Data / Rankings / Foreign-born population share / Cities in California

Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population

Rosemead, CA had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 376 cities in 2021, at 57%. Shasta Lake, CA had the lowest, at 2%. The median was 23.8% and the figure for California was 26.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest57Rosemead, CA
Lowest2Shasta Lake, CA
Median23.8376 cities
California26.5History

Top 40 cities, 2021

Rosemead, CA: 57 %Rosemead, CA57San Gabriel, CA: 54.2 %San Gabriel, CA54.2Cupertino, CA: 53.5 %Cupertino, CA53.5Monterey Park, CA: 52.5 %Monterey Park, CA52.5Mendota, CA: 52.3 %Mendota, CA52.3Glendale, CA: 52 %Glendale, CA52Milpitas, CA: 51.3 %Milpitas, CA51.3Daly City, CA: 50.7 %Daly City, CA50.7Temple City, CA: 50.2 %Temple City, CA50.2Sunnyvale, CA: 49.3 %Sunnyvale, CA49.3Fremont, CA: 48.8 %Fremont, CA48.8Walnut, CA: 48.7 %Walnut, CA48.7El Monte, CA: 48.4 %El Monte, CA48.4Maywood, CA: 48.4 %Maywood, CA48.4Foster City, CA: 48.2 %Foster City, CA48.2Union City, CA: 47.7 %Union City, CA47.7Alhambra, CA: 47.1 %Alhambra, CA47.1Artesia, CA: 46.1 %Artesia, CA46.1Arcadia, CA: 46 %Arcadia, CA46San Marino, CA: 46 %San Marino, CA46Huntington Park, CA: 45.9 %Huntington Park, CA45.9Diamond Bar, CA: 45.9 %Diamond Bar, CA45.9King City, CA: 45.2 %King City, CA45.2South El Monte, CA: 44.7 %South El Monte, CA44.7Calexico, CA: 44.7 %Calexico, CA44.7Westminster, CA: 44.5 %Westminster, CA44.5Baldwin Park, CA: 44.5 %Baldwin Park, CA44.5Santa Clara, CA: 44.1 %Santa Clara, CA44.1Garden Grove, CA: 43.9 %Garden Grove, CA43.9Cudahy, CA: 43.4 %Cudahy, CA43.4East Palo Alto, CA: 43 %East Palo Alto, CA43Saratoga, CA: 43 %Saratoga, CA43Bell, CA: 42.8 %Bell, CA42.8Mountain View, CA: 42.6 %Mountain View, CA42.6South Gate, CA: 42.1 %South Gate, CA42.1Cerritos, CA: 42 %Cerritos, CA42Santa Ana, CA: 41.7 %Santa Ana, CA41.7Stanton, CA: 41.6 %Stanton, CA41.6Bell Gardens, CA: 41.3 %Bell Gardens, CA41.3San Pablo, CA: 41.2 %San Pablo, CA41.2Rosemead, CA: 57 %Rosemead, CA57San Gabriel, CA: 54.2 %San Gabriel, CA54.2Cupertino, CA: 53.5 %Cupertino, CA53.5Monterey Park, CA: 52.5 %Monterey Park, CA52.5Mendota, CA: 52.3 %Mendota, CA52.3Glendale, CA: 52 %Glendale, CA52Milpitas, CA: 51.3 %Milpitas, CA51.3Daly City, CA: 50.7 %Daly City, CA50.7Temple City, CA: 50.2 %Temple City, CA50.2Sunnyvale, CA: 49.3 %Sunnyvale, CA49.3Fremont, CA: 48.8 %Fremont, CA48.8Walnut, CA: 48.7 %Walnut, CA48.7El Monte, CA: 48.4 %El Monte, CA48.4Maywood, CA: 48.4 %Maywood, CA48.4Foster City, CA: 48.2 %Foster City, CA48.2Union City, CA: 47.7 %Union City, CA47.7Alhambra, CA: 47.1 %Alhambra, CA47.1Artesia, CA: 46.1 %Artesia, CA46.1Arcadia, CA: 46 %Arcadia, CA46San Marino, CA: 46 %San Marino, CA46Huntington Park, CA: 45.9 %Huntington Park, CA45.9Diamond Bar, CA: 45.9 %Diamond Bar, CA45.9King City, CA: 45.2 %King City, CA45.2South El Monte, CA: 44.7 %South El Monte, CA44.7Calexico, CA: 44.7 %Calexico, CA44.7Westminster, CA: 44.5 %Westminster, CA44.5Baldwin Park, CA: 44.5 %Baldwin Park, CA44.5Santa Clara, CA: 44.1 %Santa Clara, CA44.1Garden Grove, CA: 43.9 %Garden Grove, CA43.9Cudahy, CA: 43.4 %Cudahy, CA43.4East Palo Alto, CA: 43 %East Palo Alto, CA43Saratoga, CA: 43 %Saratoga, CA43Bell, CA: 42.8 %Bell, CA42.8Mountain View, CA: 42.6 %Mountain View, CA42.6South Gate, CA: 42.1 %South Gate, CA42.1Cerritos, CA: 42 %Cerritos, CA42Santa Ana, CA: 41.7 %Santa Ana, CA41.7Stanton, CA: 41.6 %Stanton, CA41.6Bell Gardens, CA: 41.3 %Bell Gardens, CA41.3San Pablo, CA: 41.2 %San Pablo, CA41.2
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Rosemead, CA57
2San Gabriel, CA54.2
3Cupertino, CA53.5
4Monterey Park, CA52.5
5Mendota, CA52.3
6Glendale, CA52
7Milpitas, CA51.3
8Daly City, CA50.7
9Temple City, CA50.2
10Sunnyvale, CA49.3
11Fremont, CA48.8
12Walnut, CA48.7
13El Monte, CA48.4
14Maywood, CA48.4
15Foster City, CA48.2
16Union City, CA47.7
17Alhambra, CA47.1
18Artesia, CA46.1
19Arcadia, CA46
20San Marino, CA46
21Huntington Park, CA45.9
22Diamond Bar, CA45.9
23King City, CA45.2
24South El Monte, CA44.7
25Calexico, CA44.7
26Westminster, CA44.5
27Baldwin Park, CA44.5
28Santa Clara, CA44.1
29Garden Grove, CA43.9
30Cudahy, CA43.4
31East Palo Alto, CA43
32Saratoga, CA43
33Bell, CA42.8
34Mountain View, CA42.6
35South Gate, CA42.1
36Cerritos, CA42
37Santa Ana, CA41.7
38Stanton, CA41.6
39Bell Gardens, CA41.3
40San Pablo, CA41.2
41Greenfield, CA41.1
42Coachella, CA40.9
43La Puente, CA40.9
44San Jose, CA40.7
45Lawndale, CA40.3
46Dublin, CA39.7
47San Bruno, CA39.7
48Avenal, CA39.5
49South San Francisco, CA39.5
50Irvine, CA39.4
51National City, CA38.9
52Millbrae, CA38.9
53Gardena, CA38.8
54Hayward, CA38.7
55Newark, CA38.7
56Livingston, CA38.7
57Lynwood, CA38.2
58Hawaiian Gardens, CA37.8
59San Fernando, CA37.6
60Watsonville, CA37.3
61Montebello, CA36.8
62Parlier, CA36.6
63Mountain House, CA36.5
64Commerce, CA36.5
65San Ramon, CA36.5
66Salinas, CA36.4
67Beverly Hills, CA36.3
68Los Angeles, CA36.2
69West Covina, CA36.2
70San Leandro, CA36.1
71Paramount, CA35.8
72Lindsay, CA35.6
73Carson, CA35.3
74Arvin, CA35.3
75San Mateo, CA35
76Delano, CA35
77Anaheim, CA35
78Palo Alto, CA34.7
79Buena Park, CA34.7
80La Palma, CA34.4
81San Francisco, CA34.1
82Pleasanton, CA33.9
83Richmond, CA33.6
84Pomona, CA33.6
85Oxnard, CA33.5
86Santa Maria, CA33.2
87Hawthorne, CA33.1
88Hercules, CA33
89McFarland, CA33
90Duarte, CA32.8
91Norwalk, CA32.7
92El Cerrito, CA32.5
93Los Altos, CA32.4
94Lathrop, CA32.3
95Pittsburg, CA32.2
96Redwood City, CA32.1
97Emeryville, CA32
98American Canyon, CA32
99Chino Hills, CA31.5
100Wasco, CA31.4
101Fountain Valley, CA31.4
102Reedley, CA31.4
103Downey, CA31.3
104Laguna Woods, CA31
104Perris, CA31
106Tustin, CA30.8
107Montclair, CA30.8
108Pico Rivera, CA30.7
109Pasadena, CA30.6
110Soledad, CA30.6
111Cypress, CA30.5
112Bellflower, CA30.4
113Cathedral City, CA30.4
114Burlingame, CA30.2
115Torrance, CA30.2
116Azusa, CA30.1
117Chula Vista, CA30
118Belmont, CA29.7
119Menlo Park, CA29.4
120Compton, CA29.3
121Campbell, CA28.9
122Pinole, CA28.9
122Santa Paula, CA28.9
124Albany, CA28.7
124Burbank, CA28.7
126Farmersville, CA28.4
127Los Banos, CA28.3
128Fullerton, CA28.2
129Inglewood, CA28.2
130El Cajon, CA28.1
131Kerman, CA27.9
132El Centro, CA27.6
133Ontario, CA27.4
134Seaside, CA27.4
135Calabasas, CA27.4
136San Rafael, CA27.2
137Escondido, CA27.2
138Madera, CA27.2
139Brawley, CA26.9
140Jurupa Valley, CA26.9
141Loma Linda, CA26.7
142Oakland, CA26.6
143Tracy, CA26.5
144Rancho Palos Verdes, CA26.4
145Santa Fe Springs, CA26.3
146Eastvale, CA26.2
147Fontana, CA26.1
148Shafter, CA26
148Vallejo, CA26
150Culver City, CA25.8
151Lomita, CA25.8
152Lake Forest, CA25.7
153La Mirada, CA25.6
154Monrovia, CA25.6
155Newman, CA25.6
156West Sacramento, CA25.6
157La Habra, CA25.4
158Riverbank, CA25.4
159Signal Hill, CA25.3
160Stockton, CA25.3
161Moreno Valley, CA25.2
162West Hollywood, CA25.2
163San Diego, CA25.1
164Rialto, CA25.1
165Ceres, CA25.1
165Long Beach, CA25.1
167Los Gatos, CA25
168Porterville, CA25
169Hillsborough, CA24.9
170Elk Grove, CA24.9
171Half Moon Bay, CA24.8
172Desert Hot Springs, CA24.8
173Laguna Hills, CA24.8
174Alameda, CA24.7
175Concord, CA24.6
176La Cañada Flintridge, CA24.6
177Covina, CA24.4
178South Pasadena, CA24.4
179Selma, CA24.4
180Vista, CA24.3
181Palmdale, CA24.3
182Placentia, CA24.2
183Rancho Cordova, CA24.2
184Port Hueneme, CA24.1
185San Marcos, CA24.1
186Chino, CA24
187Dinuba, CA23.9
188Laguna Niguel, CA23.8
189Costa Mesa, CA23.8
190Gilroy, CA23.8
191Goleta, CA23.7
192Patterson, CA23.6
193Corona, CA23.6
193Yuba City, CA23.6
195Brea, CA23.4
196Lompoc, CA23.3
197Indio, CA23.3
198Merced, CA23.2
199Santa Monica, CA23.1
200Walnut Creek, CA23.1
201Aliso Viejo, CA23
202Woodland, CA22.9
203Marina, CA22.6
204San Carlos, CA22.5
205Riverside, CA22.5
206Fairfield, CA22.4
207Atwater, CA22.3
208Mission Viejo, CA22.2
209San Bernardino, CA22
210Imperial, CA22
210Turlock, CA22
212Lake Elsinore, CA21.9
213Suisun City, CA21.9
214Hollister, CA21.8
214Novato, CA21.8
216Orange, CA21.8
217Carpinteria, CA21.6
218Pacifica, CA21.6
219Berkeley, CA21.4
220Antioch, CA21.4
221Highland, CA21.2
222San Dimas, CA21.1
223Santa Rosa, CA21.1
224Santa Barbara, CA21.1
225Sacramento, CA20.9
226Santa Clarita, CA20.6
227Rancho Cucamonga, CA20.5
228South Lake Tahoe, CA20.5
229Colton, CA20.3
230Banning, CA20.3
230Oceanside, CA20.3
232Corcoran, CA20.3
233Lakewood, CA20.2
234Morgan Hill, CA20.1
235San Juan Capistrano, CA20.1
236Davis, CA20.1
237Sanger, CA19.9
238Napa, CA19.8
239Victorville, CA19.7
240Redondo Beach, CA19.6
241Poway, CA19.6
242Galt, CA19.6
243Coalinga, CA19.6
244Pleasant Hill, CA19.5
245Fillmore, CA19.5
246Yorba Linda, CA19.5
247Lodi, CA19.4
248Palm Springs, CA19.3
249Glendora, CA19.3
250Rancho Santa Margarita, CA19.3

Showing the top 250 of 376. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

People born outside the country where they live, as a percentage of the total population.

More on how it is measured
  • United States: people who were not US citizens at birth, including naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants and unauthorized immigrants; American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.
  • EU countries: residents on 1 January whose country of birth is not the reporting country (Eurostat).
  • England and Wales: usual residents born outside the United Kingdom, Census 2021.

Based on place of birth, not nationality: a naturalized citizen counts as foreign born. In the United States people born in Puerto Rico, the US island areas or abroad to American parents count as native; in the EU everyone born outside the reporting country counts as foreign born, including people born in another EU country or abroad to national parents. Not comparable with foreign_population_share, which counts foreign nationals in Spain and the EU.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/california-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/california-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/california-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/california-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/california-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/california-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Cities in California by foreign-born share of the population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"foreign_born_share","level":"municipality","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=foreign_born_share&level=municipality&within=California&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which city has the highest foreign-born share of the population?

Rosemead, CA, with 57% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest foreign-born share of the population?

Shasta Lake, CA, with 2% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Cities in California: more rankings