The 10 Most Asian States In America For 2026

And where is the most Asian state in America?

If you guessed Hawaii, you’re right, mister. Hawaii has more Asians than any other state – at 36.4.% Hawaii is becoming less Asian over time, as residents are leaving Hawaii and moving to places like California. Hawaii has lost 2.59% of its Asians since 2010.

Most of the larger cities in Hawaii are at least half Asian. Honolulu is 53% Asian.

Most early Asian settlers to the US went to Hawaii. Many early immigrants moved to the islands as laborers to work on the pineapple, coconut, and sugarcane plantations. A few years back, Filipinos passed Japanese residents to become the largest Asian population in Hawaii.

Of course, Hawaii is about halfway between the US and Asia.

Hawaii is known for surfing. Are there any famous Asian surfers to come out of Hawaii? Yes, there are: Duke Kahanamoku was born in Hawaii and is supposedly the 7th most famous surfer ever.

Cities in Hawaii

Moving on, we come to our second most Asian state in the US – California. There is a very large jump between New Jersey and California. Here in the Golden State, the Asian population is 14% and growing.

Monterey Park, a Los Angeles suburb, is 67% Asian. Cupertino, home to Apple, is 66% Asian.

Many Los Angeles and San Francisco suburbs have Asian populations over 50%. San Francisco, home of Bruce Lee, is 33% Asian.

It’s hard to go anywhere in the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco regions without seeing Asian markets, nail salons, and, of course, food.

In our opinion, the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Broadway in Korea town has the best dim sum in the world. Well, at least in the LA area. On a Sunday, you can get dim sum, ride your bike up the hill, and catch a Dodger game.

The best baked lobster rolls in San Francisco are at Sushi Yoshizumi.

Americans were asked what their favorite Asian food dishes are. They were satay, sushi, chicken curry, Tom Yum, dim sum, and laksa.

Cities in California

We’re going to visit our next most Asian state in New Jersey. Right next door to New York, New Jersey has a much higher Asian population than New York, at 10.0%, and growing. Factually, New Jersey has the fastest-growing Asian population in America.

Palisades Park, Fort Lee, and Leonia all have Asian populations of over 40%. Palisades Park has a 60% Asian population. Koreatown in Palisades Park has one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea.

Palisades Park’s Koreatown has the highest density of ethnic Koreans in the Western Hemisphere and is the home of the highest Korean-American density of any US city.

For the last 20 years, a substantial number of Korean Americans have settled in Bergen County, New Jersey, just over the George Washington Bridge.

1 in 4 residents in Somerset County, New Jersey, are Asian.

According to the New York Times, young professionals from South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are becoming politically active.

Cities in New Jersey

Where’s our next most Asian state in America? That would be in Washington. In the evergreen state, 9.7% of the population is Asian, which is a 67.41% increase over the last ten years.

Cities with the largest Asian populations in Washington include Redmond, Bellevue, and Newcastle. In Redmond, the Asian population makes up 34% – or more than 1 in 3 residents.

A recent article credits a plentiful supply of high-tech jobs and good schools as the main reason Redmond has a high Asian population. Redmond is home to Microsoft and Nintendo, and as we saw earlier, Asians have many computer-related careers.

Seattle’s Asian population is 15%.

In fact, of Washington’s top ten most Asian cities, all have more than a 20% Asian population.

Famous Asians from Washington include actress Diana Lee, civil rights leader and human rights activist Karen Narasaki, and Pikachu.

Cities in Washington

Let’s look up the next most Asian state in the USA, where we’ll stop in New York. Here in the Empire State, 8.28% of the population is Asian. New York’s Asian population has also increased by over a percentage point in the last ten years.

New Hyde Park is a third Asian, Manorhaven is 20% Asian, and Ithaca, New York, is 18% Asian. Two of these cities are on Long Island.

Famous Asians from New York include pool player Jeanette Lee, actress Lucy Liu, and Norah Jones. She’s Indian.

Cities in New York

Back to the map we go, and we come to the next most Asian state in America, Nevada. In the hot and deserty landscape, the Asian population is 8.8%. The Asian population in Nevada is the 5th fastest-growing in the US.

Henderson, a Las Vegas suburb, is 8% Asian. Las Vegas is 6.5% Asian, and Reno is 6.2% Asian.

One modern stereotype is that Asians gamble more than any other race. Some of poker’s biggest stars are Asian. Indonesia’s John Juanda is the most successful, having won more than $24 million in tournaments. Taiwan native Kitty Kuo is likely the most well-known female Asian poker player.

Both live in Las Vegas.

Cities in Nevada

Where’s our next most Asian state in America? That would be in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, the Asian population is 7.3%, 1.1% higher than ten years ago.

Quincy, Malden, Lowell, and Cambridge have the largest Asian populations here. In Quincy, the Asian population is 28%. In Cambridge, it’s 16%.

Of course, Cambridge is home to Harvard University, the most prestigious university in the USA.

Famous Asians from Massachusetts include ping pong players Harry Guo and Wayne Ha, as well as Hello Kitty.

Cities in Massachusetts

Moving on, we come to our next most Asian state in the US, Virginia. In Virginia, the Asian population makes up about 6.9% of the state’s demographics. The Asian population has increased by about 1% in the last ten years.

Herndon, Fairfax, and Vienna have the state’s biggest Asian populations. In these cities, the Asian population is between 17 and 14 percent. In Annandale, the Vietnamese population is 10%, which is why Virginia natives call it Asiandale.

Being so close to Washington DC, it begs the question – how many Asian politicians have made it to Congress or the Senate? There have been about 50 total, including Mazie Horino from Hawaii and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

Okay, so Asians aren’t necessarily breaking down the doors in DC, but it brings up another question: Which jobs do Asian Americans do the most? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Asians are most likely to be in the computer sciences, as well as scientists, pharmacists, engineers, and doctors.

As such, Asians far outpace the income levels of all Americans, earning an average of $80,000 a year.

Cities in Virginia

Moving on, we come to the next most Asian state in America, Maryland. In Maryland, the Asian population is 6.5%, growing by about .1% each year.

DC suburb Rockville has a 20% Asian population. College Park, home to the University of Maryland, is 15% Asian.

I couldn’t find any notable Asians born in Maryland, but famous Asians who may have been to Maryland at some point may include Xu Xin, Wayne Liqin, and Fan Zhengdong.

Cities in Maryland

We begin our tour of the most Asian states in America in Alaska. In Alaska, the Asian population is 6.4% – and Alaska has the 6th fastest growing Asian population in the USA.

In comparison, West Virginia is 0.75% Asian. There are only 7,262 Asians in the whole state of Montana. In Wyoming, the Asian population is only .75%, but only 842 Asian Americans moved to Wyoming in the last ten years.

Kodiak has by far the largest Asian population at 35%. Ketchikan is 12% Asian, and Anchorage is 9% Asian. In some parts of Anchorage, sushi is as omnipresent as pizza. There are more Pacific Islanders per capita in Anchorage than in any other county in the U.S., except in Hawaii.

Asians came to Alaska in the late 1700s to help with fishing jobs and to work in Alaskan gold mines. Today, Filipinos represent 54% of Alaska’s total Asian population and are 2.7% of Alaska’s total population.

Cities in Alaska