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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 Virginia is 573,860 - at 6.7% of the total population of Virginia.
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 Virginia? Which cities and towns in Virginia have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
Here are the cities in Virginia with the largest Asian population in 2023:
Which city in Virginia had the largest Asian population? Fairfax took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Virginia for 2023. 18.37% of Fairfax identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Virginia 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 Virginia or the most diverse places in Virginia.
The 10 Most Asian Cities In Virginia For 2023
/10
Population: 23,980
% Asian: 18.37%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,405
Percent Change Since 2010: 30.63%
More on Fairfax: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 24,574
% Asian: 16.09%
# Of Asian Residents: 3,953
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.25%
More on Herndon: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 16,465
% Asian: 13.69%
# Of Asian Residents: 2,254
Percent Change Since 2010: 24.26%
More on Vienna: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 44,385
% Asian: 11.86%
# Of Asian Residents: 5,263
Percent Change Since 2010: 9.12%
More on Blacksburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 17,081
% Asian: 10.99%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,878
Percent Change Since 2010: 90.08%
More on Manassas Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 14,494
% Asian: 9.24%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,339
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.57%
More on Falls Church: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 48,223
% Asian: 8.46%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,080
Percent Change Since 2010: 28.75%
More on Leesburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 46,597
% Asian: 6.99%
# Of Asian Residents: 3,257
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.91%
More on Charlottesville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 457,658
% Asian: 6.85%
# Of Asian Residents: 31,336
Percent Change Since 2010: 21.08%
More on Virginia Beach: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 15,299
% Asian: 6.61%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,011
Percent Change Since 2010: 49.12%
More on Williamsburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Virginia 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 Virginia.
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 60 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 18.4% 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. Fairfax took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Emporia was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Virginia 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 Virginia
If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Virginia according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Virginia:
- Emporia
- Richlands
- Smithfield
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Virginia
- Best Places To Retire In Virginia
- Safest Places In Virginia
Table: Asian Population By City In Virginia
| Rank | City | % Asian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairfax | 18.37% |
| 2 | Herndon | 16.09% |
| 3 | Vienna | 13.69% |
| 4 | Blacksburg | 11.86% |
| 5 | Manassas Park | 10.99% |
| 6 | Falls Church | 9.24% |
| 7 | Leesburg | 8.46% |
| 8 | Charlottesville | 6.99% |
| 9 | Virginia Beach | 6.85% |
| 10 | Williamsburg | 6.61% |
| 11 | Alexandria | 6.37% |
| 12 | Manassas | 5.63% |
| 13 | Lexington | 4.01% |
| 14 | Christiansburg | 3.69% |
| 15 | Norfolk | 3.56% |
| 16 | Colonial Heights | 3.55% |
| 17 | Fredericksburg | 3.48% |
| 18 | Chesapeake | 3.43% |
| 19 | Newport News | 3.4% |
| 20 | Roanoke | 3.15% |
| 21 | Harrisonburg | 3.07% |
| 22 | Franklin | 2.75% |
| 23 | Purcellville | 2.67% |
| 24 | Lynchburg | 2.47% |
| 25 | Wytheville | 2.26% |
| 26 | Hampton | 2.18% |
| 27 | Richmond | 2.1% |
| 28 | Winchester | 2.09% |
| 29 | Big Stone Gap | 2.01% |
| 30 | Radford | 1.87% |
| 31 | Culpeper | 1.85% |
| 32 | Salem | 1.85% |
| 33 | Poquoson | 1.85% |
| 34 | Suffolk | 1.8% |
| 35 | Front Royal | 1.78% |
| 36 | Warrenton | 1.68% |
| 37 | Waynesboro | 1.55% |
| 38 | Pulaski | 1.54% |
| 39 | Portsmouth | 1.5% |
| 40 | Staunton | 1.34% |
| 41 | Danville | 1.33% |
| 42 | Ashland | 1.24% |
| 43 | Covington | 1.21% |
| 44 | Petersburg | 1.02% |
| 45 | Hopewell | 1.01% |
| 46 | Abingdon | 0.98% |
| 47 | Strasburg | 0.95% |
| 48 | Farmville | 0.95% |
| 49 | Martinsville | 0.9% |
| 50 | Vinton | 0.85% |
| 51 | Bluefield | 0.77% |
| 52 | Buena Vista | 0.69% |
| 53 | Bridgewater | 0.67% |
| 54 | South Boston | 0.57% |
| 55 | Galax | 0.48% |
| 56 | Marion | 0.41% |
| 57 | Bristol | 0.26% |
| 58 | Smithfield | 0.14% |
| 59 | Richlands | 0.0% |
| 60 | Emporia | 0.0% |
