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

The Chinese population in Orange County, CA is recorded at 147,312 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Orange 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 Orange County, CA and comparable counties throughout California.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in Orange County

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  • 1
    Irvine
    Chinese population in Irvine is 53,723
    17.43% of Irvine population is Chinese
  • 2
    Anaheim
    Chinese population in Anaheim is 7,627
    2.21% of Anaheim population is Chinese
  • 3
    Yorba Linda
    Chinese population in Yorba Linda is 6,061
    8.99% of Yorba Linda population is Chinese
  • 4
    Lake Forest
    Chinese population in Lake Forest is 5,700
    6.64% of Lake Forest population is Chinese
  • 5
    Tustin
    Chinese population in Tustin is 5,626
    7.12% of Tustin population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in Orange County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Orange County contains 147,312 Chinese residents (4.7% of 3.2 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 90th percentile within California for Chinese demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Orange County's Chinese demographic representation of 4.7%, exceeding the national average of 1.6% while remaining below California's elevated state average of 4.8%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Orange County with 147,312 Chinese residents, representing 7.9% of California's total Chinese population of 1.9 million.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Orange County maintains 185.8 Chinese Americans per square mile, representing fifteen 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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34 Cities in Orange County Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm Chinese populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Irvine, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, and Lake Forest. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 34 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Orange County, CA ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Orange County Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Irvine 53,723 17.43% 36.47%
2 Anaheim 7,627 2.21% 5.18%
3 Yorba Linda 6,061 8.99% 4.11%
4 Lake Forest 5,700 6.64% 3.87%
5 Tustin 5,626 7.12% 3.82%
6 Huntington Beach 5,422 2.77% 3.68%
7 Fullerton 5,272 3.73% 3.58%
8 4,535 3.27% 3.08%
9 4,351 2.55% 2.95%
10 4,198 4.54% 2.85%
11 3,548 7.50% 2.41%
12 3,201 6.46% 2.17%
13 2,914 3.46% 1.98%
14 2,871 0.92% 1.95%
15 2,868 3.18% 1.95%
16 2,645 4.69% 1.80%
17 2,549 3.07% 1.73%
18 2,233 4.26% 1.52%
19 2,153 3.36% 1.46%
20 2,044 1.85% 1.39%
21 2,023 3.94% 1.37%
22 1,458 2.34% 0.99%
23 1,414 8.15% 0.96%
24 1,315 2.07% 0.89%
25 1,224 3.96% 0.83%
26 1,171 2.48% 0.79%
27 1,151 7.49% 0.78%
28 869 3.49% 0.59%
29 704 1.82% 0.48%
30 490 2.15% 0.33%
31 441 1.26% 0.30%
32 429 3.64% 0.29%
33 276 0.84% 0.19%
34 160 2.77% 0.11%
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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 Orange 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 Orange 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.