Chinese Population in California by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Chinese population in California totals 1.9 million, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include San Francisco (193,694), followed by Los Angeles (99,963) and San Jose (99,757), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Chinese residents are distributed across California''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in California

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  • 1
    San Francisco
    Chinese population in San Francisco is 193,694
    23.16% of San Francisco population is Chinese
  • 2
    Los Angeles
    Chinese population in Los Angeles is 99,963
    2.59% of Los Angeles population is Chinese
  • 3
    San Jose
    Chinese population in San Jose is 99,757
    10.08% of San Jose population is Chinese
  • 4
    San Diego
    Chinese population in San Diego is 56,501
    4.08% of San Diego population is Chinese
  • 5
    Irvine
    Chinese population in Irvine is 53,723
    17.43% of Irvine population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents California with 1.9 million Chinese residents (4.8% of 39.2 million total state population), ranking the state at the 100th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Chinese demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate California's Chinese population of 4.8% exceeds the national average of 1.6% by a factor of 3.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates California's 1.9 million Chinese residents constitute 34.9% of the nation's total Chinese population of 5.4 million, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 34.9% of all American Chinese Americans residing within state boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document California with 12 Chinese Americans per square mile, more than seven times the national average density of 1.5 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with significantly elevated demographic concentrations nationally.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

473 Cities in California Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Chinese population in California present in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in California ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total California Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 San Francisco 193,694 23.16% 10.35%
2 Los Angeles 99,963 2.59% 5.34%
3 San Jose 99,757 10.08% 5.33%
4 San Diego 56,501 4.08% 3.02%
5 Irvine 53,723 17.43% 2.87%
6 Fremont 41,561 18.19% 2.22%
7 Oakland 35,552 8.12% 1.90%
8 30,916 37.94% 1.65%
9 29,988 19.54% 1.60%
10 28,808 48.30% 1.54%
11 28,068 5.35% 1.50%
12 24,494 23.88% 1.31%
13 22,157 44.01% 1.18%
14 21,678 39.02% 1.16%
15 19,822 15.34% 1.06%
16 18,775 34.93% 1.00%
17 18,433 17.22% 0.99%
18 18,041 20.38% 0.96%
19 17,972 30.52% 0.96%
20 16,426 42.37% 0.88%
21 16,106 14.99% 0.86%
22 16,025 44.83% 0.86%
23 16,014 9.04% 0.86%
24 14,994 19.22% 0.80%
25 14,537 21.62% 0.78%
26 14,385 17.47% 0.77%
27 14,383 13.89% 0.77%
28 13,386 15.61% 0.72%
29 13,226 16.91% 0.71%
30 12,661 10.53% 0.68%
31 12,335 19.13% 0.66%
32 11,917 8.73% 0.64%
33 11,717 7.36% 0.63%
34 11,660 6.67% 0.62%
35 11,475 41.19% 0.61%
36 11,464 14.91% 0.61%
37 10,678 15.14% 0.57%
38 10,474 15.37% 0.56%
39 9,459 12.21% 0.51%
40 9,393 30.96% 0.50%
41 9,020 13.50% 0.48%
42 8,914 6.21% 0.48%
43 8,903 27.01% 0.48%
44 8,667 12.26% 0.46%
45 8,429 2.63% 0.45%
46 8,137 8.87% 0.43%
47 8,101 35.86% 0.43%
48 7,627 2.21% 0.41%
49 7,476 9.07% 0.40%
50 7,383 1.61% 0.39%
51 7,192 15.26% 0.38%
52 6,789 15.93% 0.36%
53 6,639 13.73% 0.35%
54 6,375 51.92% 0.34%
55 6,330 2.00% 0.34%
56 6,061 8.99% 0.32%
57 6,033 4.07% 0.32%
58 5,778 1.06% 0.31%
59 5,700 6.64% 0.30%
60 5,626 7.12% 0.30%
61 5,615 3.15% 0.30%
62 5,511 13.36% 0.29%
63 5,467 7.83% 0.29%
64 5,422 2.77% 0.29%
65 5,411 4.69% 0.29%
66 5,299 17.24% 0.28%
67 5,272 3.73% 0.28%
68 5,116 4.12% 0.27%
69 5,068 11.83% 0.27%
70 4,978 18.93% 0.27%
71 4,539 1.11% 0.24%
72 4,535 3.27% 0.24%
73 4,494 3.58% 0.24%
74 4,476 14.66% 0.24%
75 4,430 16.11% 0.24%
76 4,351 2.55% 0.23%
77 4,275 6.97% 0.23%
78 4,230 3.69% 0.23%
79 4,201 1.83% 0.22%
80 4,198 4.54% 0.22%
81 4,052 15.72% 0.22%
82 4,008 5.74% 0.21%
83 3,953 1.44% 0.21%
84 3,905 2.03% 0.21%
85 3,669 3.49% 0.20%
86 3,601 10.99% 0.19%
87 3,596 1.70% 0.19%
88 3,590 2.99% 0.19%
89 3,571 11.98% 0.19%
90 3,559 9.48% 0.19%
91 3,548 7.50% 0.19%
92 3,509 2.30% 0.19%
93 3,478 3.80% 0.19%
94 3,347 7.71% 0.18%
95 3,248 9.91% 0.17%
96 3,215 3.37% 0.17%
97 3,211 16.24% 0.17%
98 3,201 6.46% 0.17%
99 3,154 1.99% 0.17%
100 3,052 8.95% 0.16%
101 3,043 6.07% 0.16%
102 3,033 2.43% 0.16%
103 3,027 3.83% 0.16%
104 3,018 8.04% 0.16%
105 2,990 1.69% 0.16%
106 2,984 2.58% 0.16%
107 2,914 3.46% 0.16%
108 2,894 5.87% 0.15%
109 2,871 0.92% 0.15%
110 2,868 3.18% 0.15%
111 2,841 5.53% 0.15%
112 2,832 3.45% 0.15%
113 2,808 2.23% 0.15%
114 2,766 7.39% 0.15%
115 2,728 6.82% 0.15%
116 2,695 3.14% 0.14%
117 2,677 7.74% 0.14%
118 2,645 4.69% 0.14%
119 2,596 3.59% 0.14%
120 2,571 3.98% 0.14%
121 2,566 23.07% 0.14%
122 2,549 3.07% 0.14%
123 2,475 1.43% 0.13%
124 2,417 3.00% 0.13%
125 2,414 12.40% 0.13%
126 2,354 2.13% 0.13%
127 2,342 6.41% 0.13%
128 2,337 3.83% 0.12%
129 2,233 4.26% 0.12%
130 2,227 13.26% 0.12%
131 2,190 8.34% 0.12%
132 2,153 3.36% 0.12%
133 2,152 0.97% 0.12%
134 2,150 1.75% 0.11%
135 2,093 0.96% 0.11%
136 2,090 6.39% 0.11%
137 2,088 4.62% 0.11%
138 2,044 1.85% 0.11%
139 2,023 3.94% 0.11%
140 2,019 10.05% 0.11%
141 1,990 1.95% 0.11%
142 1,961 2.43% 0.10%
143 1,947 2.67% 0.10%
144 1,903 22.74% 0.10%
145 1,884 9.70% 0.10%
146 1,869 1.99% 0.10%
147 1,834 3.07% 0.10%
148 1,827 4.95% 0.10%
149 1,790 1.19% 0.10%
150 1,749 1.74% 0.09%
151 1,743 13.66% 0.09%
152 1,715 0.82% 0.09%
153 1,709 3.14% 0.09%
154 1,689 3.48% 0.09%
155 1,659 5.39% 0.09%
156 1,644 2.34% 0.09%
157 1,637 1.01% 0.09%
158 1,619 1.14% 0.09%
159 1,608 1.46% 0.09%
160 1,592 2.63% 0.09%
161 1,579 7.20% 0.08%
162 1,565 2.97% 0.08%
163 1,561 2.06% 0.08%
164 1,547 4.51% 0.08%
165 1,532 13.91% 0.08%
166 1,458 2.34% 0.08%
167 1,428 1.66% 0.08%
168 1,414 8.15% 0.08%
169 1,413 3.01% 0.08%
170 1,384 1.29% 0.07%
171 1,382 1.32% 0.07%
172 1,322 7.02% 0.07%
173 1,315 2.07% 0.07%
174 1,297 9.94% 0.07%
175 1,296 2.18% 0.07%
176 1,290 2.12% 0.07%
177 1,282 2.67% 0.07%
178 1,247 1.12% 0.07%
179 1,243 11.28% 0.07%
180 1,224 3.96% 0.07%
181 1,213 1.19% 0.06%
182 1,198 5.24% 0.06%
183 1,171 2.48% 0.06%
184 1,151 7.49% 0.06%
185 1,149 3.62% 0.06%
186 1,109 0.65% 0.06%
187 1,106 1.12% 0.06%
188 1,095 4.33% 0.06%
189 1,082 1.77% 0.06%
190 1,064 1.24% 0.06%
191 1,014 14.44% 0.05%
192 1,008 4.03% 0.05%
193 998 0.89% 0.05%
193 998 1.15% 0.05%
194 982 1.59% 0.05%
195 973 4.89% 0.05%
195 973 2.77% 0.05%
196 964 11.82% 0.05%
197 939 2.48% 0.05%
198 923 0.46% 0.05%
199 919 0.68% 0.05%
200 904 1.65% 0.05%
201 903 1.54% 0.05%
202 896 18.99% 0.05%
203 869 3.49% 0.05%
204 868 0.93% 0.05%
205 863 0.98% 0.05%
206 827 0.92% 0.04%
207 825 1.86% 0.04%
208 811 2.54% 0.04%
209 800 1.34% 0.04%
210 792 2.20% 0.04%
211 786 1.77% 0.04%
212 785 7.16% 0.04%
213 782 1.08% 0.04%
214 774 0.98% 0.04%
215 772 2.87% 0.04%
216 745 1.04% 0.04%
217 719 0.93% 0.04%
218 704 1.82% 0.04%
219 695 3.61% 0.04%
220 673 4.19% 0.04%
221 668 0.40% 0.04%
222 658 1.08% 0.04%
223 650 0.97% 0.03%
224 643 5.01% 0.03%
225 641 2.95% 0.03%
225 641 1.96% 0.03%
226 618 1.61% 0.03%
226 618 0.66% 0.03%
227 615 0.71% 0.03%
228 606 1.17% 0.03%
229 550 9.92% 0.03%
229 550 1.72% 0.03%
230 530 3.14% 0.03%
231 525 1.76% 0.03%
232 524 0.52% 0.03%
233 514 1.68% 0.03%
234 505 1.73% 0.03%
235 491 3.86% 0.03%
236 490 2.15% 0.03%
237 484 1.26% 0.03%
238 468 3.64% 0.03%
239 446 2.19% 0.02%
240 442 0.86% 0.02%
241 441 0.49% 0.02%
241 441 1.26% 0.02%
242 439 0.42% 0.02%
243 436 2.37% 0.02%
244 434 1.49% 0.02%
245 429 3.64% 0.02%
246 421 0.71% 0.02%
247 415 0.73% 0.02%
248 406 1.29% 0.02%
249 397 0.50% 0.02%
250 383 1.72% 0.02%
251 378 10.93% 0.02%
252 368 0.75% 0.02%
253 352 0.32% 0.02%
254 345 1.31% 0.02%
254 345 0.33% 0.02%
254 345 0.93% 0.02%
255 339 2.79% 0.02%
256 338 1.09% 0.02%
257 327 1.34% 0.02%
258 320 2.77% 0.02%
259 319 0.42% 0.02%
260 317 0.59% 0.02%
260 317 0.70% 0.02%
261 306 0.33% 0.02%
262 300 1.16% 0.02%
263 298 2.98% 0.02%
264 296 1.19% 0.02%
265 295 2.92% 0.02%
266 287 1.08% 0.02%
267 283 3.61% 0.02%
268 276 0.84% 0.01%
269 258 1.34% 0.01%
270 257 2.84% 0.01%
271 254 1.05% 0.01%
272 253 0.79% 0.01%
273 245 0.45% 0.01%
274 241 1.71% 0.01%
275 235 0.42% 0.01%
276 232 2.36% 0.01%
277 223 0.32% 0.01%
278 221 0.33% 0.01%
279 210 0.83% 0.01%
280 209 1.60% 0.01%
281 208 0.79% 0.01%
282 197 0.39% 0.01%
282 197 0.77% 0.01%
283 195 0.22% 0.01%
284 194 3.11% 0.01%
285 192 2.53% 0.01%
286 191 0.69% 0.01%
287 189 0.36% 0.01%
288 188 0.36% 0.01%
289 186 0.36% 0.01%
290 185 0.97% 0.01%
290 185 0.43% 0.01%
291 182 1.07% 0.01%
292 181 0.78% 0.01%
293 172 1.40% 0.01%
294 168 0.38% 0.01%
294 168 2.25% 0.01%
295 166 3.83% 0.01%
296 164 0.77% 0.01%
297 160 2.77% 0.01%
298 158 0.36% 0.01%
299 157 1.25% 0.01%
300 156 1.04% 0.01%
301 155 1.35% 0.01%
302 154 19.54% 0.01%
303 153 0.92% 0.01%
303 153 0.54% 0.01%
304 149 0.80% 0.01%
304 149 2.88% 0.01%
305 148 0.52% 0.01%
306 145 1.14% 0.01%
307 144 1.28% 0.01%
308 142 0.43% 0.01%
308 142 0.75% 0.01%
309 134 0.59% 0.01%
309 134 1.27% 0.01%
310 129 0.94% 0.01%
311 127 0.77% 0.01%
312 125 0.67% 0.01%
312 125 0.46% 0.01%
312 125 0.18% 0.01%
313 123 1.76% 0.01%
313 123 0.57% 0.01%
314 122 1.01% 0.01%
314 122 0.61% 0.01%
315 120 0.97% 0.01%
316 118 1.74% 0.01%
317 112 1.64% 0.01%
318 109 7.56% 0.01%
318 109 0.43% 0.01%
318 109 7.21% 0.01%
319 108 1.44% 0.01%
319 108 0.67% 0.01%
320 103 1.71% 0.01%
321 97 0.18% 0.01%
322 95 0.32% 0.01%
323 94 0.75% 0.01%
324 89 0.10% 0.00%
325 88 0.82% 0.00%
326 87 0.14% 0.00%
327 85 0.32% 0.00%
327 85 1.76% 0.00%
328 83 1.16% 0.00%
329 81 0.87% 0.00%
330 80 0.63% 0.00%
331 79 0.96% 0.00%
331 79 0.74% 0.00%
332 77 0.44% 0.00%
333 73 0.14% 0.00%
334 72 0.41% 0.00%
335 71 0.63% 0.00%
336 70 1.39% 0.00%
337 69 2.63% 0.00%
338 68 1.10% 0.00%
339 67 0.17% 0.00%
340 66 0.30% 0.00%
341 65 0.86% 0.00%
342 64 0.31% 0.00%
343 62 0.20% 0.00%
344 58 2.40% 0.00%
345 57 0.41% 0.00%
345 57 1.13% 0.00%
346 52 0.39% 0.00%
347 51 0.57% 0.00%
348 50 0.19% 0.00%
349 49 0.44% 0.00%
350 48 0.19% 0.00%
351 46 1.44% 0.00%
351 46 1.43% 0.00%
352 45 0.14% 0.00%
352 45 0.61% 0.00%
352 45 0.44% 0.00%
352 45 1.67% 0.00%
353 41 0.11% 0.00%
354 40 0.24% 0.00%
355 39 0.08% 0.00%
356 38 0.59% 0.00%
357 37 2.38% 0.00%
358 35 0.20% 0.00%
359 34 0.08% 0.00%
360 32 0.84% 0.00%
360 32 0.25% 0.00%
360 32 0.30% 0.00%
361 31 0.12% 0.00%
362 29 0.12% 0.00%
363 28 0.75% 0.00%
364 27 0.55% 0.00%
365 26 0.51% 0.00%
365 26 0.18% 0.00%
365 26 0.49% 0.00%
365 26 0.17% 0.00%
366 25 0.18% 0.00%
367 23 0.31% 0.00%
368 21 0.37% 0.00%
368 21 0.03% 0.00%
369 20 0.10% 0.00%
370 19 1.87% 0.00%
371 17 0.08% 0.00%
372 16 0.28% 0.00%
372 16 0.51% 0.00%
373 15 0.15% 0.00%
373 15 0.09% 0.00%
374 14 0.92% 0.00%
374 14 0.10% 0.00%
375 13 0.33% 0.00%
375 13 0.26% 0.00%
376 10 0.48% 0.00%
376 10 0.20% 0.00%
376 10 0.08% 0.00%
376 10 0.36% 0.00%
377 9 0.27% 0.00%
378 7 0.09% 0.00%
378 7 0.10% 0.00%
378 7 0.07% 0.00%
378 7 0.08% 0.00%
378 7 0.14% 0.00%
379 5 0.24% 0.00%
379 5 0.09% 0.00%
380 4 0.11% 0.00%
381 3 0.01% 0.00%
382 2 0.01% 0.00%
382 2 0.02% 0.00%
382 2 0.15% 0.00%
382 2 0.03% 0.00%
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
383 0 - -
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 California 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 California 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.