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What's the top European ancestry in your county?

Type your county or click the map. Every county is colored by the European ancestry most people there report to the Census Bureau. Switch the map to any of 39 nations to see where its people settled.

Where every European nation settled in America

Every year the Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks Americans about their ancestry. About 41.8 million report German roots, more than any other European group, and German is the most common European ancestry in 1,701 of the 3,144 counties. English leads in 1,113 counties, mostly across the South, Irish in 227, Italian in 38, French in 31 and Norwegian in 22. The survey is a sample, so in 967 counties the top two are too close to call; the map shows those in a lighter shade.

Highest share of German roots

  1. Brown County, Minnesota 56.8% ±2.5
  2. Sibley County, Minnesota 54.5% ±1.9
  3. Mercer County, Ohio 53.8% ±2.9
  4. Putnam County, Ohio 52.3% ±2.0
  5. Osage County, Missouri 52.0% ±4.3
  6. Carroll County, Iowa 51.6% ±3.1
  7. Washington County, Wisconsin 50.9% ±1.5
  8. Chickasaw County, Iowa 49.6% ±4.2
  9. Dodge County, Wisconsin 49.4% ±1.4
  10. Taylor County, Wisconsin 49.2% ±2.2

Highest share of Irish roots

  1. Plymouth County, Massachusetts 27.6% ±0.6
  2. Cape May County, New Jersey 27.1% ±1.4
  3. Barnstable County, Massachusetts 25.2% ±1.0
  4. Silver Bow County, Montana 24.8% ±2.1
  5. Rockingham County, New Hampshire 24.7% ±0.8
  6. Gloucester County, New Jersey 24.5% ±1.1
  7. Norfolk County, Massachusetts 24.0% ±0.5
  8. Rensselaer County, New York 23.7% ±1.2
  9. Washington County, Rhode Island 23.6% ±1.2
  10. Newport County, Rhode Island 23.5% ±1.3

Highest share of Italian roots

  1. Lawrence County, Pennsylvania 23.5% ±1.2
  2. Richmond County, New York 22.9% ±0.9
  3. Monmouth County, New Jersey 22.5% ±0.6
  4. Gloucester County, New Jersey 22.3% ±0.8
  5. Putnam County, New York 22.3% ±1.6
  6. Suffolk County, New York 20.6% ±0.4
  7. Warren County, New Jersey 20.2% ±1.6
  8. Sussex County, New Jersey 19.8% ±1.0
  9. Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania 19.8% ±1.0
  10. Washington County, Rhode Island 19.7% ±1.2

Highest share of Polish roots

  1. Portage County, Wisconsin 27.8% ±1.8
  2. Presque Isle County, Michigan 24.8% ±2.3
  3. Alpena County, Michigan 18.8% ±1.7
  4. Morrison County, Minnesota 16.2% ±1.4
  5. Huron County, Michigan 16.0% ±1.2
  6. Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 15.8% ±0.6
  7. Arenac County, Michigan 15.6% ±1.6
  8. Bay County, Michigan 15.6% ±1.0
  9. Marathon County, Wisconsin 14.5% ±0.8
  10. Erie County, New York 14.4% ±0.4

Highest share of Norwegian roots

  1. Polk County, Minnesota 33.5% ±1.9
  2. Pennington County, Minnesota 32.6% ±3.0
  3. Chippewa County, Minnesota 29.9% ±2.6
  4. Barnes County, North Dakota 29.6% ±3.0
  5. Roseau County, Minnesota 29.4% ±2.2
  6. Walsh County, North Dakota 29.1% ±2.4
  7. Winnebago County, Iowa 28.3% ±3.3
  8. Trempealeau County, Wisconsin 27.1% ±1.5
  9. Clay County, Minnesota 27.0% ±1.5
  10. Pope County, Minnesota 26.6% ±2.2

Highest share of Dutch roots

  1. Sioux County, Iowa 40.8% ±2.3
  2. Lyon County, Iowa 32.5% ±3.4
  3. Ottawa County, Michigan 26.0% ±0.9
  4. Allegan County, Michigan 19.2% ±1.1
  5. O'Brien County, Iowa 19.0% ±3.1
  6. Marion County, Iowa 18.7% ±2.0
  7. Kent County, Michigan 14.3% ±0.5
  8. Missaukee County, Michigan 14.3% ±1.7
  9. Newaygo County, Michigan 13.2% ±1.2
  10. Mahaska County, Iowa 12.0% ±1.8

Lists: counties with at least 10,000 residents, share of all residents reporting that ancestry, with the 90% margin of error. Neighbors on a list are often a statistical tie.

Questions and answers

What does “ancestry” mean here?
It's what people write when the American Community Survey asks about their ancestry or ethnic origin. It isn't a DNA test. People can give two answers, so the shares in a county don't add up to 100%.
Why isn't “American” on the map?
Many people simply answer “American”. It would beat every European answer in 449 counties, 432 of them in the South. This map compares only the 39 European national answers, so every county shows the European ancestry its people report most.
Why is there no Spanish or Mexican ancestry?
Spanish and Latin American roots are coded with Hispanic origins, not as one of the 39 European national ancestries, so Spain isn't one of them. Ancestries from outside Europe and groups formed in North America, like Pennsylvania German, Cajun or French Canadian, aren't on the map either.
What does “too close to call” mean?
Every number from the survey is an estimate with a 90% margin of error. When the top two ancestries in a county are closer than their margins allow, the county is shown in a lighter shade. That happens in 967 counties.
Why is Polish never number one?
About 8.3 million Americans report Polish roots, but Polish isn't the top estimate in any county. In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, it's a statistical tie with Irish.
Where is the data from?
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table B04006 (People Reporting Ancestry), data.census.gov. County boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, Cartographic Boundary Files 2025. Shares and rankings are our calculations.