Which metropolitan areas (e.g., New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles) had the highest number of Muslim residents in 2025 and what are their population estimates?

1. How the headline rankings are being claimed — a clash of projections and state totals

Different analyses present competing claims about where the largest Muslim populations live in 2025 because they use different geographic units and methods. One projection-style study lists top cities in the Americas and gives 2025 estimates placing New York at about 1.5 million Muslims, Los Angeles at 500,000, and Chicago at 400,000, while also including Canadian metros like Toronto ^{[4] [5]} and Montreal ^{[6] [7] [1]}. State-level tallies in other reporting show New York State with ~724,000 Muslims and California with ~504,000, which implies different counts when aggregated to metros versus entire states ^{[3] [2]}. These methodological choices explain much of the numerical divergence.

2. The strongest case for New York leading in 2025 — why multiple data points point there

Several sources converge on New York metro as the largest U.S. Muslim hub in absolute terms, citing its long-established immigrant communities and large urban population base. A multi-source synthesis notes New York as having the highest absolute Muslim numbers among U.S. metros in multiple datasets and projections ^{[8] [1]}. State-level reports that place New York State near the top for Muslim residents support the metro-level inference when adjusted for urban concentration ^[3]. The consistency across projection studies and state tallies provides the most credible basis to put New York first in 2025, even if point estimates differ.

3. Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit/Metro Detroit, and Toronto — a close grouping with wide estimate ranges

Beyond New York, sources repeatedly list Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit-area (notably Dearborn), and Toronto among the metropolitan areas with the largest Muslim populations. One study’s point estimates put Los Angeles around 500,000 and Chicago about 400,000 while emphasizing strong growth in Sunbelt metros such as Houston and Dallas ^{[1] [2]}. Michigan’s Dearborn/Detroit area is identified repeatedly for its concentrated Muslim community even when state totals are used ^[2]. Canadian estimates elevate Toronto and Montreal into the top ranks for the Americas, but cross-border comparisons mix metro and city counts and reflect different data sources and projection methods ^[1].

4. Why numbers vary so much — data gaps, methodology, and timeframes

Major variation in 2025 estimates arises from three factors: different geographic units (city vs. metro vs. state), methodological choices (projections vs. interpolations of earlier religious censuses), and limited recent standardized data because the widely used U.S. Religion Census covers through 2020 and no single federal religion count exists for 2025 ^{[9] [10] [8]}. Some pieces use projection models to 2100 and intermediate 2025 estimates, while state-based tallies are sometimes extrapolated from survey samples; these produce divergent absolute numbers even when directionally similar about which metros are largest ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

5. Practical takeaway and where to look for better precision

The practical conclusion is that New York metro is the most plausible leader for Muslim population in 2025, with Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit/Dearborn, and Toronto following, but exact counts differ substantially among sources due to incompatible methods ^{[1] [3] [2]}. For more precise, reproducible figures, consult original datasets behind the cited summaries — specifically the U.S. Religion Census county and metro quicklists (for historical comparability) and the projection study that produced the 2025 city estimates — and watch for updated releases or peer-reviewed demography studies that reconcile city/metro definitions ^{[9] [1]}.