Chinese Americans are numerous in San Francisco, East Bay, South Bay, Sacramento, and the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County. The San Francisco Bay Area has a greater concentration of Cantonese-speaking Chinese. Southern California has perhaps the largest Taiwanese American community in the United States particularly in San Gabriel Valley, and in Cerritos, West Covina, Irvine (in Orange County), and some in the South Bay, Los Angeles Area.
The list of cities in California with a Chinese-American population in excess of one percent of the total population.
| San Francisco, California | 19.6% (152,620) |
| Oakland, California | 8.0% (31,834) |
| San Jose, California | 5.7% (51,109) |
| Sacramento, California | 4.8% (19,425) |
| San Diego, California | 2.3% (27,684) |
| Los Angeles, California | 1.7% (63,075) |
| Fremont, California | 14.4% (29,240) |
| Daly City, California | 13.6% |
| Irvine, California | 10.5% |
| Sunnyvale, California | 9.56% (12,597) |
| Berkeley, California | 7.4% (7,585) |
With a Chinese American population of more than 400,000 in Los Angeles County, the majority are within the San Gabriel Valley, which are particularly noted for cities that have a Chinese American ethnic majority. The following cities have the highest percentage of Chinese Americans among the 40 cities that make up the San Gabriel Valley.
| Monterey Park, California | 41.2% (24,758) | Predominantly Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese |
| San Marino, California | 40.6% (5,260) | Taiwanese |
| Arcadia, California | 34.0% (18,041) | Taiwanese, Mainland Chinese |
| San Gabriel, California | 33.6% (13,376) | Mainland Chinese |
| East San Gabriel, California (unincorporated, but it has a San Gabriel post office) |
28.2% (4,096) | |
| Alhambra, California | 33.1% (28,437) | Mainland Chinese |
| Rosemead, California | 29.3% (15,678) | Mainland Chinese |
| Rowland Heights, California | 29.0% (14,057) | Taiwanese, growing number of Mainland Chinese |
| Walnut, California | 28.6% (8,590) | Taiwanese |
| Temple City, California | 27.9% (9,322) | Taiwanese |
| Hacienda Heights, California | 22.4% (11,921) | Taiwanese |
| Diamond Bar, California | 17.9% (10,091) | Taiwanese |
| El Monte, California | 10.3% | Mainland Chinese |
| Cerritos, California | 15% | Taiwanese |
| Cupertino, California | 23.8% (12,031) | Taiwanese |
| Millbrae, California | 16.5% | Hong Kong Chinese |
| Foster City, California | 16.3% | Taiwanese |
| Milpitas, California | 12.9% | Taiwanese, Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese (Milpitas, California has one of the most regionally diverse Chinese populations in the United States.) |
| San Leandro, California | 10.1% (8,147) | Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese |
Also see Chinese Demographics in America