Article Table Of Contents
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 Arizona is 228,292 - at 3.2% of the total population of Arizona.
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 Arizona? Which cities and towns in Arizona have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
Here are the cities in Arizona with the largest Asian population in 2023:
Which city in Arizona had the largest Asian population? Chandler took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Arizona for 2023. 10.78% of Chandler identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Arizona 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 Arizona or the most diverse places in Arizona.
The 10 Most Asian Cities In Arizona For 2023
/10
Population: 272,439
% Asian: 10.78%
# Of Asian Residents: 29,361
Percent Change Since 2010: 67.91%
More on Chandler: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 178,862
% Asian: 8.59%
# Of Asian Residents: 15,369
Percent Change Since 2010: 41.45%
More on Tempe: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 262,249
% Asian: 5.51%
# Of Asian Residents: 14,444
Percent Change Since 2010: 35.62%
More on Gilbert: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 187,733
% Asian: 5.27%
# Of Asian Residents: 9,885
Percent Change Since 2010: 95.55%
More on Peoria: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,666
% Asian: 4.93%
# Of Asian Residents: 625
Percent Change Since 2010: 33.83%
More on Paradise Valley: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 238,685
% Asian: 4.89%
# Of Asian Residents: 11,676
Percent Change Since 2010: 60.78%
More on Scottsdale: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 6,656
% Asian: 4.82%
# Of Asian Residents: 321
Percent Change Since 2010: 169.75%
More on Litchfield Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 245,685
% Asian: 4.13%
# Of Asian Residents: 10,138
Percent Change Since 2010: 22.44%
More on Glendale: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 44,944
% Asian: 3.88%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,745
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.38%
More on Sierra Vista: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 1,591,119
% Asian: 3.77%
# Of Asian Residents: 59,948
Percent Change Since 2010: 48.11%
More on Phoenix: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Arizona With The Largest Asian Population For 2023
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 Arizona.
That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 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 54 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 10.8% 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. Chandler took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Tolleson was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Arizona 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.
Summary: Asian Populations Across Arizona
If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Arizona according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Arizona:
- Tolleson
- Somerton
- Snowflake
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Table: Asian Population By City In Arizona
| Rank | City | % Asian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chandler | 10.78% |
| 2 | Tempe | 8.59% |
| 3 | Gilbert | 5.51% |
| 4 | Peoria | 5.27% |
| 5 | Paradise Valley | 4.93% |
| 6 | Scottsdale | 4.89% |
| 7 | Litchfield Park | 4.82% |
| 8 | Glendale | 4.13% |
| 9 | Sierra Vista | 3.88% |
| 10 | Phoenix | 3.77% |
| 11 | Goodyear | 3.57% |
| 12 | Marana | 3.56% |
| 13 | Oro Valley | 3.54% |
| 14 | Maricopa | 3.15% |
| 15 | Tucson | 2.95% |
| 16 | Avondale | 2.8% |
| 17 | Sedona | 2.77% |
| 18 | Globe | 2.7% |
| 19 | Flagstaff | 2.54% |
| 20 | Queen Creek | 2.54% |
| 21 | Surprise | 2.3% |
| 22 | Mesa | 2.17% |
| 23 | Yuma | 2.02% |
| 24 | Prescott | 1.85% |
| 25 | Fountain Hills | 1.79% |
| 26 | Chino Valley | 1.68% |
| 27 | Kingman | 1.47% |
| 28 | Apache Junction | 1.38% |
| 29 | Bullhead City | 1.34% |
| 30 | Casa Grande | 1.34% |
| 31 | Eloy | 1.32% |
| 32 | El Mirage | 1.24% |
| 33 | Benson | 1.07% |
| 34 | Sahuarita | 1.05% |
| 35 | Prescott Valley | 1.02% |
| 36 | Payson | 1.01% |
| 37 | Guadalupe | 0.99% |
| 38 | Camp Verde | 0.75% |
| 39 | Show Low | 0.74% |
| 40 | Youn | 0.65% |
| 41 | Lake Havasu City | 0.64% |
| 42 | Nogales | 0.53% |
| 43 | Florence | 0.5% |
| 44 | Wickenburg | 0.43% |
| 45 | Coolidge | 0.22% |
| 46 | Cottonwood | 0.18% |
| 47 | Winslow | 0.13% |
| 48 | Douglas | 0.13% |
| 49 | San Luis | 0.07% |
| 50 | Safford | 0.03% |
| 51 | Page | 0.0% |
| 52 | Snowflake | 0.0% |
| 53 | Somerton | 0.0% |
| 54 | Tolleson | 0.0% |
