Where Do the Most Korean Americans Live?
About 1,495,031 people of Korean origin live in the United States, and the map of where they settle has a clear center of gravity. That center is Southern California. The Los Angeles metro area counts 301,853 residents of Korean origin, more than any other place in the country by a wide margin, and it holds the original Koreatown, the neighborhood that became the cultural anchor for Korean life in America.
Largest Korean populations by metro area
| Rank | Metro area | Korean residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA | 301,853 |
| 2 | New York, NY | 197,360 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | 86,889 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | 61,219 |
| 5 | Atlanta, GA | 52,147 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | 52,132 |
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | 50,429 |
| 8 | Dallas, TX | 41,486 |
Largest Korean populations by city
| Rank | City | Korean residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA | 103,060 |
| 2 | New York, NY | 78,451 |
| 3 | Irvine, CA | 22,442 |
| 4 | Fullerton, CA | 16,851 |
| 5 | San Jose, CA | 16,751 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | 14,832 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | 12,805 |
| 8 | San Francisco, CA | 12,159 |
No other metro comes close to Los Angeles. The New York area ranks second with 197,360, and the Washington, DC area ranks third with 86,889. After that the totals step down again: Seattle has 61,219, Atlanta has 52,147, and Chicago has 52,132, a near tie. The San Francisco area follows with 50,429 and Dallas with 41,486.
Los Angeles and the original Koreatown
The city of Los Angeles alone is home to 103,060 people of Korean origin, the largest count of any city in the country. Korean immigrants began building the Koreatown district west of downtown in the 1960s and 1970s, and it grew into a dense commercial and residential core with Korean-owned banks, restaurants, churches, and newspapers. That concentration explains why the Los Angeles metro total towers over every other region, and why California carries so much of the national picture.
The second-largest city count belongs to New York at 78,451. New York's Korean community has its own long history, from the produce markets of the 1980s to the Korean business corridor along 32nd Street in Manhattan and the large community across the river in northern New Jersey.
The suburban shift to Orange County and Atlanta
The newer story is suburban. Two Orange County cities now rank among the top eight nationally: Irvine with 22,442 and Fullerton with 16,851. These are planned, affluent suburbs south of Los Angeles, and their growth reflects a broader move outward from the old urban core toward good schools and newer housing. San Jose (16,751), San Diego (14,832), Chicago (12,805), and San Francisco (12,159) round out the largest city counts.
Atlanta is the clearest example of a fast-growing new center. Its metro count of 52,147 puts it ahead of Chicago and San Francisco, driven by suburban communities north of the city in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. The South, long outside the traditional Korean immigrant map, has become one of its growth edges.
California holds nearly a third
At the state level the pattern is even starker. California is home to 469,485 people of Korean origin, close to a third of the entire national total of 1,495,031. That single state outweighs the next several combined. New York ranks second with 119,941, followed by New Jersey at 100,766 and Texas at 90,252. Virginia (75,053) and Washington (72,269) fill out the top six, and both owe much of their totals to a single metro, the Washington, DC region for Virginia and the Seattle region for Washington.
Read together, the numbers describe a population that is still heavily anchored in a few places but spreading fast into suburbs and new regions. Los Angeles remains the hub, with more than 300,000 people in its metro and over 100,000 in the city itself. New York and Washington form a strong Eastern presence. And the growth stories, from Irvine and Fullerton to Atlanta's northern suburbs, point to where the next decade of settlement is heading.
To see the full order of places, browse the largest Korean population metros, the largest Korean population cities, and the largest Korean population states. You can also line up any two places side by side with the compare tool to see how their Korean populations stack up.
Sources
Population figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Rankings referenced in this article: largest Korean population metros, largest Korean population cities, and largest Korean population states.
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Which U.S. metro area has the most Korean Americans?
The Los Angeles metro area leads with 301,853 people of Korean origin, more than any other region and well ahead of second-place New York at 197,360.
Which city has the largest Korean American population?
The city of Los Angeles has the largest count at 103,060 people of Korean origin, home to the original Koreatown. New York is second with 78,451.
Which state has the most Korean Americans?
California has the most, with 469,485 people of Korean origin, close to a third of the national total of 1,495,031. New York (119,941) and New Jersey (100,766) rank second and third.
