Which US states have the largest Muslim populations by percentage and by number?
Executive summary
State-level tallies from multiple 2024–2025 aggregators identify New York, California, Illinois and New Jersey as the states with the largest Muslim populations by raw numbers; WorldPopulationReview and DataPandas put New York at about 724,475 Muslims, California about 504,056, Illinois about 473,792 and New Jersey about 321,652 [1] [2]. Percentage rankings differ from raw counts: Illinois and some smaller states/metropolitan areas rank higher when measured as a share of state population, but precise state-percent lists vary among data compilers and national surveys [3] [4].
1. Biggest in number: New York leads, followed by California, Illinois and New Jersey
Most recent aggregator lists place New York State at the top by raw Muslim population (about 724,475), followed by California (≈504,056), Illinois (≈473,792), New Jersey (≈321,652) and Texas (≈313,209) — figures reported by WorldPopulationReview and mirrored by DataPandas and other compilers [1] [2]. Justice For All’s 2025 brief likewise identifies New York State, California, Illinois and New Jersey as hosting the largest numbers of Muslims, reflecting metropolitan concentrations such as the New York metropolitan area [4].
2. Biggest by share: a different picture, often led by Midwest/urban states
Raw counts tell one story; percent-of-state population rankings show a different geography. Compiled guides and state-focused analyses note that Illinois and other states with dense urban immigrant communities rank comparatively high on Muslim share even when their raw totals are smaller than New York’s or California’s [3]. Available sources do not provide a single, authoritative state-by-state percent ranking in the excerpts above, and different methods (survey vs. organizational counts vs. projection) yield different percent lists [5].
3. Why the rankings vary: data sources and method differences
Researchers rely on a mix of 2020 Religion Census organizational counts, national surveys like Pew, and post‑2020 projections; aggregators then combine or project those numbers into 2024–2025 estimates [5] [6]. The federal census does not ask religion, so estimates depend on indirect measures and organizational reporting — which produces inconsistencies and known inaccuracies (for example, undercounts in small states noted by 24/7 Wall St.) [7]. Justice For All highlights competing national totals — some sources estimate around 4.5 million Muslims while others produce lower survey-based counts — underscoring methodological divergence [4].
4. Metropolitan concentrations matter more than state lines
Multiple sources emphasize that Muslims in the U.S. cluster in major metropolitan regions and that metro-area counts (for example, the New York metro) can dwarf single-state city numbers; Wikipedia notes New York City and its metro area as the largest Muslim population center, and Justice For All cites metropolitan concentrations as central to distribution [8] [4]. This means policy and community services planning often needs metro-level, not simply state-level, data [8] [4].
5. Disagreements and known inaccuracies: what to trust and what to treat cautiously
Analysts warn that state rankings — especially for smaller states — can be misleading because of sparse reporting or projection error: 24/7 Wall St. flags clear inaccuracies (for example, implausibly low counts in Hawaii in some datasets) and advises treating state estimates as broad trends rather than precise headcounts [7]. Aggregators like WorldPopulationReview, The Global Statistics and niche outlets produce similar top-state lists but do so by combining different inputs and projection rules [1] [6] [9].
6. Broader context: size, diversity and future projections
Sources place the U.S. Muslim population broadly between roughly 3–4.5 million depending on method; Justice For All cites the 2020 Religion Census estimate of about 4.5 million while other surveys give lower totals, and many outlets note Muslims constitute roughly 1–1.4% of the national population [4] [5]. Reports emphasize ethnic diversity within the community (South Asian, Arab, Black, African, and other backgrounds) and project ongoing metropolitan growth driven by immigration, births and internal migration [6] [4].
7. What reporting omits or leaves uncertain
Available sources do not give a single, authoritative state-by-state percent ranking in the excerpts provided here and do not resolve the national total disagreement between 3–4.5 million estimates [4] [5]. Detailed county- or neighborhood-level shares — which often reveal much higher local concentrations — are referenced but not fully listed in these excerpts [8] [4].
Conclusion: Use the aggregated state tallies to understand broad patterns — New York, California, Illinois and New Jersey top the list by number — but treat state percentages and precise counts with caution because methods vary, the census omits religion, and metropolitan concentrations shape lived realities more than state borders [1] [2] [7] [4].