Franco-America · Census ancestry + migration history

Where did the French diaspora in the U.S. go?

More than 9 million Americans trace their roots to France or French Canada — but they didn't all arrive the same way. Four historic migrations (plus a modern one) scattered them across very different corners of the map. Shading shows the share of each state reporting French ancestry; the colored routes retrace how they got there.

6.4Mreport French ancestry
2.0MFrench‑Canadian
~1MCajun (Acadian)
Maine 11%highest French share
St. Martin, LA 29%peak county (Cajun)
0%11%+ French ancestry