Korean Population in Monterey County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Korean population in Monterey County, CA is reported at 2,807 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Monterey County - including Marina, Seaside, Salinas, and others - contribute to the Korean population, but the total county figure of 2,807 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Korean residents are distributed in California and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Korean population in Monterey County

View All
  • 1
    Marina
    Korean population in Marina is 661
    2.96% of Marina population is Korean
  • 2
    Seaside
    Korean population in Seaside is 517
    1.62% of Seaside population is Korean
  • 3
    Salinas
    Korean population in Salinas is 497
    0.31% of Salinas population is Korean
  • 4
    Monterey
    Korean population in Monterey is 248
    0.83% of Monterey population is Korean
  • 5
    Pacific Grove
    Korean population in Pacific Grove is 172
    1.15% of Pacific Grove population is Korean

Overview of Korean population in Monterey County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Monterey County with 2,807 Korean residents (0.64% of 435,834 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 96th percentile nationally among counties and 72nd percentile within California for Korean population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Monterey County's Korean demographic representation of 0.64%, exceeding the national average of 0.6% while remaining below California's elevated state average of 1.4%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Monterey County contains 2,807 Korean residents, representing less than 1% of California's total Korean population of 565,921.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey documents Monterey County with 0.86 Korean Americans per square mile, below California's average of 3.6 per square mile, placing the county among the least concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

11 Cities in Monterey County Ranked by Korean Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Korean populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Marina, Seaside, Salinas, and Monterey. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 11 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Monterey County, CA ranked by Korean population count
Rank by Korean Population
City
Korean Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Monterey County Korean Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Marina 661 2.96% 23.55%
2 Seaside 517 1.62% 18.42%
3 Salinas 497 0.31% 17.71%
4 Monterey 248 0.83% 8.84%
5 Pacific Grove 172 1.15% 6.13%
6 Soledad 66 0.27% 2.35%
7 Greenfield 12 0.06% 0.43%
8 7 0.45% 0.25%
9 0 - -
9 0 - -
9 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 Monterey County, CA by their Korean population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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