Across most of America, the African American and Hispanic communities comprise “most of the minority”. We’re not totally sure that’s a term, but it’s an accurate reflection of the state of race in America.
Asians are a “minority of the minority”, generally.
But not everywhere.
There are now over 17 million people who identify as Asian living in America, making up 5.6% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Asian population in California is 5,280,818 – at 13.7% of the total population of California.
And, unlike African Americans that fall under one group in the Census, Asian Americans have many sub-groups — Chinese, Filipino, and Indian being the three largest sub-groups.
So, what how does the Asian population stratify across California? Which cities and towns in California have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in California with the largest Asian population in 2018:
- Milpitas (Photos | Jobs)
- Cupertino (Photos | Jobs)
- Monterey Park (Photos | Jobs)
- Walnut (Photos | Jobs)
- San Gabriel (Photos | Jobs)
- Cerritos (Photos | Jobs)
- Rosemead (Photos | Jobs)
- Temple City (Jobs)
- Arcadia (Photos | Jobs)
- Daly City (Photos | Jobs)
Which city in California had the largest Asian population?
Milpitas took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in California for 2018. 67.13% of Milpitas identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where California ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.
And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in California or the most diverse places in California.
How We Determined The Cities In California With The Largest Asian Population For 2018
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the census. So that’s where we went to get the breakdown of race across California.
That lead us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2012-2016 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 422 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 67.1% to 0.0%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Asian population with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Milpitas took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Mcfarland was the least Asian city.
Read on for more information on how the cities in California ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
1. Milpitas
Population: 73,447% Asian: 67.13%
# Of Asian Residents: 49,305
Percent Change Since 2010: 28.02%
More on Milpitas: Write A Review | Data | JobsMilpitas is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is located with San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north, at the eastern end of State Route 237 and generally between Interstates 680 and 880 which run roughly north/south through the city. With Alameda County bordering directly on the north, Milpitas sits in the extreme northeast section of the South Bay, bordering the East Bay and Fremont. Milpitas is also located within the Silicon Valley. The corporate headquarters of Maxtor, LSI Corporation, Adaptec, Intersil, FireEye, Viavi and Lumentum, KLA-Tencor, SanDisk, and View, Inc. sit within the industrial zones of Milpitas. Flex and Cisco also have offices in Milpitas. The population was 66,790 at the 2010 census.
2. Cupertino
Population: 60,297% Asian: 66.33%
# Of Asian Residents: 39,998
Percent Change Since 2010: 20.82%
More on Cupertino: Write A Review | Data | JobsCupertino is a U.S. city in Santa Clara County, California, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 as of the 2010 census. Forbes ranked it as one of the most educated small towns, with local public schools ranking highly in the country. It is known as the home of the Apple Inc. corporate headquarters.
3. Monterey Park
Population: 61,001% Asian: 64.89%
# Of Asian Residents: 39,581
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.38%
More on Monterey Park: Write A Review | Data | JobsMonterey Park is a hillside suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, 7 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles. The city’s motto is “Pride in the past, Faith in the future”. Monterey Park is part of a cluster of cities with a growing Asian American population, making up 66.9% of its resident population at 2010; 47.7% of its residents are of Chinese descent, the largest concentration of Chinese Americans of any municipality in the United States. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 60,269. Monterey Park has recognized as “America’s Best Places to Live 2017” ranked at #3 by Money magazine and three local news TV stations.
4. Walnut
Population: 30,026% Asian: 63.0%
# Of Asian Residents: 18,917
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.28%
More on Walnut: Write A Review | Data | JobsWalnut is a suburban city in the eastern part of Los Angeles County in California. Money’s Best Places to Live ranked Walnut #70 in 2009 and #57 in 2011, the highest ranking for a Californian city both years.
5. San Gabriel
Population: 40,200% Asian: 61.02%
# Of Asian Residents: 24,532
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.67%
More on San Gabriel: Write A Review | Data | JobsSan Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcngel, founded by Junpero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913. The city’s motto is “A city with a Mission” and it is often called the “Birthplace” of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. At the 2010 census, the population was 39,718.
6. Cerritos
Population: 49,797% Asian: 60.6%
# Of Asian Residents: 30,177
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.78%
More on Cerritos: Write A Review | Data | JobsCerritos, formerly named Dairy Valley because of the preponderance of dairy farms in the area, is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,041. It is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget.
7. Rosemead
Population: 54,507% Asian: 59.91%
# Of Asian Residents: 32,656
Percent Change Since 2010: 2.12%
More on Rosemead: Write A Review | Data | JobsRosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian population.
8. Temple City
Population: 36,084 % Asian: 59.83%
# Of Asian Residents: 21,589
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.29%
More on Temple City: Write A Review | Data | JobsTemple City is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Rosemead, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a rapidly growing Asian population. Temple City also has a Cuban and Puerto Rican community, among other Latino nationalities. Approximately one third of the city’s population is white. The population was 35,558 at the 2010 census.
9. Arcadia
Population: 57,755% Asian: 58.93%
# Of Asian Residents: 34,035
Percent Change Since 2010: 6.5%
More on Arcadia: Write A Review | Data | JobsArcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States located about 13 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is the site of the Santa Anita Park racetrack and home to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. The city had a population of 56,364 at the 2010 census, up from 53,248 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Arcadia, Greece.
10. Daly City
Population: 105,543% Asian: 56.48%
# Of Asian Residents: 59,613
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.59%
More on Daly City: Write A Review | Data | JobsDaly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with an estimated 2014 population of 106,094. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Donald Daly.
There You Have It – Asian Populations Across California
If you’re looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across California according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least Asian places in California:
- McFarland
- Mendota
- Holtville
For more California reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In California
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In California
- 10 Safest Places In California
