Cambodian Population in Pierce County, WA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Cambodian population in Pierce County, WA is reported at 8,043 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Pierce County - including Tacoma, Auburn, Lakewood, and others - contribute to the Cambodian population, but the total county figure of 8,043 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Cambodian residents are distributed in Washington and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Cambodian population in Pierce County

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  • 1
    Tacoma
    Cambodian population in Tacoma is 3,864
    1.75% of Tacoma population is Cambodian
  • 2
    Auburn
    Cambodian population in Auburn is 881
    1.03% of Auburn population is Cambodian
  • 3
    Lakewood
    Cambodian population in Lakewood is 310
    0.49% of Lakewood population is Cambodian
  • 4
    Puyallup
    Cambodian population in Puyallup is 301
    0.71% of Puyallup population is Cambodian
  • 5
    Fife
    Cambodian population in Fife is 294
    2.70% of Fife population is Cambodian

Overview of Cambodian population in Pierce County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Pierce County with 8,043 Cambodian residents (0.87% of 924,106 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 94th percentile within Washington for Cambodian population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Pierce County's Cambodian population of 0.87% surpassing both Washington's state average of 0.37% and the national average of 0.11%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Pierce County's 8,043 Cambodian residents constitute 28.4% of Washington's total Cambodian population of 28,273, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 28.4% of all Washington Cambodian Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Pierce County maintains 4.8 Cambodian Americans per square mile, representing more than eleven times Washington's average of 0.43 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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20 Cities in Pierce County Ranked by Cambodian Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Cambodian populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Tacoma, Auburn, Lakewood, and Puyallup. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 20 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Pierce County, WA ranked by Cambodian population count
Rank by Cambodian Population
City
Cambodian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Pierce County Cambodian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Tacoma 3,864 1.75% 48.04%
2 Auburn 881 1.03% 10.95%
3 Lakewood 310 0.49% 3.85%
4 Puyallup 301 0.71% 3.74%
5 Fife 294 2.70% 3.66%
6 Bonney Lake 278 1.22% 3.46%
7 Milton 102 1.17% 1.27%
8 86 0.81% 1.07%
9 63 0.50% 0.78%
10 28 0.08% 0.35%
11 19 0.28% 0.24%
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
12 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Pierce County, WA by their Cambodian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Cambodian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Cambodian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Cambodian alone, while others identify as Cambodian along with another race (such as Cambodian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Cambodian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Cambodian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Cambodian alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Cambodian .
  2. % of Total Pierce County Cambodian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Cambodian population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Cambodian populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Cambodian population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Cambodian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.