In this article, we look at 25 cities with the highest percentage of Asian American population. You can skip our detailed analysis on the economic contributions of Asians to the United States and head over directly to 10 Cities With Highest Percentage of Asian American Population.
Asians account for 7% of the overall population of the United States -- that's 24 million. The Chinese are the largest Asian group in the country with an estimated population of 5.2 million people, followed by Indians at second (4.8 million), and Filipinos at third (4.2 million). Despite making up only a small fraction of American society, the contributions of Asians to the US are immense.
According to a 2022 research titled Asianomics in America by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS), Asian Americans are the most highly educated ethnic group in the US, with 55.1% of their population aged 25 or above holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the workforce, Asians drive 19% of all high-impact patents and hold 13% of all STEM jobs in the US. When it comes to the American Dream, Asian Americans own close to 3 million business firms in the US. Asian Americans also dominate the high-technology R&D scene at Silicon Valley, making up 57% of the workforce, per Market Watch.
The community contributes significantly to America’s labor market and GDP. As noted by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS), between 2003 and 2019, Asians drove 22% of employment growth in the US and 23% of all private sector output in the country, which translates to a GDP contribution of over $1.5 trillion during this time span.
Companies Founded by Asian Americans
There are numerous companies and brands that have today become household names that were founded by Asian Americans. Two of the three co-founders of YouTube have roots in Asia. Steve Chen was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States at the age of seven. Jawed Karim was born to a Bangladeshi father and German mother. YouTube, which is now owned by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), is the second most visited website in the world after Google Search. According to a report in Forbes, more than one billion hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day, generating considerable ad revenue for Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG).
America’s most popular food delivery service, DoorDash, Inc. (NYSE:DASH), was founded by four Stanford University friends, three of whom were of Asian origin – Tony Xu, Andy Fang, and Stanley Tang. DoorDash, Inc. (NYSE:DASH) holds a 56% market share in the US, partnering with more than half a million restaurants in more than 4,000 cities across North America. The company has delivered more than 900 million orders since its launch in 2013. DoorDash, Inc. (NYSE:DASH) posted a revenue of $6.58 billion in 2022.
Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR), which is one of the world’s largest online course providers, was co-founded by Stanford University professors Andrew Ng, whose parents were immigrants from Hong Kong, and Daphne Koller, an Israeli-American. Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) works with universities around the world and offers courses and certifications in a variety of subjects. More than 275 universities today offer their courses online through Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR).
Asian C-Level Executives
A 2023 survey by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) highlighted that Asian Americans represent only 3% of all corporate executives in the US. On the other hand, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) observed that Asians hold 13% of all professional positions at large corporations in the country, but only 6% reach senior management positions. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) termed the concept ‘bamboo ceiling’. It also noted that of the 39 Asian Americans who became Fortune 500 CEOs, 82% of these were appointed to restore the financial position following underperformance. It is important to note, however, that these statistics reflect Asian-Americans' contribution to the US economy and do not endorse Asian-American racial stereotyping.
Despite these challenges of Asians not being able to climb up the hierarchy as much as they would like to, there are several Asian Americans that today hold C-level positions in various large companies, such as Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) whose CEOs currently are of Asian origin.
25 Cities With Highest Percentage Of Asian American Population
We have ranked cities with the highest percentage of Asian American population using data released by The U.S. Census Bureau from 2021. Cities are sorted in ascending order of the share of their overall population that comprises Asians. Census Designated Places (CDP) are not part of our list.
Let’s now head over to the list of cities with thehighest percentage of Asian American Population.
25. Palo Alto, California
Total Population: 66,666
Asian Americans: 33.51%
The Asian population in Palo Alto has surged over the last two decades, from a little over 10,000 people in 2000 to more than 22,000 today, which amounts to nearly one-thirds of the city’s overall population.
24. Mountain View, California
Total Population: 81,517
Asian Americans: 35.07%
Mountain View hosts headquarters of several major technology companies, such as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Google, Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU), and LinkedIn. The city was integral to the early history of Silicon Valley and is home to a sizable Asian community.
23. San Leandro, California
Total Population: 88,878
Asian Americans: 35.31%
San Leandro is located on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area. Asians are the largest ethnic group in this city, making up over 35% of the overall population. Whites are a distant second, holding a 21% share of the population.
22. Torrance, California
Total Population: 143,589
Asian Americans: 35.39%
Torrance is part of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, and like San Leandro, it is an Asian-majority city. The city has the second highest concentration of Japanese in the US after Honolulu.
21. San Francisco, California
Total Population: 815,201
Asian Americans: 35.53%
San Francisco is home to nearly 300,000 Asians, making it the fourth largest city in terms of population size for the community in the US after New York City, Los Angeles, and San Jose. Asians are the second largest ethnic group in the city after Whites who make up 39% of San Francisco’s overall population.
20. Sammamish, Washington
Total Population: 66,630
Asian Americans: 37.99%
In 2010, Whites accounted for 74% of the total population in Sammamish. Today, that share has dropped to 59% due to a burgeoning Asian population that has grown by 112% during this period. As a result, Sammamish is now among the cities with the highest percentage of Asian American population.
19. San Jose, California
Total Population: 983,530
Asian Americans: 38.96%
Next on the list of cities with the highest percentage of Asian Americans in San Jose. The city is a major technology hub and has the fifth highest number of Fortune 500 companies' headquarters in the US – 20 in 2023. The city has a large Asian population, and some of them hold top strategic roles in these companies. This includes Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE), whose CEO is of Indian origin.
18. Sugar Land, Texas
Total Population: 109,337
Asian Americans: 40%
Sugar Land has the highest concentration of Asian Americans in the state of Texas, according to the US Census Bureau. Local experts say the growth in Asian population over the last few decades has been driven by new construction in the city, improved educational services, and a growing number of businesses that cater to the needs of Asians.
17. Pleasanton, California
Total Population: 78,250
Asian Americans: 40.06%
Asians are the second largest ethnic group in Pleasanton, with a population in excess of 31,000. About half of the Asians in the city are Indians, followed by Chinese who make up a quarter of the Asian community’s overall population in Pleasanton.
16. Bellevue, Washington
Total Population: 149,429
Asian Americans: 42.42%
Bellevue used to be a demographically homogeneous city. Back in the 1970s, an overwhelming 98% of the population was White. Today, Asians account for more than 42% of the city’s population – which is almost as much as the White population. Nearly a quarter of Bellevue’s population today speaks an Asian language at home.
15. Chino Hills, California
Total Population: 78,675
Asian Americans: 43.52%
Chino Hills is another city in California that has a high percentage of Asian Americans. The city is known for its high quality life and large publicly-owned spaces. There is a large Asian population in the city and, therefore, it is common to find several Chinese and Indian cuisine restaurants here.
14. Redmond, Washington
Total Population: 76,360
Asian Americans: 44.15%
Redmond is the third city from Washington that is part of a list dominated thus far by Californian cities. The city is popular for housing the headquarters of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and it is no surprise that given the large Asian population in the city, its CEO happens to be an Asian – India-born Satya Nadella.
13. Irvine, California
Total Population: 309,014
Asian Americans: 44.16%
Irvine is an economic powerhouse in California’s Orange County, and remains one of the most diverse cities in the United States. The city is affluent and booming. Asians are the largest ethnic group in the city, with sizable minorities of Whites and Hispanics.
12. Garden Grove, California
Total Population: 170,492
Asian Americans: 44.38%
According to the Census Bureau, there are 2.3 times more Asians in Garden Grove than any other ethnicity or race. The total number of Asians in the city are estimated to be a little over 75,000.
11. Santa Clara, California
Total Population: 127,155
Asian Americans: 45.23%
Santa Clara is among the cities with the highest percentage of Asian American population, driven by an increase in the number of Asian Americans moving into the city over the last decade or so. Between 2010 and 2020, the Asian population in Santa Clara increased 37%, while the share of those who identify as White dropped 15%.
