Ethnic groups in Los Angeles facts for kids
Los Angeles is a huge city, and it's known for being a melting pot of cultures! This means people from all over the world live here, making it a very diverse place. Over the years, the number of people from different backgrounds has changed a lot. For example, in the 1990s and 2000s, official counts showed that non-Hispanic white people became a smaller part of the population. By 2010, about half of the city's residents were Latinos. This group grew quite a bit from earlier years.
Here's a quick look at the different groups living in Los Angeles around 2005-2009:
- White people: 41.3% (about 29.4% were non-Hispanic white)
- Hispanic or Latino people (from any race): 47.5%
- Black or African American people: 9.8%
- Native American people: 0.5%
- Asian people: 10.7%
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander people: 0.2%
- Other groups: 25.2%
- Two or more races: 2.8%
Most people in Los Angeles (about 59.4%) were born in the United States. A smaller group (0.9%) were born in places like Puerto Rico or to American parents living abroad. About 39.7% of the people living in Los Angeles were born in other countries. Most of these foreign-born residents (64.5%) came from Latin America. A good number (26.3%) were born in Asia. Smaller groups came from Europe (6.5%), Africa (1.5%), North America (0.9%), and Oceania (0.3%).
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Hispanic/Latinos in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has had a strong Mexican cultural presence since it was first settled in 1769. Mexican-Americans have been one of the largest groups in the city for a long time, even since the 1910s. Many Mexican immigrants and Mexicans born in the U.S. Southwest moved to Los Angeles between 1915 and 1960. They came because the city's industries were growing fast. This movement was biggest in the 1920s and again during World War II (1941–45).
The city's first neighborhoods for Mexican-Americans, called barrios, were in the eastern part of the city and in East Los Angeles. The number of Hispanic people in the city really started to grow in 1970. This growth sped up in the 1980s and 1990s as more people arrived from Mexico and Central America. Many came from countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. These new residents often settled in the eastern and southern parts of the city.
Salvadoran Americans are the second-largest Hispanic group in Los Angeles. In fact, Los Angeles has the biggest Salvadoran population outside of El Salvador itself! Many of these people came as refugees in the 1980s and 1990s because of the Salvadoran Civil War. By 2000, South Los Angeles had become mostly Latino, with many African-American and Asian-American residents moving out. People often say Los Angeles has the largest Mexican population outside of Mexico. It also has the biggest Spanish-speaking population outside of Latin America or Spain. In 2007, it was estimated that between 50,000 and 250,000 people from the Mexican state of Oaxaca lived in Los Angeles. Other groups from Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and South America are also part of the city's diverse population.
In 2015, an article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper said that 44% of the city's population was Hispanic or Latino. This suggested that the growth rate had slowed down in the 2010s.
Today, many second and third-generation Mexican-Americans are moving out of Los Angeles. They are going to nearby suburbs like Ventura County, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire region. At the same time, new Mexican and other Hispanic immigrants have moved into East and South Los Angeles. Sometimes, Asian immigrants have also moved into older barrios, turning them into mostly Asian-American areas. Since the late 1980s, Downey has become a well-known Latino-majority community in Southern California. Most of the people who moved there were middle or upper-middle class, and they were second and third-generation Mexican-Americans.
Asians and Pacific Islanders
Asians in Los Angeles
A report from 2010 showed that Los Angeles County had almost 1.5 million Asian Americans. Between 2000 and 2010, the Asian population in the county grew by 20%.
In 2010, 13 cities and towns within Los Angeles County had a majority Asian population. The city of Los Angeles itself had the largest number of Asian residents, with nearly 500,000. The city with the highest percentage of Asian people was Monterey Park, where 68% of residents were Asian. The city of Arcadia saw the biggest increase in its Asian population in the county, growing by 38% from 2000 to 2010.
As of 2010, Los Angeles County has the largest populations of people from Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Sri Lanka, and Thailand outside of their home countries. The biggest Asian groups in Los Angeles County are the Chinese and the Filipinos. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of Bangladeshi Americans grew by a huge 122%. Other South Asian groups like Indian Americans and Pakistani Americans also saw fast growth.
In 2010, about 70% of Japanese Americans were born in the U.S. This was the highest rate among Asian ethnic groups. Also, 19% of Japanese Americans were senior citizens, which was also the highest rate. The Japanese American population grew by only 1% from 2000-2010, which was the slowest growth rate among the Asian groups.
Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles
A report from 2010 showed that Los Angeles County had over 54,000 Pacific Islanders. This population grew by 9% between 2000 and 2010. In 2010, the city of Los Angeles had 15,000 Pacific Islanders, which was the largest number in the county. The city of Carson had the highest percentage of Pacific Islanders compared to its total population. The number of Pacific Islanders in Glendale grew by 74% from 2000 to 2010, which was the biggest increase in the county.
The number of Fijian Americans in the county grew by 68% between 2000 and 2010, making them the fastest-growing Pacific Islander group. As of 2013, Los Angeles County has the largest population of Native Hawaiians who were not born in Hawaii, living on the mainland United States.
White Residents
Middle Easterners in Los Angeles
Groups from the Middle East living in Los Angeles include people of Arab, Armenian, Iranian, and Israeli backgrounds. The U.S. Census counts these groups as "White."
In 1990, more than half of Middle Eastern men in Los Angeles had professional or management jobs. Women from Middle Eastern backgrounds were less likely to have these types of jobs. Many Middle Eastern immigrants in Los Angeles own their own businesses.
Arabs in Los Angeles
In 1990, about 80,000 Arabs lived in the Los Angeles area. This was about 9% of all Arabs in the United States. It was one of the largest Arab populations in the country, besides the Detroit area. In 1996, most Arabs moved to Los Angeles for economic reasons, meaning they were looking for better jobs and opportunities.
Most Arabs in Los Angeles come from Egypt and Lebanon. However, there are also Arabs from other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Many Arabs in Los Angeles are Muslim, but some are Christian or Jewish.
In 1996, more than 50% of Arab managers and professionals in Los Angeles owned their own businesses.
The New Horizon School in South Pasadena is a private Muslim school. It was started in 1984 with help from the Islamic Center of Southern California. In 1988, 80% of its students were Muslim. The school taught Arabic language for one hour every day.
Israelis in Los Angeles
In 1990, about 20,000 Israelis lived in the Los Angeles area. This was 17% of all Israelis in the United States. It was the second-largest Israeli population after New York City. In 1996, like Arabs, most Israelis moved to Los Angeles for economic reasons.
In 1996, most immigrants from Israel to Los Angeles were Jewish people who spoke Hebrew.
In 1996, more than 50% of Israeli managers and professionals in Los Angeles owned their own businesses.
Other Groups
Native Americans and Alaskan Natives are a small but important part of Los Angeles's population. This includes groups from Latin America. Los Angeles is believed to have the largest "Urban Indian" community in the United States, with over 100,000 people. These people belong to more than 100 different tribal nations. For example, there are between 2,000 and 25,000 members of the Cherokee Nation living in the city and county. The local Chumash tribe's original homeland included the Los Angeles Basin and the Central Coast of California. Native Americans in Los Angeles, like in other parts of the country, are sometimes called an "invisible minority" in the news.
Ethnic Neighborhoods
Los Angeles has many special neighborhoods called "ethnic enclaves." These are areas where people from a certain background tend to live and have businesses that reflect their culture. They show how many different cultures are mixed together in Los Angeles. Some examples include:
- Chinatown
- Historic Filipinotown
- Koreatown
- Little Armenia
- Little Ethiopia
- Little Bangladesh in Central Los Angeles
- Little Moscow in Hollywood
- Little Tokyo
- Several Little Saigons
- Tehrangeles in West Los Angeles
- Thai Town
How Los Angeles's Population Changed Over Time
Historically, not many people from Europe moved to Los Angeles through its ports like San Pedro, Long Beach, and Venice. In the first half of the 1900s, there were neighborhoods for Irish, Italian, Greek, Croatian, Serbian, Polish, German, Portuguese, and Armenian people. These were in areas like Bunker Hill and Boyle/Lincoln Heights.
Los Angeles has a long history of Jewish residents. In the early 1900s, they had neighborhoods on the East side of Los Angeles. Today, Jewish people in Los Angeles usually live on the West side and in the San Fernando Valley.
In the 1870s, Mormons from Utah were asked to move to the Los Angeles area. They helped the local economy grow. In the 1930s, thousands of "Okies" and other white people from rural areas moved to Los Angeles. They were displaced by the Dust Bowl and settled in neighborhoods like Arroyo Seco and Elysian Park.
After World War II (from 1945 onwards), most white residents in these older neighborhoods moved. They went to other parts of the city, like the San Fernando Valley and Westwood, Los Angeles. Many also moved to nearby suburbs such as Orange County and Simi Valley in Ventura County, as well as other parts of Southern California.
