A procession at Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in North Hollywood. Los Angeles Almanac Photo
Los Angeles is home to the largest Thai population outside of Thailand.
Also see:
-- Asian Ethnic Origin by City and Community
-- 2000 Census Figures
Los Angeles County has, by far, the largest Asian population of any county in the United States. According to U.S. Census 2021 estimates, Los Angeles County is home to 1.48 million persons of Asian descent (racially Asian alone; 1.68 million when mixed with other races). This is a little more than twice the Asian population in second-place Santa Clara County, California (736,650). In terms of what percentage of the total population is Asian, however, Los Angeles County’s Asian population makes up only about 15 percent of the county’s total population (compared to 38 percent for Santa Clara County and even 21 percent for Orange County, California. Nevertheless, Los Angeles County is also home to the largest populations that are ethnically Chinese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Korean, Cambodian, Thai, Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Mongolian and Malaysian (and the second largest ethnic Japanese population only after Honolulu County, Hawaii).
Also see: How the San Gabriel Valley Became America's "Suburban Chinatown".
Population that is Asian Alone
| Ethnic Origin | 2021 Census Estimates* | 2020 Census Estimates* | 2010 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Total Asian | 1,478,561 | 100.00% | 1,488,626 | 100.00% | 1,305,186 | 100.00% |
| Asian Indian | 100,451 | 6.79% | 103,124 | 6.93% | 79,169 | 6.07% |
| Bangladeshi | 5,907 | 0.40% | 5,080 | 0.34% | 4,550 | 0.35% |
| Bhutanese | 10 | 0.00% | 8 | 0.00% | 40 | 0.003% |
| Burmese | 5,280 | 0.36% | 4,706 | 0.32% | 4,375 | 0.34% |
| Ethnic Origin | 2021 Census Estimates* | 2020 Census Estimates* | 2010 Census | |||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Cambodian | 32,085 | 2.17% | 31,881 | 2.14% | 32,125 | 2.46% |
| Chinese (except Taiwanese) | 437,680 | 29.60% | 445,822 | 29.95% | 350,119 | 26.83% |
| Filipino | 340,982 | 23.06% | 339,427 | 22.80% | 322,110 | 24.68% |
| Hmong | 1,148 | 0.08% | 1,109 | 0.07% | 660 | 0.05% |
| Indonesian | 9,071 | 0.61% | 9,341 | 0.63% | 8,804 | 0.67% |
| Ethnic Origin | 2021 Census Estimates* | 2020 Census Estimates* | 2010 Census | |||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Japanese | 95,459 | 6.46% | 96,810 | 6.50% | 102,287 | 7.84% |
| Korean | 205,016 | 13.87% | 207,483 | 13.94% | 216,501 | 16.59% |
| Laotian | 3,092 | 0.21% | 3,223 | 0.22% | 2,847 | 0.22% |
| Malaysian | 918 | 0.06% | 767 | 0.05% | 883 | 0.07% |
| Mongolian | 2,535 | 0.17% | 2,696 | 0.18% | † | † |
| Ethnic Origin | 2021 Census Estimates* | 2020 Census Estimates* | 2010 Census | |||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Nepalese | 2,708 | 0.18% | 2,541 | 0.17% | 1,104 | 0.08% |
| Okinawan | 128 | 0.01% | 147 | 0.01% | † | † |
| Pakistani | 11,577 | 0.78% | 11,797 | 0.79% | 9,530 | 0.73% |
| Sri Lankan | 4,282 | 0.29% | 4,108 | 0.28% | 4,680 | 0.36% |
| Taiwanese | 31,235 | 2.11% | 29,400 | 1.97% | 40,336 | 3.09% |
| Ethnic Origin | 2021 Census Estimates* | 2020 Census Estimates* | 2010 Census | |||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Thai | 23,371 | 1.58% | 24,670 | 1.66% | 25,014 | 1.92% |
| Vietnamese | 96,778 | 6.55% | 99,342 | 6.67% | 87,468 | 6.70% |
| Other Asian, specified | 3,460 | 0.23% | 2,162 | 0.15% | 1,674 | 0.13% |
| Other Asian, not specified | 7,055 | 0.48% | 7,846 | 0.53% | 10,910 | 0.84% |
| Two or More Asian Groups | 58,333 | 3.95% | 55,136 | 3.70% | † | † |
* U.S. Census estimates based upon data and surveys collected by the American Community Survey over the preceding five-year period. These estimates are issued annually between full Dicennial Census counts conducted each decade.
† Not counted in the 2010 Census.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
The 1860 U.S. Census was the first to record Asian persons residing in Los Angeles County. The census of that year counted 11 "Asiatic" persons (later classified as Chinese) in Los Angeles County.
