Chinese Population in St. Louis County, MO by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Chinese population in St. Louis County, MO is reported at 12,796 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in St. Louis County - including University City, Chesterfield, Clayton, and others - contribute to the Chinese population, but the total county figure of 12,796 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Chinese residents are distributed in Missouri and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in St. Louis County

View All
  • 1
    University City
    Chinese population in University City is 1,495
    4.31% of University City population is Chinese
  • 2
    Chesterfield
    Chinese population in Chesterfield is 1,386
    2.79% of Chesterfield population is Chinese
  • 3
    Clayton
    Chinese population in Clayton is 1,129
    6.53% of Clayton population is Chinese
  • 4
    Olivette
    Chinese population in Olivette is 1,043
    12.21% of Olivette population is Chinese
  • 5
    Creve Coeur
    Chinese population in Creve Coeur is 834
    4.47% of Creve Coeur population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in St. Louis County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows St. Louis County contains 12,796 Chinese residents (1.3% of 996,618 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 99th percentile within Missouri for Chinese demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate St. Louis County's Chinese population of 1.3% exceeds Missouri's state average of 0.53% while remaining below the national average of 1.6%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate St. Louis County's 12,796 Chinese residents constitute 39.2% of Missouri's total Chinese population of 32,654, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 39.2% of all Missouri Chinese Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate St. Louis County contains $dem_per_sqmi Chinese Americans per square mile—exactly fifty-three times Missouri's average of 0.47 per square mile—placing the county as a demographic outlier with one of the most concentrated Chinese communities documented in United States demographic research.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

78 Cities in St. Louis County Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Chinese populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by University City, Chesterfield, Clayton, and Olivette. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 78 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in St. Louis County, MO ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total St. Louis County Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 University City 1,495 4.31% 11.68%
2 Chesterfield 1,386 2.79% 10.83%
3 Clayton 1,129 6.53% 8.82%
4 Olivette 1,043 12.21% 8.15%
5 Creve Coeur 834 4.47% 6.52%
6 Wildwood 636 1.81% 4.97%
7 Manchester 373 2.05% 2.92%
8 367 1.19% 2.87%
9 282 0.96% 2.20%
10 243 0.87% 1.90%
11 226 2.77% 1.77%
12 213 1.35% 1.66%
13 200 2.24% 1.56%
14 177 1.38% 1.38%
15 175 1.91% 1.37%
16 163 1.40% 1.27%
17 149 4.06% 1.16%
17 149 1.83% 1.16%
18 130 0.52% 1.02%
19 118 1.19% 0.92%
20 115 0.48% 0.90%
21 114 0.88% 0.89%
22 70 0.62% 0.55%
23 68 2.53% 0.53%
24 54 0.85% 0.42%
25 53 0.87% 0.41%
26 49 3.33% 0.38%
27 46 0.09% 0.36%
28 45 1.90% 0.35%
29 42 0.99% 0.33%
30 40 0.33% 0.31%
31 34 0.37% 0.27%
32 32 0.26% 0.25%
33 31 0.45% 0.24%
34 30 1.52% 0.23%
35 29 4.74% 0.23%
36 21 0.23% 0.16%
37 19 4.03% 0.15%
38 16 0.34% 0.13%
39 12 1.04% 0.09%
40 5 0.54% 0.04%
41 4 0.23% 0.03%
41 4 0.21% 0.03%
42 3 0.13% 0.02%
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 0 - -
43 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 St. Louis County, MO 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 St. Louis 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.