In this article, we will list the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. Before proceeding to our list, let’s take a look at the history of Jews, their presence in the United States, and their influence on major corporations.
Jews have a long history of persecution, and it was not until the 19th century that the majority of European countries started to emancipate them and grant them legal equality in civil rights. Judaism is the oldest of the three Abrahamic religions and is characterized by the belief in God, who showed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets. Despite this, the followers of Judaism are very few compared to Christians and Islam. The systemic genocide of Jews, which was taken to a mass scale during World War II, is one of the reasons for their low numbers. However, fast forward to today, albeit a minority, Jews are thriving in the United States with a significant impact on the overall economic footprint of the country
Currently, Israel hosts the most number of core jews, followed by the United States. Core Jews are people who identify as Jews above all else. Israel has an estimated 7.2 million core Jews, whereas the United States houses 6.3 million. In our piece about the 20 most Jewish cities in the world, we discussed that an estimated 2.4% of the total population of the United States is Jewish. In that list of the most Jewish cities, 9 out of the 20 cities belonged to the United States. In addition, the runner-up city also belonged to the United States. This particular city tops our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US, although you would have to go through our list to find out which one.
The Jewish population in the United States is diverse, both in its religious beliefs and political thinking. A survey by the Pew Research Center found that among young Jewish adults, two opposing expressions of Jewishness are gaining ground. The first is involving religion in every aspect of life, and the other is involving little or no religion at all.
About a quarter of Jewish adults do not identify with the Jewish religion. These individuals may identify with the Jewish ethnicity, culture, or family background, but they describe themselves as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”. The proportion of such individuals is higher among Jewish adults under 30 at around 40%.
Younger Jewish Adults, on the other hand, are also more likely than older Jews to identify as Orthodox. Around 17% of Jews aged 18 to 29 in the United States identify as Orthodox Jews. For perspective, only 3% of Jews 65 or older identify as Orthodox. In addition, 11% of Jewish adults under the age of 30 identify as ultra-Orthodox, as opposed to only 1% of Jews above the age of 65. However, at the same time, a higher proportion of younger Jews are likely to identify with no particular branch of Judaism as compared to older Jews. Around 41% of adult Jews under the age of 30 do not identify with any particular branch of Jews compared to 22% of Jews aged 65 and above. This shows that among the younger Jews, there is more polarization compared to the older Jews.
Overall the Jewish community in the United States tilts toward Democrats, but most Orthodox Jews are Republicans. Nearly three-quarters of Jews with no religion identified as Democrats, whereas the same proportion of Orthodox Jews say that they are Republicans.
Despite their religious and political leaning, the Jewish population is extremely influential. In our piece about the countries with the highest Jewish population, we looked at their influence on the major corporations despite their small proportion of the global population. According to Forbes, there were 267 Jewish billionaires in 2020, the majority of which belonged to the United States. In the United States, some of the most prominent business leaders belong to the Jewish community. The founder of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL), Lawrence Ellison, has a Jewish background. Another prominent example of an influential Jew in the country is Larry Page, who is the co-founder of Google.
With that backdrop, let’s look at the 25 most Jewish cities in the US.
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Methodology
We used data from the Jewish Data Bank to curate our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. The higher the Jewish population of the city, the higher it ranks on our list. It is worth noting that we used Jewish population figures for 2017 because the latest figures for all the cities were not available. So, actual population figures as of 2024 might differ. However, keeping the comparison year the same allows us to make fair comparisons and rank the cities appropriately. Another thing to note is that some of the entries on our list are not cities. We have also included some counties and census-designated areas that overall had a significant Jewish population.
25 – Las Vegas, Nevada
Jewish Population in 2017 – 72,300
Las Vegas, Nevada, ranks 25th on our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. The history of Jews in Nevada stretches back to 1850 when they came to the state in search of gold. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the city boasts 18 Jewish congregations. The city also has its Jewish community newspaper by the name of the Las Vegas Israelite.
24 – Orange County, California
Jewish Population in 2017 – 80,000
The area of Orange County encompasses Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Costa Mesa, Buena Park, Irvine, and Santa Ana. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, there are 38 synagogues in Orange County.
23 – Cleveland, Ohio
Jewish Population in 2017 – 80,800
Cleaveland, Ohio, ranks 23rd on our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. According to Case Western Reserve University, the city absorbed an estimated 12,000 Jews from the Soviet Union from the 1970s to the 1990s. However, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, the Cleveland Jewish community faces several challenges, including an aging and diminishing local population.
22 – Phoenix, Arizona
Jewish Population in 2017 – 82,900
The capital of Arizona, Phoenix, is also its most Jewish city. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, informal Jewish worship began in the city as early as 1906, and the first Synagogue in the city was built in 1921. The Jewish population in Phoenix increased significantly after World War II.
21 – Ocean County, New Jersey
Jewish Population in 2017 – 83,000
With a Jewish population of 83,000 in 2017, Ocean County in New Jersey ranks 21st on our list. The Jewish Federation of Ocean County is one of the nonprofit organizations that serve as a central resource for its growing Jewish population.
20 – Rockland County, New York
Jewish Population in 2017 – 91,100
New York State houses more jews than all other states in the country, and a significant portion of its Jews live in Rockland County. The Jewish community is incredibly prominent in Rockland County, New York. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, more than one-third of the physicians, dentists, attorneys, and accountants in the county are Jewish.
19 – Baltimore, Maryland
Jewish Population in 2017 – 93,400
Baltimore, Maryland, is 19th on our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. According to Brandeis University, as of 2020, the Baltimore Jewish community consists of 46,700 Jewish households.
18 – Denver, Colorado
Jewish Population in 2017 – 95,000
Denver is the most Jewish city in Colorado. According to Brandeis University, the city has more than 51,000 Jewish Households.
17 – San Diego, California
Jewish Population in 2017 – 100,000
San Diego is the 17th most Jewish city in the US. It is also one of the five California cities on our list. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the first Jewish settler arrived in 1850 in the city.
16 – East Bay, California
Jewish Population in 2017 – 100,750
East Bay, California, ranks 16th on our list. It comprises the eastern region of the San Fransisco Bay area along with cities along the eastern shores of San Pablo Bay. It houses the largest Jewish population in the Bay Area.
15 – West Palm Beach, Florida
Jewish Population in 2017 – 101,350
West Palm Beach is one of the four Florida cities on our list. The city’s history of Jewish settlements dates back to the late nineteenth century.
14 – South Palm Beach, Florida
Jewish Population in 2017 – 107,500
South Palm Beach, Florida, ranks 14th on our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. According to Brandeis University, there are an estimated 69,000 Jewish households in the city.
13 – Greater MetroWest, New Jersey
Jewish Population in 2017 – 115,000
With 115,000 Jews in 2017, the Greater MetroWest area of New Jersey is significantly Jewish.
12 – Middlesex-Monmouth, New Jersey
Jewish Population in 2017 – 116,000
The Middlesex-Monmouth area of New Jersey is 12th on our list of the most Jewish cities in the US. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Monmouth County has four separate Jewish schools.
11 – Miami, Florida
Jewish Population in 2017 – 119,000
Miami is one of the most Jewish cities in Florida. The first permanent settlement of Jews in Miami was established in the late nineteenth century. The first Jewish circumcision happened in the early twentieth century in the city.
10 – Northern New Jersey
Jewish Population in 2017 – 119,400
The Northern New Jersey area is among the top 10 on our list. It comprises areas between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean.
9 – Atlanta, Georgia
Jewish Population in 2017 – 119,800
Jews have made Atlanta their home since the early years of its establishment. Its early Jewish community was largely based on German Jews. Jews have historically been quite influential in Atlanta as they constituted only 1% of Atlanta’s population but owned more than 10% of its retail businesses in the nineteenth century.
8 – Broward County, Florida
Jewish Population in 2017 – 143,700
Broward County is the most Jewish area in Florida. According to the Jewish Federation of Broward County, they make up for 7.9% of the population in the area.
7 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jewish Population in 2017 – 214,600
Philadelphia ranks seventh on our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US, and it is the most Jewish city in Pennsylvania. Jews have called this city their home since the late seventeenth century. Jews of Philadelphia were also prominent in the War of Independence.
6 – Washington, DC
Jewish Population in 2017 – 215,600
One of the interesting facts about the Jewish community of Washington, DC, is that its community is younger than the average age of the national Jewish population. In addition, the Jewish community of Washington, DC, is also quite diverse as there is a significant proportion of LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color.
5 – San Francisco, California
Jewish Population in 2017 – 227,800
San Fransisco ranks fifth on our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. It is also the second most Jewish city in California. Up until the nineteenth century, it was also home to the second-largest Jewish community in the United States.
4 – Boston, Massachusetts
Jewish Population in 2017 – 248,000
Boston is the most Jewish city in the US. The Jewish community of Boston is one of the fastest growing, as there was no significant Jewish presence in the city, until the mid-nineteenth century.
3 – Chicago, Illinois
Jewish Population in 2017 – 291,800
Chicago is among the top 3 most Jewish cities in the United States. It is also the most Jewish city in Illinois. Most of the early Jewish immigrants came to the city from Western and Eastern Germany soon after its incorporation.
2 – Los Angeles, California
Jewish Population in 2017 – 519,200
Los Angeles, California, is the runner-up of our list of the 25 most Jewish cities in the US. It is also one of the top five Jewish cities in the world. Jewish settlements in the city can be traced back to the time when it was a part of the Mexican state of Alta California.
1 – New York City, New York
Jewish Population in 2017 – 1,538,000
New York City is the most Jewish city in the US. It is also the second most Jewish city in the world, only lacking behind Tel Aviv. The New York State, in general, is the state with most Jews.
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Disclosure: None. 25 Most Jewish Cities in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.
