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These are just two of the cities I think about when I consider large cities with bustling Asian populations.
Not to mention some of the best Thai and Japanese food we've had in our life.
But what city in America has the largest percent of Asian Americans? Well, that's the question we will answer for you today.
It turns out my intuition was correct as San Francisco makes an appearance in the top ten. And a majority of the top ten are in California.
But the number one spot was a surprise to us.
The 10 Cities In America With The Largest Asian Population
So, what's the big city in America with largest percentage of Asians according to the data? Per the most recent ACS data, the city in America with the largest Asian population is Fremont, .
There has been a slow and steady increase in the Asian population across America over the past several decades.
Starting on the coasts and moving inland, Asian Americans have found homes in every city and town in America. Now, according to the most recent Census data, % of people living in the US are Asian, which is up from 2010.
Read on for a detailed methodology and a deeper dive into the top ten.
Or if you're ready to move on to another ranking of American cities and states, check out:
The 10 Cities In America With The Largest Asian Population For 2023
Fremont ranks as the city with the largest percentage of its population that is Asian according to the most recent Census data.
With over 57% of the population being of Asian descent, Fremont was a solid four percentage points ahead of the closest city in Honolulu. Futhermore, it's become more Asian over the past several years -- 24% more in fact.
Fremont is located outside of San Jose and San Francisco, across the Bay.
/10
Population: 231,502
Percent Asian American: 61.3%
Percent Asian American 2010: 49.0%
Percent Change: 38.3%
More on Fremont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second most Asian city in America is Honolulu -- the only other big city in the US that has greater than 50% Asian population.
Honolulu is incredibly diverse overall as a large percentage of its residents also identify as Hawaiian, which makes sense. It also makes sense that it would have such a large portion of its residents be Asian since it's so close to Asia.
/10
Population: 351,554
Percent Asian American: 51.9%
Percent Asian American 2010: 56.1%
Percent Change: -1.7%
More on Urban Honolulu: Data
Another Nor Cal city in the Silicon Valley area, Sunnyvale ranks as the third most Asian city in America.
The city has become 25% more Asian this decade and now a solid 44% of the residents are Asian.
/10
Population: 155,550
Percent Asian American: 47.8%
Percent Asian American 2010: 39.8%
Percent Change: 36.9%
More on Sunnyvale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Jumping back up to Nor Cal, we arrive in Santa Clara. In keep with the trend of these cities, it's about 41% Asian and becoming more so every year.
Santa Clara is located south of San Jose on the California coast.
/10
Population: 127,922
Percent Asian American: 45.7%
Percent Asian American 2010: 37.3%
Percent Change: 39.5%
More on Santa Clara: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The first city from So Cal, Irvine ranks as the city with the fourth highest Asian population.
Over 40% of the population is Asian in this Los Angeles suburb. Filipino and Korean communities in particular have been growing in recent years.
/10
Population: 297,868
Percent Asian American: 42.6%
Percent Asian American 2010: 37.8%
Percent Change: 68.5%
More on Irvine: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Hopping on the 5 back down to So Cal, we'll stop at Garden Grove.
The city is the first under 40% Asian on the list. It too has become more Asian this decade, just a bit slower than the cities ahead of it.
/10
Population: 172,708
Percent Asian American: 41.7%
Percent Asian American 2010: 35.7%
Percent Change: 19.5%
More on Garden Grove: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Rounding out the top 10 most Asian cities in the US is Bellevue, WA.
Yet another West Coast city, it's nice not to be in California any more. Further up the coast, this major Washington city has just over 33% Asian residents.
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Population: 149,365
Percent Asian American: 38.3%
Percent Asian American 2010: 25.8%
Percent Change: 85.5%
More on Bellevue: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Next on the list we drive back up to Nor Cal for the next two cities on the list that just so happen to be some of the biggest in California.
First, we'll stop in San Jose. The city is over 34% Asian and increasing.
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Population: 1,013,337
Percent Asian American: 37.3%
Percent Asian American 2010: 31.6%
Percent Change: 29.3%
More on San Jose: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Right outside of Garden Grove is Torrance, the ninth most Asian city in America.
Much like every other city here, Torrance is a great place to live that has become progressively more Asian over the years.
/10
Population: 147,156
Percent Asian American: 36.6%
Percent Asian American 2010: 34.6%
Percent Change: 8.0%
More on Torrance: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Ahh San Francisco, we figured you'd be here.
Turns out San Francisco is pretty Asian, but not the most Asian according to the data. About a third of the city is Asian per the most recent data.
/10
Population: 865,933
Percent Asian American: 34.1%
Percent Asian American 2010: 33.4%
Percent Change: 12.2%
More on San Francisco: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Asian Large Cities in The US
When we analyze what it's like to live in a certain place, we simply look at statistics. In particular, we can look to the recently released 2017-2021 American Community Survey for a detailed breakdown of race by city.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002 which has the breakdown of people by Hispanic/latino and race.
Limiting our analysis to only cities greater than 100,000 people, we looked at the percentage of the population of each city that identified as non-Hispanic/latino, Asian.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 272 in terms of that percentage with the city having the highest overall percentage being named the "City In America with the Largest Asian American population" -- Fremont, . You can download the data here.
The "least Asian American" city according to the data? That would be Jackson, < which is only 0.3% Asian American as of the latest data.
Summary: The Most Asian Cities in America For 2023
There you have it, the cities in America with the largest Asian population for 2023 with Fremont taking the top spot.
We expect the Asian population in America to keep increasing in the coming years. So it wonât be a surprise to you or us if these percentages get bigger next year.
And for now, we're off to get some Chinese food for dinner. Yum.
Here's a look at the poorest cities in America:
- Jackson
- Brownsville
- Hialeah
For more reading, check out:
Asian Population By Major City In The United States For 2023
Asian Places By State
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