SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The U.S. Census Bureau released its long-awaited report on Thursday, which detailed a growth in the multicultural population compared to its first findings a decade ago.
California's Asian population has grown by 25% in the past decade. New data from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday shows California now has more than 6 million people of Asian descent. That's more than the total population of most states.
California's white population dropped by 24% between 2010 and 2020.
It confirms California, Hawaii and New Mexico are the only states where whites are not the largest ethnic group.
Hispanics passed whites in California in 2015 as the state's largest ethnic group. California's Hispanic population grew by 11% over the past decade to 15.5 million people.
Cathy Rodriguez is President of Sacramento's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said the Census data will help organizations like hers better help the populations they work with.
Oscar Garcia, with the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, added that the new data shows the community is thriving in construction, financial, transportation, real estate, administrative support and waste management industries.
“We Latinos are not just mowing lawns, washing dishes, working in a restaurant, cleaning houses," Garcia said. "Now we are really, really moving forward and catching up.”
Ten years ago, none of California's 58 counties counted Asians as their largest ethnic group. Now, two do: Alameda County, which includes the cities of Oakland and Berkeley, and Santa Clara County, home to San Jose — the nation's 10th most-populous city — and the technology capitol of Silicon Valley.
According to data released by the Census Bureau, 331,449,281 people were included in the nationwide population count.
Sacramento County's Diversity
Sacramento County ranks 17th in the country, up from 23rd in 2010 in the Census Bureau's Diversity Index. The index measures the changes that two random people will be from different race and ethnic groups.
Sacramento County Racial and Ethnic Group breakdown:
- Largest: White: 41% (down from 48% in 2010)
- Second Largest: Hispanic or Latino: 23.6% (up from 21.6% in 2010)
- Third Largest: Asian: 17.4% (up from 14% in 2010)
Racial diversity statewide
California along with Hawaii rank highest in the Diversity Index in 2020. California comes in second to Hawaii with 69.7% in 2020 compared to 67.7% in 2010.
California Racial and Ethnic Group breakdown:
- Largest: Hispanic: 39.4% (up from 37.6% in 2010)
- Second Largest: White: 34.7% (down from 40.1% in 2010)
- Third Largest: Asian: 15.1% (up from 12.8% in 2010)
The Census Bureau cautions against race data comparisons between the 2020 Census and 2010. They say people should take into account the improvements they have made to the Hispanic origin and race questions and the ways the bureau coded the survey responses.
Growing Counties
Nine counties had double-digit percentage population growth, led by Trinity County in Northern California with 16.9% growth. Riverside County in Southern California had the largest gain in total population, adding more than 228,000 residents.
Explore the Data
The U.S. Census Bureau has an interactive map to explore their diversity index. (Note: it works best on a desktop)
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