Last updated: 2026-10-19

Somali Americans: Population, Refugee History and Economic Outcomes (2026)

About 193,000 Americans report Somali ancestry and about 98,000 were born in Somalia, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey (ACS); Minnesota has the largest community, at roughly 76,000 to 108,000 people depending on how "Somali" is counted (Census Reporter). Most Somali refugees arrived between 2011 and 2017, and most Minnesota Somalis are US citizens. Incomes are well below state and national averages and poverty is about three times the Minnesota rate, but labour-force participation is close to the state average.

Last updated 19 October 2026. This page covers demographics and economic outcomes. Fraud prosecutions, immigration enforcement and terrorism cases are separate matters, covered on their own pages (see "Related pages"). Nothing here describes the behaviour of Somali Americans as a group.

Key figures

How many Somalis live in the United States?

About 193,000 Americans report Somali ancestry and about 98,000 were born in Somalia, on the Census Bureau's 2024 one-year survey. A larger count of about 259,000 to 260,000 "people of Somali descent" circulated in the press in December 2025 (KTTC). The gap comes from definitions, not from disagreement about the facts.

Three different Census concepts are involved, and press reports often mix them:

• Ancestry (table B04006). People who name Somali as one of up to two ancestries: 193,061 nationally, with a margin of error of about 21,000.
• Place of birth (table B05006). People born in Somalia: 98,079. This excludes the US-born children of Somali parents.
• "Alone or in any combination" counts. These include anyone reporting Somali on race or ancestry questions in any form. They produce the 259,000 to 260,000 national figure. The research behind this page could not open the underlying Census table for this series, so its exact origin is unconfirmed.

The Minnesota state demographer has said ACS-based Somali counts probably miss part of the community; she described the method as capturing only about 70% of Somali Minnesotans, a "considerable undercount". The 2020 decennial census estimate quoted by the press was about 91,000 for Minnesota and 221,000 nationally.

How many Somalis live in Minnesota?

Between 76,000 and 108,000, depending on the definition, with 41,748 born in Somalia. The ancestry count is 76,320, the broad press-quoted count is 107,000 to 108,000, about 2% of the state, and Minnesota Compass shows 111,722 (+/-20,401) for 2024.

Earlier estimates of 80,000 to 100,000 fall inside this range. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area holds about 84,000 people of Somali descent, about 50,000 of them in Hennepin County.

Minnesota also receives secondary migrants, meaning refugees first resettled elsewhere who then move there. The state health department was notified of 3,740 secondary arrivals from 2010 to 2016 and says the true number is probably higher.

Where else do Somali Americans live?

Ohio and Washington state are the next-largest communities in the ACS tables, followed by California. Ohio (mainly Columbus) has 26,449 people of Somali ancestry and 10,688 Somalia-born residents; Washington (the Seattle area) has 15,502 and 10,845. Margins of error are large for these states (Washington's ancestry figure is +/-6,336), and California is also cited as significant.

When did Somali refugees come to the United States?

US resettlement of Somali refugees began in 1990, and annual arrivals peaked at 9,032 in fiscal 2016 before falling to 257 in 2018. Somalia has had no stable central government for most of the period since 1991, and the Minnesota Department of Health states that resettlement began in 1990.

Annual figures for the 1990s and 2000s could not be verified in this research (published summaries conflict), so none are given here. The Department of Homeland Security series below is confirmed:

The 2011 to 2020 figures sum to 49,292 (this site's addition). The DHS table does not state why arrivals collapsed after 2017. A Pew Research Center chart lists 9,020 for 2016 and 6,130 for 2017, consistent with DHS within small revisions.

Minnesota was the largest primary destination in fiscal 2010 to 2016, with 5,659 arrivals (11.9%), ahead of New York (3,786) and Texas (3,620). Total US refugee admissions fell to 38,102 in fiscal 2025 against a ceiling of 125,000, and 10,258 through 31 July 2026 against a ceiling of 17,500.

Are most Minnesota Somalis US citizens?

Yes. Almost 58% of Minnesota's Somali-descent population was born in the United States, and among the foreign-born about 87% are naturalised citizens. The first figure is from KTTC's ACS summary, the second from PBS.

FactCheck.org reports that 95% of Somalis in Minnesota are US citizens, and KTTC puts non-citizens at about 5,000 in the state. Minnesota Compass, using a five-year pooled sample and a different definition, puts the foreign-born share at 52.2% (+/-3.2), which implies a lower US-born share. Almost half of the foreign-born entered in 2010 or later. A national naturalisation share for Somalia-born residents was not found.

The community is young: 45.7% (+/-2.8) of Minnesota's Somali population is under 18.

What is the income and poverty level of Somali Americans?

In Minnesota, median household income is $49,554 and 30.9% of Somali residents are below the poverty line, compared with $87,117 and 9.3% for the whole state. The Somali figures come from Minnesota Compass, using five-year ACS data (2020-24, in 2024 dollars). The comparison figures are from the ACS 2024 one-year estimates, so the comparison is approximate because the survey periods differ.

The state and national comparisons for education, labour force and housing were computed by this site's research from ACS 2024 tables. The Somali labour-force figure is from PolitiFact, citing ACS 2024.

Other published figures differ because of definitions and dates:

• A 2023 state demographer report found a median Somali household income of $28,500 in 2020 dollars, the lowest of any cultural group it covered.
• The state demographer told FactCheck.org that an upcoming state estimate put Somali poverty at about 38%.
• The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which advocates lower immigration, reported that 52% of children in Somali immigrant homes in Minnesota live in poverty, against 8% of children in homes headed by US-born people (as relayed by PolitiFact).

Do Somali Americans work?

Yes. About 72% of Minnesota Somalis aged 16 and over are in the labour force, a few points above the state rate of 68.2%. Minnesota Compass puts employment at 69.6% (+/-3.3) for ages 18 to 64.

On 2 February 2026, President Trump said 92% of Somalis in Minnesota do not work. PolitiFact rated this "Pants on Fire", citing Census data that put Somali labour-force participation at about 72%, roughly 4 points above the state rate. PolitiFact also noted that receiving benefits does not mean a person is not working, because most programs are open to workers.

The same article relays CIS figures that about 39% of working-age Somalis have no high school diploma, against 5% of US natives, and that half of those resident 10 years or more do not speak English "very well".

How educated are Somali Americans?

In Minnesota, 17.2% of Somali adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, against about 40% of all Minnesotans, and 63.9% have at least a high school diploma. Both Somali figures are from Minnesota Compass; the state comparison is computed from ACS 2024 data. The Minnesota high-school comparison was not computed because only some education categories were retrieved.

Do Somali Americans own their homes?

Mostly no: 15.6% of Minnesota Somali households own their home, against 71.6% of Minnesota households and 65.3% nationally. The Somali figure is from Minnesota Compass. An earlier state analysis found 12% of Somali-headed households owned, against 27% of Black-headed households overall (figure from a search summary). Some Somali households avoid conventional mortgages for religious reasons, but no source quantifying this was found, so no claim is made.

How many Somali Americans receive public assistance?

It depends on the definition: about 8% report public assistance income, but more than 80% receive some benefit if Medicaid and food assistance are counted. Two competing analyses, both from ACS data, have been published.

• Center for Immigration Studies (December 2025, 2014-2023 data). CIS reported that 81% of Somali immigrant households in Minnesota receive some welfare, 89% of those with children, and 27% receive cash welfare. CIS counts programs such as Medicaid and food assistance as welfare. FactCheck.org noted "welfare" has no universal definition.
• State demographer Susan Brower (ACS 2019-2023). About 8% of Minnesotans of Somali ancestry reported public assistance income (sampling range 6.3% to 10.1%). On a wider definition covering assistance income, food assistance (SNAP), Medicaid or a combination, 84% of about 60,000 people reporting Somali ancestry received help; 69% of adults and 90% of children had Medicaid.
• White House statement. At a Cabinet meeting on 2 December 2025, President Trump put welfare use at "like 88%"; the White House provided no evidence.

The two data sets measure different things (cash income versus any program, including health insurance). Both describe a young, low-income population (45.7% under 18), which raises eligibility for Medicaid and food assistance.

What about the second generation?

Direct second-generation tables for Somali Americans were not found; the best evidence is a March 2026 Minnesota study of young Somalis, which finds high employment but lower credentials and full-time work than white peers. The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) study uses school and wage records for 26,344 Somali students who left high school between June 2006 and June 2022, compared with 857,305 white non-Hispanic students. It defines "Somali" as Black students who speak Somali at home, so it mixes immigrant and US-born children and cannot give a second-generation figure.

All figures are from DEED, which also reports that Somalis reach a living wage at an average age of 27, against before 25 for whites. Thirty percent of Somali students work in health care (about twice the white share) and 21% in social assistance (against 3%). Somali students rose from 0.7% of Minnesota high-school students in 2006 to 4% in 2022.

Which Somali Americans hold elected office?

Somali Americans hold seats in Congress, the Minnesota legislature, the Minneapolis City Council and a suburban mayoralty. A full count of Somali American elected officials was not found, and a commentary figure of "six at state and federal level" is unverified.

• Ilhan Omar (Democrat) represents Minneapolis in the US House; she became a US citizen about 25 years ago after leaving Somalia as a child (Al Jazeera).
• Omar Fateh was the first Somali American elected to the Minnesota Senate (2020) and finished second to Mayor Jacob Frey in the November 2025 Minneapolis mayoral election (PBS).
• Zaynab Mohamed (state senator) and Samakab Hussein (House 65A, since January 2023) also serve in the legislature (MPR, Wikipedia).
• Jamal Osman was re-elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 2025 with 58.7% in the first round and became council vice president in January 2026 (Wikipedia; secondary source).
• Nadia Mohamed has been mayor of St. Louis Park since 2022 and is described as the first Somali American elected mayor of a US city (Wikipedia; secondary source).

Somali Americans typically lean Democratic but showed some shift away in 2024, according to University of Minnesota political scientist Dan Myers.

What community organisations represent Somali Americans?

The sources used for this page name a small number of organisations; they are not a complete directory. The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Minnesota chapter (CAIR-Minnesota), led by executive director Jaylani Hussein, is a frequent public voice on civil-rights and security matters (MPR). CAIR is an advocacy organisation and its releases are statements, not police counts.

Mosques are also community institutions: Imam Abdulahi Farah of Dar al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington has spoken publicly about the 2026 rhetoric and about security (MPR). African Communities Together is the lead plaintiff in the Somalia TPS lawsuit (see the TPS page). Data on the community come largely from Minnesota Compass and the state demographer's office, not from community bodies.

Why do the population and income figures differ between sources?

Because sources count different people, in different years, with different margins of error. The main reasons are:

1. Definition. Ancestry (76,320), Somalia-born (41,748) and "alone or in any combination" (about 107,000-108,000) are three different groups.
2. Survey period. Minnesota Compass uses five-year pooled data, which smooths small samples but lags; the comparison figures are single-year.
3. Dollar year. The state demographer's $28,500 figure is in 2020 dollars.
4. Undercount. The state demographer says ACS methods probably miss part of the community.
5. Advocacy framing. CIS and state agencies use different definitions of "welfare" and different periods.

For national immigration figures, see US immigration statistics.

Related pages

• Somali communities overview
• Somali Americans and Minnesota: population and outcomes
• Minnesota fraud cases and Feeding Our Future
• TPS, travel ban and Operation Metro Surge
• Al-Shabaab recruitment and terrorism cases
• Somalis in Europe
• United States immigration
• Frequently asked questions