Top 10 U.S. Cities With the Largest Muslim Populations (2026 Guide)

Last Updated: March 2026

An estimated 3.5 to 4.5 million Muslims live in the United States, according to the 2020 U.S. Religion Census and Pew Research Center projections. That population supports roughly 2,800 mosques nationwide — a 31% increase since 2010.

But raw numbers only tell part of the story. Some cities have built deep Muslim infrastructure: halal grocery aisles in mainstream supermarkets, publicly broadcast adhan, elected Muslim officials, and full-time Islamic schools. Others are still catching up.

This guide ranks the 10 U.S. cities where Muslim community life is most established, based on population concentration, mosque networks, halal food access, civic representation, and institutional depth. We rely on census ancestry data, the U.S. Religion Census, state-level estimates, and local community surveys — because the federal census does not track religion.

Which U.S. Cities Have the Largest Muslim Populations?

Sources: 2020 U.S. Religion Census, World Population Review, Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, state-level estimates from ISPU and local community organizations.

1. New York City, New York — The Largest Muslim Population in America

New York City is home to between 600,000 and 750,000 Muslims, making it the largest Muslim population center in the country. Include the broader tri-state metro (northern New Jersey and parts of Connecticut), and that number climbs above one million.

The city has over 257 mosques spread across all five boroughs. Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, Astoria in Queens, and the Bronx each host dense concentrations of Islamic institutions. A $22 million mosque expansion at 350 6th Avenue in Manhattan and a 32,000-square-foot mosque project in the Bronx are both underway as of 2025.

New York’s Muslim population represents staggering diversity: Bangladeshis in Jackson Heights, Yemenis in Bay Ridge, West Africans in Harlem, Egyptians in Astoria, and Pakistanis in Midwood. The city’s halal cart culture has become a global symbol of New York street food. For a broader look at halal food access across the country, see our guide to best places in America for halal foodies.

2. Dearborn and the Detroit Metro Area, Michigan

Dearborn holds the highest concentration of Muslims per capita in the United States. About 54.5% of its 110,000 residents identify as Middle Eastern or North African, according to 2023 census ancestry data. In that same year, Dearborn became the first Arab-majority city in the U.S.

Michigan as a whole has roughly 241,000 Muslims — the sixth-largest state-level Muslim population in the country. The Islamic Center of America in Dearborn is the largest mosque in North America.

What sets Dearborn apart is the normalization of Muslim life. Arabic signage lines Warren Avenue. Halal butchers, bakeries, and restaurants operate on every major commercial strip. Schools close for Eid. The city does not feel like it is accommodating Muslims — it is built around them.

The broader Detroit metro area, including Hamtramck (which elected an all-Muslim city council in 2021, sworn in January 2022), pushes the regional Muslim population to an estimated 200,000-250,000.

3. Chicago, Illinois — A Crossroads of Muslim Communities

Greater Chicago is home to an estimated 400,000 to 450,000 Muslims, and Illinois has the third-largest Muslim population of any state (473,792 per the 2020 Religion Census). The community spans Palestinian families rooted in Bridgeview, Pakistani professionals on Devon Avenue, Bosnian refugees in the northwest suburbs, and African American Muslims on the South Side.

The metro area has over 90 mosques. The Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview is one of the largest and most politically active Islamic centers in the Midwest. Devon Avenue in the Rogers Park area functions as a de facto Muslim commercial district, with halal butchers, South Asian restaurants, and Islamic bookstores lining the street for blocks.

Chicago also has strong Muslim institutional infrastructure: the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) coordinates over 60 member organizations, and several full-time Islamic schools serve the metro area.

4. Houston, Texas — The Fastest-Growing Muslim Hub in the South

Houston has the largest Muslim population in the Southern United States and the largest in Texas. Over 209 mosques and storefront prayer spaces serve the city, anchored by the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), which has operated since 1969.

The community is remarkably diverse. An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 Ismaili Muslims gather at five jamatkhanas across the Houston region. In November 2025, a new Islamic center opened — one of the largest purpose-built Ismaili centers in North America, as reported by Christianity Today.

Houston’s halal food scene stretches from the Hillcroft corridor (nicknamed the “Mahatma Gandhi District”) through Chinatown and into Sugar Land. For more on halal dining across the U.S., check out halal street food regional favorites.

5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — The “Mecca of the West”

Greater Philadelphia is home to more than 300,000 Muslims, and the city proper has around 200,000 — making it one of the highest Muslim-to-total-population ratios of any major U.S. city. What makes Philadelphia distinct is its demographics: an estimated 85% of the city’s Muslim population is African American.

This history stretches back decades. The Nation of Islam established a strong presence here in the mid-20th century, and many congregations later transitioned to Sunni Islam under Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. Today, more than 70 mosques serve the city, many of them converted churches and synagogues in North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and Germantown.

The city’s nickname among Muslim Americans — “the Mecca of the West” — reflects its longstanding role as a center of African American Muslim intellectual and civic life.

6. Los Angeles, California — Where Muslim Sub-Cities Thrive

Greater Los Angeles (including Orange County and the Inland Empire) has an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 Muslims, representing about 3.7% of the metro population. Over 100 mosques serve the region, including the Islamic Center of Southern California, founded in 1952 and one of the oldest purpose-built mosques in the country.

LA’s Muslim population is organized into distinct corridors. Irvine and Anaheim are home to Arab and South Asian communities. West LA and Culver City host a large Iranian Muslim population. Inglewood has a deep African American Muslim history. Downtown attracts converts and African immigrants. Each of these sub-regions has more than 50,000 Muslims.

The King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, built in 1998, holds over 2,000 worshippers and remains one of the most architecturally striking mosques in the Western Hemisphere. For more on California’s halal scene, see the halal food scene in California.

7. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas — The “Medina of America”

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has between 110,000 and 150,000 Muslims and over 60 mosques (62 Sunni and 5 Shia, per local counts). Texas as a whole added nearly 50 new mosques between 2023 and 2025, and DFW absorbed a significant share of that growth.

Muslim residents cluster in North Dallas, Irving, Richardson, and Plano. Collin County alone has 22 mosques. Some Muslims in the U.S. now refer to Dallas as the “Medina of America” for its combination of affordability, job growth, and expanding Islamic infrastructure.

The Texas Muslim population statewide stands at roughly 313,000, the fifth-largest of any state. The combination of corporate relocations to DFW, strong South Asian professional networks, and relatively low cost of living continues to drive growth.

8. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota — The Somali Capital of America

Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to the largest Somali diaspora community in North America. Census estimates place Minnesota’s Somali population between 80,000 and 107,000, with roughly 78% living in the Twin Cities. Hennepin County alone has about 50,000 people of Somali descent.

Cedar-Riverside, nicknamed “Little Mogadishu,” is the epicenter. The neighborhood’s distinctive public housing towers are surrounded by Somali-owned shops, halal restaurants, and community organizations. The area has its own economic ecosystem: remittance offices, Somali malls, and tea shops that serve as informal community centers.

Minneapolis’s Muslim community is politically engaged. Ilhan Omar became the first Somali American and first naturalized citizen from Africa elected to Congress in 2018. The broader Twin Cities community includes smaller but established Oromo, Ethiopian, and East African Muslim populations alongside the Somali majority.

9. Washington, D.C. Metro Area

The D.C. metro area — spanning Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland, and the District itself — has an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 Muslims. Virginia alone has roughly 170,000 to 200,000 Muslims, with most concentrated in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties.

Maryland contributes another 189,000 Muslims statewide (the seventh-largest state Muslim population), many of them in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The ADAMS Center in Sterling, Virginia, is one of the largest mosques on the East Coast and runs a full-time school, health clinic, and food pantry.

The D.C. metro draws Muslim professionals in tech, government, defense, and international organizations. Pakistani, Afghan, Ethiopian, and Arab communities are all well-represented. The Islamic Center of Washington, on Embassy Row, has served the capital since 1957.

10. Paterson and Northern New Jersey

Paterson has approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Muslims out of a city population of about 160,000 — roughly 20%, the second-highest per-capita Muslim percentage in the U.S. after Dearborn. Nearly all are concentrated in South Paterson, which the city formally designated “Little Palestine” in 2022.

In March 2025, Mayor Andre Sayegh declared Paterson “the capital of Palestine in the United States.” The city council has three Muslim members. In 2020, Paterson became the third U.S. city to authorize the public broadcasting of the adhan (call to prayer).

New Jersey as a whole has 321,652 Muslims (the fourth-largest state-level population), spread across Paterson, Jersey City, Newark, and Edison. The Islamic Center of Passaic County has served Paterson’s Muslim community for decades and remains a hub for new immigrants from Palestine, Turkey, Syria, and Bangladesh.

How Is the Muslim Population in the U.S. Measured?

The U.S. Census Bureau does not ask about religion. This is a critical limitation. Every number in this article is an estimate based on one or more of these sources:

• 2020 U.S. Religion Census — Counted 4.45 million Muslims through mosque membership rolls and institutional surveys.
• Pew Research Center — Estimated 3.45 million in 2017, with projections to 8.1 million by 2050.
• American Community Survey ancestry data — Tracks MENA, South Asian, and Somali ancestry as a proxy.
• ISPU American Muslim Poll — Surveys attitudes and demographics but does not produce a headcount.

These methods produce estimates ranging from 3.4 million to 4.5 million. We use a middle range of 3.5 to 4.5 million throughout this article and note specific local sources where available.

What Drives Muslim Population Growth in U.S. Cities?

Three forces shape where Muslim communities concentrate:

Chain migration. Dearborn’s Arab community dates to Ford Motor Company recruitment in the 1920s. Once a community takes root, family reunification and social networks pull newcomers to the same city. Minneapolis’s Somali community grew the same way, starting with refugee resettlement in the 1990s.

Economic opportunity. Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth attract Muslim professionals through corporate job growth and lower cost of living compared to coastal cities. Tech hubs in Northern Virginia pull Pakistani and Indian Muslim engineers.

Institutional gravity. Cities with established mosques, Islamic schools, and halal supply chains attract Muslim families who want to raise children in a practicing environment. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: more Muslims move in, more institutions open, which attracts more Muslims. For a deeper look at how this shapes the food industry, read our piece on halal food and community development.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most Muslim city in America?

By percentage of population, Dearborn, Michigan leads — about 54.5% of its residents are of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, and the vast majority are Muslim. By total numbers, New York City has the largest Muslim population at an estimated 600,000 to 750,000.

How many Muslims live in the United States in 2026?

Estimates range from 3.45 million (Pew Research extrapolation) to 4.45 million (2020 U.S. Religion Census). The federal census does not track religion, so no single definitive number exists.

What is the Muslim population in Minneapolis?

The Twin Cities metro area has between 80,000 and 100,000 Muslims, the majority of Somali descent. Minnesota’s total Somali population is estimated at 80,000 to 107,000, with about 78% concentrated in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Hennepin County (home to Minneapolis) alone has roughly 50,000 Somali residents.

Which U.S. state has the highest Muslim population?

New York leads with 724,475 Muslims (3.6% of the state population), followed by California (504,056), Illinois (473,792), and New Jersey (321,652), according to the 2020 U.S. Religion Census.

Are there Muslim-majority cities in the United States?

Dearborn, Michigan is the closest. While no U.S. city has an officially counted Muslim majority (since the census does not track religion), Dearborn’s MENA-ancestry majority of 54.5% and its deeply Islamic civic culture make it functionally a Muslim-majority city. Hamtramck, Michigan, elected an all-Muslim city council in 2021 (sworn in January 2022).

What U.S. city has the most mosques?

New York City has over 257 mosques across the five boroughs. The broader tri-state metro area has even more. Houston follows with over 209 mosques and prayer spaces, and the Chicago metro has over 90.

Where do most Muslim immigrants settle in the U.S.?

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and the D.C. metro area absorb the largest share of new Muslim immigrants. Somali refugees have historically been resettled in Minneapolis, Columbus (Ohio), and San Diego. Dallas-Fort Worth is a rising destination due to job growth and affordability.

How many mosques are there in the United States?

Approximately 2,800 to 3,000 mosques operate in the United States as of 2025, according to the U.S. Mosque Survey and related research. This represents a 31% increase from 2,106 mosques counted in 2010.

The Bottom Line

Muslim communities in the United States are not shrinking — they are building. New mosques are opening at a pace not seen in decades. Cities like Dearborn and Paterson have moved past accommodation into full integration, where Muslim identity is woven into the civic fabric. Others, like Dallas and Houston, are in an earlier but rapid growth phase.

For Muslims considering a move, the right city depends on what matters most: cultural density (Dearborn), economic opportunity (Houston, DFW), diversity of Muslim expression (New York, LA), or deep-rooted African American Muslim heritage (Philadelphia).

For a broader look at Muslim-friendly travel and living in the U.S., explore our guides to Muslim-friendly cities and the $1.38 trillion halal food sector.