AANHPI Heritage Month: Asian Americans now the largest ethnic group in the SF Bay Area

WIKI COMMONS

San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade is one of the most popular celebrations in the Bay Area.

Since the California Gold Rush of 1849, the San Francisco Bay Area has always been a favorite destination of immigrants from Asia, so much so that Asian Americans are now the majority in the region.

Of the 7.5 million Bay Area residents, Asian Americans make up 33.1% of the population, narrowly edging out Whites, who are 32.9% of the residents.

This is a dramatic change compared to the 2010 Census, when Whites made up 40.3% in the Bay Area and 25.5% were of Asian descent.

Maps created by the SF Chronicle show clusters of AANHPI communities throughout the Bay Area with large concentrations in San Francisco, Daly City, Fremont, Oakland, San Jose and Vallejo.

Overall, the Asian American population in the Bay Area’s nine counties grew by about 30% since 2010. Though the growth in the past decade was highest in Contra Costa County at 44%, data showed Santa Clara County had the largest numerical share of Asian Americans in the Bay Area in 2020 with about a 200,000 growth.

Much of the growth in the Asian American community is due to immigration, say demographers, demonstrating that the Bay Area is still a favorite entry point for immigrants from all over Asia.

 (Image via Bay Area Equity Atlas)

Fremont is among the largest Asian-majority cities in the continental US, Fremont, he said, is among the largest Asian-majority cities in the continental US, James Lai, ethnic studies professor at Santa Clara University, told the SF Chronicle.

Dublin, according to the 2020 Census data, is the Bay Area's fastest growing city, and most of that increase was driven by the growth of Asian American population. These places provide a “sense of community” that pulls people there, Lai said.

“What we’re seeing is direct migration of Asian immigrants not just to big cities but to suburbs,” Lai told the Chronicle. “You want your family to have access to your community, network, a way for you to find your livelihood, your children to find schools, churches and restaurants.”

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The Asian Art Museum observes Filipino American History Month in October.

The demographic changes in the Bay Area is reflective of what's happening in California where AANHPI make up about 16.5% of the population, an increase of 25% from 2010—the largest percent increase of any major racial or ethnic group in the state.

California is home to one-third of the nation's AANHPI population of 24 million, based on the latest data from the US Census.

It is important to stress that California’s AANHPI residents are not a monolith. Though they may share a common origin from a very broad region of the world, they can be as different from each other as much as the state’s non-AANHPI residents. Diversity, however, doesn't dilute their growing influence whose story will play a key role in shaping the Bay Area's and California's future.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.