslim population in the U.S.; Wikipedia repeats that formulation and notes Dearborn’s long history of Middle Eastern immigration and the presence of large mosques [4]. That phrasing reflects proportional concentration (share of city population), not absolute numbers compared with larger metro areas, and is commonly used in media profiles of Dearborn [4].
3. Published numeric estimates — different sources, different methods
A commercial/demographic write-up cited here estimates roughly 48,600 Muslims in Dearborn, calculating about 54% of an approx. 90,000 population [3]. Local news pieces cite the 54.5% MENA ancestry figure from census data without converting it to a strict Muslim count [1]. Available sources do not present an official, census-based religious breakdown for Dearborn, so numerical Muslim-population estimates rely on assumptions or secondary methods [3] [1].
4. Comparing Dearborn to other U.S. cities — what sources say and don’t say
Sources provided here do not furnish a side‑by‑side ranking of U.S. cities by Muslim proportion; instead they single out Dearborn for its high MENA share and historical Arab-American presence [4] [1]. Therefore, while media and reference entries claim Dearborn has the largest proportional Muslim population, the available reporting in this set does not include systematic comparisons (for example, to Hamtramck, Michigan, or Paterson, New Jersey) nor does it cite a national dataset ranking cities strictly by Muslim share [4] [1].
5. Local demographics and political context that shape reporting
Coverage links Dearborn’s MENA majority to civic life — elections, mayors, festivals — and notes the city’s Arab-American civic influence [1]. The Guardian adds recent political context (population ~106,000 and about 55% Arab ancestry in its 2025 profile) while connecting demographic facts to local political behavior and security concerns, showing how demographics are part of a broader civic narrative [2]. These contextual framings can shape how readers interpret the “largest Muslim population” claim.
6. Limits, caveats, and competing viewpoints
Reporters and reference sites use different terms (Muslim population vs. MENA ancestry) and different denominators (city population estimates of ~90,000 vs. ~106,000), producing divergent numeric impressions [3] [2]. Importantly, available sources do not provide an authoritative religious-count census for Dearborn; therefore any firm numeric claim about the exact number of Muslims must be treated as an estimate or an inference from ancestry data [3] [1]. Readers should note potential agendas: encyclopedic entries aim to summarize commonly cited claims, local outlets emphasize civic implications, and commercial demographic pages may produce rounded estimates for audience use [4] [3] [1].
7. What to look for if you want a firmer comparison
To make a rigorous city-to-city comparison of Muslim share, you would need either a religion-specific dataset (e.g., a large religious‑affiliation survey broken down by place) or peer-reviewed demographic work that maps religion to ancestry at municipal scale. The current sources do not include such a dataset; journalists instead rely on MENA ancestry as a proxy and on historical settlement patterns to explain Dearborn’s prominence [4] [1].
Summary: Reporting consistently identifies Dearborn as having the largest proportional MENA/Muslim presence in the U.S., with census-derived MENA ancestry at about 54–55% cited by ClickOnDetroit and The Guardian [1] [2]. Precise headcounts of Muslims differ by estimate and source and are not provided by an official religious census in the available reporting [3] [1].