The 10 Most Asian Cities In America For 2023


We used data and science to determine the cities in America with the largest Asian population.

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San Francisco.

Los Angeles.

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.

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.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/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

Fremont, CA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 351,554
Percent Asian American: 51.9%
Percent Asian American 2010: 56.1%
Percent Change: -1.7%
More on Urban Honolulu:  Data

Urban Honolulu, HI

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.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/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

Sunnyvale, CA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/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

Santa Clara, CA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/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

Irvine, CA

Source: Public domain

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.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/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

Garden Grove, CA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

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

Bellevue, WA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

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

San Jose, CA

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.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/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

Torrance, CA

Source: Public domain

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.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/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

San Francisco, CA

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 won’t 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:

  1. Jackson
  2. Brownsville
  3. Hialeah

For more reading, check out:

Asian Population By Major City In The United States For 2023

Rank City Population Percent Asian
1 Fremont, CA 231,502 61.3%
2 Urban Honolulu, HI 351,554 51.9%
3 Sunnyvale, CA 155,550 47.8%
4 Santa Clara, CA 127,922 45.7%
5 Irvine, CA 297,868 42.6%
6 Garden Grove, CA 172,708 41.7%
7 Bellevue, WA 149,365 38.3%
8 San Jose, CA 1,013,337 37.3%
9 Torrance, CA 147,156 36.6%
10 San Francisco, CA 865,933 34.1%
11 El Monte, CA 110,144 29.7%
12 West Covina, CA 109,396 29.4%
13 Elk Grove, CA 175,510 29.2%
14 Hayward, CA 162,254 28.7%
15 Jersey City, NJ 287,146 25.2%
16 Frisco, TX 193,140 24.1%
17 Fullerton, CA 142,964 23.9%
18 Vallejo, CA 125,350 22.6%
19 Plano, TX 282,181 22.2%
20 Lowell, MA 114,804 22.2%
21 Irving, TX 254,184 21.4%
22 Naperville, IL 149,013 20.6%
23 Stockton, CA 317,818 20.5%
24 Berkeley, CA 119,607 20.3%
25 Cary, NC 171,603 20.2%
26 St. Paul, MN 309,751 18.9%
27 Sacramento, CA 518,605 18.7%
28 Cambridge, MA 116,892 18.2%
29 Spring Valley, NV 217,441 18.0%
30 Pasadena, CA 138,771 17.6%
31 Fairfield, CA 118,932 17.4%
32 Anaheim, CA 348,204 17.1%
33 San Diego, CA 1,385,398 16.9%
34 Ann Arbor, MI 122,731 16.6%
35 Seattle, WA 726,054 16.2%
36 Oakland, CA 437,548 15.6%
37 Carrollton, TX 131,388 15.3%
38 Chula Vista, CA 274,818 14.8%
39 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 173,946 14.5%
40 Richmond, CA 115,677 14.2%
41 New York, NY 8,736,047 14.1%
42 Fresno, CA 538,678 13.9%
43 Glendale, CA 196,512 13.7%
44 Concord, CA 125,769 13.3%
45 Norwalk, CA 103,330 13.3%
46 Orange, CA 139,195 12.9%
47 Huntington Beach, CA 198,735 12.6%
48 Long Beach, CA 466,565 12.6%
49 Santa Ana, CA 313,818 11.8%
50 Roseville, CA 145,687 11.8%
51 Burbank, CA 107,364 11.6%
52 Los Angeles, CA 3,902,440 11.6%
53 Paradise, NV 189,852 11.5%
54 Simi Valley, CA 126,809 11.1%
55 Garland, TX 245,075 10.8%
56 Chandler, AZ 272,439 10.8%
57 Mckinney, TX 189,394 10.7%
58 Pomona, CA 151,592 10.6%
59 Warren, MI 138,996 10.5%
60 Aurora, IL 183,447 10.2%
61 Arlington, VA 235,764 10.2%
62 Santa Clarita, CA 227,182 10.2%
63 Corona, CA 157,844 9.9%
64 Boston, MA 672,814 9.6%
65 Anchorage, AK 292,545 9.5%
66 Thousand Oaks, CA 127,274 9.5%
67 Everett, WA 110,438 9.3%
68 Costa Mesa, CA 112,148 9.0%
69 Henderson, NV 311,250 8.9%
70 Madison, WI 265,447 8.9%
71 Overland Park, KS 195,249 8.7%
72 Tacoma, WA 217,332 8.6%
73 Tempe, AZ 178,862 8.6%
74 Stamford, CT 134,820 8.5%
75 Riverside, CA 314,858 8.5%
76 Portland, OR 647,176 8.4%
77 Austin, TX 944,658 8.1%
78 Sterling Heights, MI 134,062 7.7%
79 Oceanside, CA 174,461 7.4%
80 Modesto, CA 217,728 7.4%
81 Philadelphia, PA 1,596,865 7.4%
82 Rochester, MN 119,732 7.2%
83 High Point, NC 113,148 7.1%
84 Des Moines, IA 213,545 7.1%
85 Bakersfield, CA 398,756 7.0%
86 Syracuse, NY 146,781 7.0%
87 Grand Prairie, TX 195,992 6.9%
88 Virginia Beach, VA 457,658 6.8%
89 Reno, NV 259,913 6.8%
90 Ontario, CA 175,223 6.8%
91 Worcester, MA 203,867 6.8%
92 Chicago, IL 2,742,119 6.8%
93 Houston, TX 2,293,288 6.7%
94 Buffalo, NY 276,011 6.7%
95 Las Vegas, NV 634,786 6.6%
96 Fontana, CA 208,087 6.6%
97 Arlington, TX 392,304 6.6%
98 North Las Vegas, NV 259,638 6.6%
99 Oxnard, CA 202,981 6.5%
100 Downey, CA 114,293 6.5%

Asian Places By State

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.