Chinese Population in Centre County, PA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Chinese population in Centre County, PA is reported at 5,007 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Centre County - including State College, Ferguson township, Patton township, and others - contribute to the Chinese population, but the total county figure of 5,007 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Chinese residents are distributed in Pennsylvania and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in Centre County

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  • 1
    State College
    Chinese population in State College is 2,082
    5.12% of State College population is Chinese
  • 2
    Ferguson township
    Chinese population in Ferguson township is 1,515
    7.98% of Ferguson township population is Chinese
  • 3
    Patton township
    Chinese population in Patton township is 866
    5.51% of Patton township population is Chinese
  • 4
    College township
    Chinese population in College township is 358
    3.30% of College township population is Chinese
  • 5
    Spring township
    Chinese population in Spring township is 51
    0.64% of Spring township population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in Centre County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Centre County contains 5,007 Chinese residents (3.2% of 158,041 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 95th percentile nationally among counties and 89th percentile within Pennsylvania for Chinese demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Centre County's Chinese population of 3.2% surpassing both Pennsylvania's state average of 1.1% 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 data documents Centre County with 5,007 Chinese residents, representing 3.6% of Pennsylvania's total Chinese population of 137,401.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Centre County maintains 4.5 Chinese Americans per square mile compared to Pennsylvania's average of 3.1, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to state averages.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

32 Cities in Centre County Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Chinese populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by State College, Ferguson township, Patton township, and College township. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 32 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Centre County, PA ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Centre County Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 State College 2,082 5.12% 41.58%
2 Ferguson township 1,515 7.98% 30.26%
3 Patton township 866 5.51% 17.30%
4 College township 358 3.30% 7.15%
5 Spring township 51 0.64% 1.02%
6 Bellefonte 49 0.81% 0.98%
7 Walker township 44 0.95% 0.88%
8 24 0.27% 0.48%
9 9 0.32% 0.18%
10 4 0.67% 0.08%
11 3 0.18% 0.06%
12 1 0.13% 0.02%
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 0 - -
13 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 Centre County, PA 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 Centre 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.