Chinese Population in Alameda County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Chinese population in Alameda County, CA is recorded at 198,692 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Alameda County, CA has some Chinese population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how Chinese communities are spread across Alameda County, CA and comparable counties throughout California.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in Alameda County

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  • 1
    Fremont
    Chinese population in Fremont is 41,561
    18.19% of Fremont population is Chinese
  • 2
    Oakland
    Chinese population in Oakland is 35,552
    8.12% of Oakland population is Chinese
  • 3
    San Leandro
    Chinese population in San Leandro is 18,041
    20.38% of San Leandro population is Chinese
  • 4
    Berkeley
    Chinese population in Berkeley is 12,661
    10.53% of Berkeley population is Chinese
  • 5
    Hayward
    Chinese population in Hayward is 11,717
    7.36% of Hayward population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in Alameda County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Alameda County with 198,692 Chinese residents (12% of 1.7 million total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 94th percentile within California for Chinese population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Alameda County's Chinese population of 12% surpassing both California's state average of 4.8% and the national average of 1.6%, 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 Alameda County's 198,692 Chinese residents constitute 10.6% of California's total Chinese population of 1.9 million, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 10.6% of all California Chinese Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Alameda County maintains 269.4 Chinese Americans per square mile, representing twenty-two and a half times California's average of 12 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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14 Cities in Alameda County Ranked by Chinese Population

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ACS data [1] confirm Chinese populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Fremont, Oakland, San Leandro, and Berkeley. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 14 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Alameda County, CA ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Alameda County Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Fremont 41,561 18.19% 20.92%
2 Oakland 35,552 8.12% 17.89%
3 San Leandro 18,041 20.38% 9.08%
4 Berkeley 12,661 10.53% 6.37%
5 Hayward 11,717 7.36% 5.90%
6 Alameda 11,464 14.91% 5.77%
7 Dublin 10,678 15.14% 5.37%
8 10,474 15.37% 5.27%
9 9,459 12.21% 4.76%
10 7,192 15.26% 3.62%
11 3,211 16.24% 1.62%
12 2,695 3.14% 1.36%
13 1,743 13.66% 0.88%
14 1,532 13.91% 0.77%
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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 Alameda County, CA by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Chinese 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 Chinese 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 Chinese alone, while others identify as Chinese along with another race (such as Chinese and German).
  • We’ve used the “Chinese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Chinese population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Chinese 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 Chinese .
  2. % of Total Alameda County Chinese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Chinese 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 Chinese 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 Chinese 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 Chinese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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