Vietnamese Population in San Diego County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Vietnamese population in San Diego County, CA is reported at 60,828 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in San Diego County - including San Diego, Escondido, Oceanside, and others - contribute to the Vietnamese population, but the total county figure of 60,828 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Vietnamese residents are distributed in California and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Vietnamese population in San Diego County

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  • 1
    San Diego
    Vietnamese population in San Diego is 41,753
    3.01% of San Diego population is Vietnamese
  • 2
    Escondido
    Vietnamese population in Escondido is 2,478
    1.65% of Escondido population is Vietnamese
  • 3
    Oceanside
    Vietnamese population in Oceanside is 2,116
    1.23% of Oceanside population is Vietnamese
  • 4
    Poway
    Vietnamese population in Poway is 1,692
    3.49% of Poway population is Vietnamese
  • 5
    Chula Vista
    Vietnamese population in Chula Vista is 1,678
    0.61% of Chula Vista population is Vietnamese

Overview of Vietnamese population in San Diego County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows San Diego County contains 60,828 Vietnamese residents (1.9% of 3.3 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 92nd percentile within California for Vietnamese demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents San Diego County's Vietnamese demographic representation of 1.9%, exceeding the national average of 0.68% while remaining below California's elevated state average of 2.1%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents San Diego County with 60,828 Vietnamese residents, representing 7.5% of California's total Vietnamese population of 811,048.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate San Diego County's density of 14.4 Vietnamese Americans per square mile exceeds California's average of 5.2 per square mile by two and three-quarters times, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Vietnamese demographic communities.
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18 Cities in San Diego County Ranked by Vietnamese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Vietnamese populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by San Diego, Escondido, Oceanside, and Poway. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 18 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in San Diego County, CA ranked by Vietnamese population count
Rank by Vietnamese Population
City
Vietnamese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total San Diego County Vietnamese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 San Diego 41,753 3.01% 68.64%
2 Escondido 2,478 1.65% 4.07%
3 Oceanside 2,116 1.23% 3.48%
4 Poway 1,692 3.49% 2.78%
5 Chula Vista 1,678 0.61% 2.76%
6 Carlsbad 1,666 1.46% 2.74%
7 San Marcos 1,593 1.69% 2.62%
8 1,232 1.25% 2.03%
9 957 1.61% 1.57%
10 856 1.41% 1.41%
11 697 0.66% 1.15%
12 505 1.84% 0.83%
13 210 0.38% 0.35%
14 159 0.26% 0.26%
15 103 0.80% 0.17%
16 56 0.22% 0.09%
17 36 0.19% 0.06%
18 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 San Diego County, CA by their Vietnamese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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