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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 Michigan is 310,420 - at 3.1% of the total population of Michigan.
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 Michigan? Which cities and towns in Michigan have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
Here are the cities in Michigan with the largest Asian population in 2021:
Which city in Michigan had the largest Asian population? Hamtramck took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Michigan for 2021. 25.99% of Hamtramck identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Michigan 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 Michigan or the most diverse places in Michigan.
The 10 Most Asian Cities In Michigan For 2021
/10
Population: 21,822
% Asian: 25.99%
# Of Asian Residents: 5,672
Percent Change Since 2010: 42.16%
More on Hamtramck: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 83,989
% Asian: 25.56%
# Of Asian Residents: 21,469
Percent Change Since 2010: 45.39%
More on Troy: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 60,014
% Asian: 23.84%
# Of Asian Residents: 14,306
Percent Change Since 2010: 74.44%
More on Novi: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 23,572
% Asian: 17.36%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,091
Percent Change Since 2010: 125.03%
More on Auburn Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 120,735
% Asian: 16.79%
# Of Asian Residents: 20,270
Percent Change Since 2010: 22.34%
More on Ann Arbor: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,563
% Asian: 14.88%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,572
Percent Change Since 2010: -3.79%
More on Farmington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 5,193
% Asian: 14.21%
# Of Asian Residents: 738
Percent Change Since 2010: 47.6%
More on Springfield: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 81,214
% Asian: 14.07%
# Of Asian Residents: 11,429
Percent Change Since 2010: 30.16%
More on Farmington Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 74,206
% Asian: 12.53%
# Of Asian Residents: 9,295
Percent Change Since 2010: 27.54%
More on Rochester Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 48,729
% Asian: 12.48%
# Of Asian Residents: 6,082
Percent Change Since 2010: 24.61%
More on East Lansing: Real Estate | Data | Photos
How We Determined The Cities In Michigan With The Largest Asian Population For 2021
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 Michigan.
That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2015-2019 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 144 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 26.0% 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. Hamtramck took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Flushing was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Michigan 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.
There You Have It - Asian Populations Across Michigan
If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Michigan according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Michigan:
- Flushing
- Richmond
- Belding
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Most Asian Cities In Michigan
| Rank | City | % Asian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamtramck | 25.99% |
| 2 | Troy | 25.56% |
| 3 | Novi | 23.84% |
| 4 | Auburn Hills | 17.36% |
| 5 | Ann Arbor | 16.79% |
| 6 | Farmington | 14.88% |
| 7 | Springfield | 14.21% |
| 8 | Farmington Hills | 14.07% |
| 9 | Rochester Hills | 12.53% |
| 10 | East Lansing | 12.48% |
| 11 | Houghton | 10.38% |
| 12 | Warren | 9.33% |
| 13 | Kentwood | 8.66% |
| 14 | Sterling Heights | 7.67% |
| 15 | Wixom | 7.39% |
| 16 | St. Joseph | 6.45% |
| 17 | Madison Heights | 5.78% |
| 18 | Northville | 4.96% |
| 19 | Rochester | 4.67% |
| 20 | Westland | 4.62% |
| 21 | Lansing | 4.41% |
| 22 | Royal Oak | 4.08% |
| 23 | Midland | 3.99% |
| 24 | Southgate | 3.96% |
| 25 | Center Line | 3.91% |
| 26 | Birmingham | 3.83% |
| 27 | Saline | 3.68% |
| 28 | Battle Creek | 3.56% |
| 29 | Mount Pleasant | 3.27% |
| 30 | Livonia | 3.21% |
| 31 | Wyoming | 3.2% |
| 32 | Woodhaven | 3.12% |
| 33 | Portage | 2.92% |
| 34 | Mason | 2.52% |
| 35 | Hastings | 2.5% |
| 36 | Grosse Pointe Park | 2.49% |
| 37 | Grand Rapids | 2.43% |
| 38 | Ypsilanti | 2.4% |
| 39 | Walker | 2.4% |
| 40 | Dearborn | 2.38% |
| 41 | Beverly Hills | 2.34% |
| 42 | Southfield | 2.32% |
| 43 | Grand Blanc | 2.3% |
| 44 | Harper Woods | 2.22% |
| 45 | Holland | 2.11% |
| 46 | Huntington Woods | 2.07% |
| 47 | Fraser | 2.07% |
| 48 | Kalamazoo | 2.03% |
| 49 | Howell | 2.01% |
| 50 | Zeeland | 2.01% |
| 51 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 1.97% |
| 52 | Brighton | 1.96% |
| 53 | South Lyon | 1.91% |
| 54 | Clawson | 1.86% |
| 55 | Pontiac | 1.82% |
| 56 | Garden City | 1.69% |
| 57 | Dearborn Heights | 1.67% |
| 58 | Detroit | 1.66% |
| 59 | Oak Park | 1.63% |
| 60 | Walled Lake | 1.63% |
| 61 | Swartz Creek | 1.63% |
| 62 | Melvindale | 1.62% |
| 63 | Port Huron | 1.61% |
| 64 | Coldwater | 1.59% |
| 65 | Big Rapids | 1.58% |
| 66 | Roseville | 1.57% |
| 67 | St. Clair | 1.56% |
| 68 | Three Rivers | 1.53% |
| 69 | Romulus | 1.47% |
| 70 | Taylor | 1.47% |
| 71 | Marshall | 1.46% |
| 72 | Grandville | 1.37% |
| 73 | Hazel Park | 1.36% |
| 74 | Ferndale | 1.27% |
| 75 | Burton | 1.26% |
| 76 | Berkley | 1.24% |
| 77 | Hudsonville | 1.09% |
| 78 | Grosse Pointe Farms | 1.06% |
| 79 | East Grand Rapids | 1.02% |
| 80 | Traverse City | 1.0% |
| 81 | Plymouth | 0.93% |
| 82 | Norton Shores | 0.92% |
| 83 | Jackson | 0.91% |
| 84 | Dowagiac | 0.91% |
| 85 | Hillsdale | 0.9% |
| 86 | Niles | 0.9% |
| 87 | Allen Park | 0.88% |
| 88 | Wayne | 0.84% |
| 89 | Eastpointe | 0.84% |
| 90 | St. Louis | 0.79% |
| 91 | Trenton | 0.79% |
| 92 | Monroe | 0.68% |
| 93 | Ishpeming | 0.67% |
| 94 | Iron Mountain | 0.66% |
| 95 | Escanaba | 0.64% |
| 96 | St. Clair Shores | 0.64% |
| 97 | Lapeer | 0.61% |
| 98 | Wyandotte | 0.59% |
| 99 | Alma | 0.59% |
| 100 | Bay City | 0.59% |
