California Race & Ethnicity by City
Cities With Data
1,553
in California
Most Diverse City
Marin City
Diversity Index: 0.734
Least Diverse City
Salinas
Diversity Index: 0.000
Avg. White %
60.4%
across all cities
California has 1,553 cities with detailed race and ethnicity data from the American Community Survey. The most racially diverse city is Marin City with a diversity index of 0.734, while the least diverse is Salinas (0.000). On average across cities, the racial composition is 60.4% White, 33.0% Hispanic, 2.5% Black, and 6.8% Asian. The diversity index uses Simpson's formula (1 minus the sum of squared proportions), where values closer to 1.0 indicate greater diversity and values closer to 0.0 indicate less diversity.
Largest Cities in California by Race & Ethnicity
Source: U.S. Census ACS| Rank | City | Population | Diversity Index | % White | % Hispanic | % Black | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 3,857,897 | 0.528 | 37.3% | 47.2% | 8.5% | 12.0% |
| 2 | San Diego | 1,385,061 | 0.591 | 50.4% | 29.6% | 5.7% | 17.6% |
| 3 | San Jose | 990,054 | 0.631 | 29.0% | 30.9% | 2.9% | 38.6% |
| 4 | San Francisco | 836,321 | 0.668 | 40.5% | 15.9% | 5.1% | 35.0% |
| 5 | Fresno | 543,615 | 0.496 | 38.0% | 50.5% | 6.7% | 14.2% |
| 6 | Sacramento | 524,802 | 0.683 | 36.8% | 29.5% | 12.4% | 19.7% |
| 7 | Long Beach | 458,491 | 0.556 | 41.6% | 43.4% | 11.9% | 12.8% |
| 8 | Oakland | 438,072 | 0.703 | 30.5% | 28.9% | 21.1% | 15.5% |
| 9 | Bakersfield | 408,366 | 0.411 | 46.9% | 53.6% | 6.2% | 7.8% |
| 10 | Anaheim | 344,553 | 0.453 | 41.2% | 52.5% | 2.5% | 18.6% |
| 11 | Stockton | 320,470 | 0.592 | 26.6% | 45.2% | 11.6% | 21.1% |
| 12 | Riverside | 316,241 | 0.426 | 39.2% | 54.6% | 6.0% | 8.3% |
| 13 | Santa Ana | 311,639 | 0.083 | 19.5% | 77.3% | 0.8% | 12.0% |
| 14 | Irvine | 308,160 | 0.629 | 38.7% | 11.3% | 2.0% | 44.1% |
| 15 | Chula Vista | 275,030 | 0.390 | 32.8% | 60.4% | 5.3% | 14.9% |
| 16 | Santa Clarita | 229,021 | 0.526 | 53.1% | 36.0% | 4.4% | 11.4% |
| 17 | Fremont | 228,518 | 0.544 | 19.4% | 12.9% | 2.9% | 62.5% |
| 18 | San Bernardino | 221,774 | 0.242 | 27.6% | 69.6% | 11.8% | 4.1% |
| 19 | Modesto | 218,614 | 0.475 | 50.8% | 43.9% | 4.7% | 7.4% |
| 20 | Fontana | 211,921 | 0.260 | 21.9% | 67.9% | 8.4% | 8.2% |
| 21 | Moreno Valley | 210,378 | 0.391 | 22.4% | 59.7% | 17.6% | 5.5% |
| 22 | Oxnard | 201,014 | 0.114 | 36.9% | 77.0% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
| 23 | Huntington Beach | 196,010 | 0.509 | 64.3% | 19.4% | 1.3% | 12.6% |
| 24 | Glendale | 192,270 | 0.479 | 67.4% | 18.5% | 1.7% | 13.3% |
| 25 | Ontario | 178,347 | 0.292 | 29.4% | 68.3% | 6.4% | 8.6% |
| 26 | Elk Grove | 177,221 | 0.708 | 34.9% | 18.0% | 10.9% | 31.8% |
| 27 | Santa Rosa | 177,216 | 0.494 | 56.2% | 35.8% | 1.9% | 6.5% |
| 28 | Rancho Cucamonga | 174,693 | 0.579 | 44.0% | 38.5% | 8.3% | 15.4% |
| 29 | Oceanside | 172,542 | 0.499 | 52.9% | 38.5% | 4.2% | 7.4% |
| 30 | Garden Grove | 170,603 | 0.566 | 28.4% | 37.6% | 1.3% | 41.6% |
| 31 | Lancaster | 170,013 | 0.543 | 35.5% | 45.9% | 21.4% | 4.0% |
| 32 | Palmdale | 165,487 | 0.359 | 31.8% | 62.8% | 13.7% | 4.5% |
| 33 | Salinas | 161,993 | 0.000 | 21.8% | 80.3% | 1.4% | 5.7% |
| 34 | Hayward | 159,201 | 0.619 | 19.6% | 40.9% | 9.0% | 29.6% |
| 35 | Corona | 158,839 | 0.495 | 41.6% | 48.3% | 5.3% | 11.5% |
| 36 | Sunnyvale | 153,455 | 0.620 | 30.4% | 16.7% | 1.5% | 49.4% |
| 37 | Roseville | 152,438 | 0.482 | 67.4% | 16.5% | 2.3% | 13.1% |
| 38 | Escondido | 149,913 | 0.417 | 47.1% | 51.7% | 2.3% | 7.0% |
| 39 | Pomona | 148,391 | 0.235 | 22.7% | 71.5% | 5.3% | 11.1% |
| 40 | Torrance | 143,499 | 0.656 | 36.4% | 19.3% | 3.5% | 38.7% |
| 41 | Visalia | 142,649 | 0.404 | 49.3% | 51.7% | 2.5% | 6.5% |
| 42 | Fullerton | 141,278 | 0.554 | 43.0% | 39.6% | 2.1% | 24.5% |
| 43 | Orange | 138,723 | 0.488 | 53.6% | 40.0% | 1.6% | 13.1% |
| 44 | Pasadena | 136,462 | 0.622 | 41.4% | 34.1% | 7.7% | 17.8% |
| 45 | Victorville | 135,983 | 0.448 | 36.5% | 55.3% | 17.1% | 4.4% |
| 46 | Santa Clara | 129,239 | 0.631 | 31.9% | 16.1% | 2.1% | 47.6% |
| 47 | Simi Valley | 125,769 | 0.484 | 63.3% | 27.1% | 1.4% | 10.7% |
| 48 | Thousand Oaks | 125,676 | 0.462 | 68.3% | 19.8% | 2.0% | 9.6% |
| 49 | Vallejo | 124,637 | 0.707 | 27.3% | 30.0% | 17.4% | 22.9% |
| 50 | Concord | 124,260 | 0.589 | 48.1% | 32.3% | 3.9% | 13.4% |
Most Diverse Cities in California
Source: U.S. Census ACSThe table below ranks cities in California by their diversity index, from most diverse to least. A higher diversity index means the population is more evenly distributed across racial and ethnic groups. Marin City leads with a diversity index of 0.734, meaning there is a high probability that two randomly chosen residents belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
| Rank | City | Population | Diversity Index | % White | % Hispanic | % Black | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marin City | 3,597 | 0.734 | 32.0% | 17.5% | 21.4% | 25.5% |
| 2 | Emeryville | 12,756 | 0.713 | 38.0% | 10.1% | 18.9% | 29.7% |
| 3 | Fairview | 10,033 | 0.712 | 37.6% | 22.2% | 14.2% | 20.4% |
| 4 | Elk Grove | 177,221 | 0.708 | 34.9% | 18.0% | 10.9% | 31.8% |
| 5 | Vallejo | 124,637 | 0.707 | 27.3% | 30.0% | 17.4% | 22.9% |
| 6 | Rodeo | 8,735 | 0.707 | 31.9% | 27.3% | 15.5% | 21.8% |
| 7 | Oakland | 438,072 | 0.703 | 30.5% | 28.9% | 21.1% | 15.5% |
| 8 | Hercules | 26,245 | 0.702 | 16.8% | 14.8% | 18.7% | 43.9% |
| 9 | Suisun City | 29,205 | 0.699 | 28.2% | 31.1% | 21.3% | 17.4% |
| 10 | Tara Hills | 4,912 | 0.698 | 30.7% | 28.7% | 13.1% | 23.3% |
| 11 | Pinole | 18,835 | 0.696 | 33.7% | 27.4% | 12.1% | 24.8% |
| 12 | Florin | 49,536 | 0.695 | 19.3% | 29.8% | 10.8% | 34.9% |
| 13 | Vineyard | 42,645 | 0.692 | 27.9% | 20.0% | 10.1% | 39.9% |
| 14 | San Leandro | 88,531 | 0.683 | 25.3% | 28.8% | 9.9% | 35.1% |
| 15 | Sacramento | 524,802 | 0.683 | 36.8% | 29.5% | 12.4% | 19.7% |
| 16 | Chilcoot-Vinton | 377 | 0.680 | 46.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 17 | Castro Valley | 65,389 | 0.680 | 38.3% | 17.6% | 8.7% | 34.1% |
| 18 | Alameda | 76,876 | 0.673 | 43.4% | 14.2% | 6.1% | 30.3% |
| 19 | Fairfield | 119,985 | 0.672 | 36.0% | 31.8% | 15.3% | 17.4% |
| 20 | San Francisco | 836,321 | 0.668 | 40.5% | 15.9% | 5.1% | 35.0% |
California Average Racial Composition
Avg. White
60.4%
across all cities
Avg. Hispanic
33.0%
across all cities
Avg. Black
2.5%
across all cities
Avg. Asian
6.8%
across all cities
Averages are computed as the unweighted mean across all 1,553 cities with data. Population-weighted state-level figures may differ.