The number of Guatemalans living in the US has an official answer, and it comes from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. This page gives the 2024 estimate for the country and every state, with the margin of error the Census Bureau publishes next to each figure, so you can see which differences are real.
In short: The 2024 American Community Survey estimates 2,174,242 people of Guatemalan origin in the US (±62,325), about 0.64% of the population. California has the most (541,571, a quarter of the total), then Florida (198,944), Texas (152,069), New York (122,783) and New Jersey (107,164); those five hold about 52%, and the top ten about 69%. Rhode Island has the highest share of its own population (3.89%). Separately, DHS estimates 750,000 unauthorized immigrants born in Guatemala as of January 1, 2022.
What is being counted
| Table | B03001, Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin |
| Line | Hispanic or Latino: Central American: Guatemalan (variable B03001_010E) |
| Survey | American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates |
| What it measures | Origin, not place of birth |
| Not measured | Citizenship or immigration status |
| Margins of error | As published by the Census Bureau next to each estimate |
For context, the same table estimates 7,518,139 people of Central American origin in the US, so Guatemalans are about 29% of that group.
Guatemalan-origin population by state, 2024
Ranked by estimate. The share of the US total divides by the national estimate of 2,174,242; the share of the state divides by the state’s total population in the same table.
| Rank | State | Guatemalan-origin population | Margin of error | Share of US total | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 541,571 | ±24,458 | 24.9% | 1.37% |
| 2 | Florida | 198,944 | ±21,067 | 9.2% | 0.85% |
| 3 | Texas | 152,069 | ±16,936 | 7.0% | 0.49% |
| 4 | New York | 122,783 | ±15,266 | 5.6% | 0.62% |
| 5 | New Jersey | 107,164 | ±13,201 | 4.9% | 1.13% |
| 6 | Georgia | 92,872 | ±11,546 | 4.3% | 0.83% |
| 7 | Maryland | 83,133 | ±11,320 | 3.8% | 1.33% |
| 8 | Virginia | 78,589 | ±11,058 | 3.6% | 0.89% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 67,828 | ±10,383 | 3.1% | 0.95% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 62,364 | ±10,133 | 2.9% | 0.56% |
| 11 | Illinois | 54,041 | ±7,418 | 2.5% | 0.43% |
| 12 | Tennessee | 52,772 | ±11,175 | 2.4% | 0.73% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 43,292 | ±9,270 | 2.0% | 3.89% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 39,409 | ±7,390 | 1.8% | 1.07% |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | 32,383 | ±8,511 | 1.5% | 0.25% |
| 16 | Nevada | 31,733 | ±7,529 | 1.5% | 0.97% |
| 17 | Alabama | 29,252 | ±5,865 | 1.3% | 0.57% |
| 18 | Indiana | 25,790 | ±5,665 | 1.2% | 0.37% |
| 19 | Arizona | 24,259 | ±5,480 | 1.1% | 0.32% |
| 20 | Oregon | 23,404 | ±6,538 | 1.1% | 0.55% |
| 21 | Washington | 22,396 | ±5,891 | 1.0% | 0.28% |
| 22 | Nebraska | 22,308 | ±5,134 | 1.0% | 1.11% |
| 23 | Ohio | 21,995 | ±6,150 | 1.0% | 0.19% |
| 24 | Oklahoma | 21,236 | ±4,654 | 1.0% | 0.52% |
| 25 | Colorado | 19,562 | ±5,063 | 0.9% | 0.33% |
| 26 | South Carolina | 18,619 | ±4,581 | 0.9% | 0.34% |
| 27 | Kansas | 18,143 | ±7,069 | 0.8% | 0.61% |
| 28 | Minnesota | 16,875 | ±3,539 | 0.8% | 0.29% |
| 29 | Missouri | 15,887 | ±4,473 | 0.7% | 0.25% |
| 30 | Kentucky | 15,332 | ±4,367 | 0.7% | 0.33% |
| 31 | Iowa | 15,262 | ±3,641 | 0.7% | 0.47% |
| 32 | Michigan | 14,699 | ±3,557 | 0.7% | 0.14% |
| 33 | Arkansas | 14,151 | ±4,941 | 0.7% | 0.46% |
| 34 | Louisiana | 13,127 | ±5,026 | 0.6% | 0.29% |
| 35 | Utah | 11,706 | ±3,307 | 0.5% | 0.33% |
| 36 | Mississippi | 10,124 | ±2,612 | 0.5% | 0.34% |
| 37 | Delaware | 8,348 | ±3,108 | 0.4% | 0.79% |
| 38 | District of Columbia | 5,512 | ±3,589 | 0.3% | 0.78% |
| 39 | Wisconsin | 5,261 | ±2,132 | 0.2% | 0.09% |
| 40 | Idaho | 3,981 | ±1,747 | 0.2% | 0.20% |
| 41 | New Mexico | 3,815 | ±1,759 | 0.2% | 0.18% |
| 42 | Hawaii | 2,427 | ±1,668 | 0.1% | 0.17% |
| 43 | Maine | 1,983 | ±1,882 | 0.1% | 0.14% |
| 44 | West Virginia | 1,427 | ±906 | 0.1% | 0.08% |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 980 | ±764 | 0.0% | 0.07% |
| 46 | Alaska | 467 | ±395 | 0.0% | 0.06% |
| 47 | Montana | 217 | ±203 | 0.0% | 0.02% |
| United States | 2,174,242 | ±62,325 | 100% | 0.64% |
Puerto Rico: 625 (±659); it is not part of the national total above. North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming: the 2024 1-year table returned no data.
Reading the margins of error
Several neighbouring ranks are not statistically separable. New Jersey (107,164 ±13,201) and Georgia (92,872 ±11,546) have overlapping ranges, as do Georgia, Maryland (83,133 ±11,320) and Virginia (78,589 ±11,058). For small states the margin is close to the estimate itself: Maine’s 1,983 carries ±1,882. Use the ranking for the big picture, not for fine comparisons.
Where the share is highest
| State | Guatemalan-origin share of state population |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 3.89% |
| California | 1.37% |
| Maryland | 1.33% |
| New Jersey | 1.13% |
| Nebraska | 1.11% |
| Connecticut | 1.07% |
| Nevada | 0.97% |
| Massachusetts | 0.95% |
How many are undocumented?
The Census Bureau does not ask about immigration status. The official figure that exists is an estimate by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS), in Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2018–January 2022 (April 2024):
| January 1 of | Unauthorized immigrants born in Guatemala (DHS estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 620,000 |
| 2019 | 670,000 |
| 2020 | 780,000 |
| 2022 | 750,000 |
- The report says the population has to be estimated because no nationally representative survey or census collects the legal status of foreign-born residents. It uses the residual method: the legally resident foreign-born population (naturalized citizens, permanent residents, asylees, refugees and certain nonimmigrants, among others) is subtracted from the total foreign-born population estimated from the ACS.
- It counts by country of birth, not origin, so it cannot be subtracted from the ACS figure above, which includes US-born people of Guatemalan origin.
- The report’s figures are rounded (it notes that detail may not sum to totals because of rounding). The report puts Guatemala second after Mexico and says the number rose 21% from 2018 to 2022.
On the OHSS estimates listing page we read on 25 September 2026, 2022 is the latest report year.
Consulates and services
Guatemala’s consulates in the US are listed on the consulates directory; to find the one that serves your address, use find your Guatemalan consulate. Rules that change from state to state for Guatemalans, such as driving on a Guatemalan license, are covered separately: see driving in the US with a Guatemalan driver’s license, which uses the five largest states from this table.
How we got the numbers
The Census Bureau’s data API now requires a key for data queries. We read the same table through data.census.gov, querying B03001 for the United States and for each state (FIPS codes 01-56 and 72) on 24 September 2026, and confirmed the variable’s label through the Census API’s variable metadata («Estimate!!Total:!!Hispanic or Latino:!!Central American:!!Guatemalan»). The 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in the table add up to 2,170,117. The 2025 1-year version of this table was not yet on data.census.gov when we checked on 25 September 2026; we will update this page when it is.
Related
- Guatemalan diaspora services from the USA: the hub for passports, DPI, voting and more
- Sending money to Guatemala from the US
- Voting from the USA
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates, table B03001 (Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin), variables B03001_001E, B03001_008E and B03001_010E with margins of error, read through data.census.gov on 24 September 2026. Shares and ranks computed by us from those estimates. DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics, Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2018–January 2022 (Bryan Baker and Robert Warren, April 2024), Table 2, read 25 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Guatemalans live in the United States?
The Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey (1-year estimates, table B03001) counts 2,174,242 people of Guatemalan origin in the United States, with a margin of error of plus or minus 62,325. That is about 0.64% of the US population of 340,110,990 in the same table.
Which state has the most Guatemalans?
California, with an estimated 541,571 people of Guatemalan origin (±24,458), about a quarter of the national total. Florida (198,944), Texas (152,069), New York (122,783) and New Jersey (107,164) follow; together the five account for about 52% of the national estimate.
Where are Guatemalans the largest share of the population?
Rhode Island. Its estimate of 43,292 people of Guatemalan origin is 3.89% of the state’s population in the same table, more than any other state. California (1.37%) and Maryland (1.33%) come next.
Does this count only people born in Guatemala?
No. Table B03001 is titled Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin: it measures origin, not place of birth. It is not a count of Guatemalan citizens or of immigration status.
How many undocumented Guatemalans are in the US?
The Census does not measure immigration status. The latest official estimate we found is from DHS’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics: 750,000 unauthorized immigrants born in Guatemala as of January 1, 2022, in a report published in April 2024. It is a rounded residual-method estimate (foreign-born population minus the legally resident population) and counts people born in Guatemala, not people of Guatemalan origin.
Why are some states missing?
The 2024 1-year table returned no data for North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont or Wyoming when we queried it on 24 September 2026.
