Overall, the personal characteristics of Chinese Americans in the Bay Area differ little from those in other parts of the
United States.
10
The median age of 38-39 years is slightly older than the national median of 35 years. The proportion
of men and women was similar regardless of place of residence, about 52 percent female. About 59 percent of
Chinese Americans over the age of 15 years in the Bay Area are married, compared with 56 percent in California and
the United States as a whole. As shown in Table 4, over half the Chinese American population has attained a
bachelor's degree or higher.
Table 4: Highest Education Attained Among Chinese Americans of Population 25 Years and Over, by
Place of Residence, 2010
Highest Educational Attainment
United States (n=2,576,776)
California (n=987,642)
Bay Area (n=443,250)
Less than high school diploma
17.9%
17.5%
19.3%
High School graduate
15.1%
13.1%
12.7%
Some college or associate's degree
15.7%
17.8%
16.3%
Bachelor's degree
25.8%
29.9%
28.8%
Graduate or professional degree
25.5%
21.6%
22.9%
Source: 2008-2010 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau
As can be seen in Table 5, the Chinese American populations in three of the five counties (Contra Costa, San Mateo
and Santa Clara) report higher median household income than does the population of the U.S. and of the state of
California. The median income of Chinese Americans in Alameda County is similar to that of the state overall, while in
San Francisco it is somewhat lower than for both California and the U.S. as a whole.
Table 5: Selected Economic Indicators for Chinese Americans, by Place of Residence, 2010
Place of Residence
Median Household Income
United States
$67,117
California
$74,774
Alameda County
$75,699
Contra Costa County
$95,133
San Francisco City/County
$59,334
San Mateo County
$104,282
Santa Clara County
$112,255
Source: 2008-2010 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau
APPENDIX A (con't)
APPENDIX A (con't)
10
Note: In the remainder of this section, references to "national" or "state" figures are to the Chinese-origin populations residing therein, not the general U.S. population.
Nationally, the U.S. Census-defined sectors in which the largest percentage of the Chinese American population is
employed are services, including education and health care, followed by professional occupations and
manufacturing. The state and county figures are similar, except for Santa Clara County, which has a notably higher
proportion of the workforce in manufacturing (Table 6).
Table 6: Selected Industries of Chinese American Civilians Employed Population Over Age 16, by Place
of Residence, 2010
Place of Residence
Manufacturing
Professional, scientific,
management, and administrative
Educational services, and health
care and social assistance
United States (n=1,898,916)
11.8%
13.7%
21.8%
California (n=677,255)
14.3%
14.9%
19.4%
Alameda County (n=74,329)
18.1%
16.9%
19.0%
Contra Costa County (n=22,405)
9.9%
16.2%
21.4%
San Francisco City/County (n=85,971)
7.5%
11.5%
18.1%
San Mateo County (n=38,823)
9.9%
18.4%
16.5%
Santa Clara County (n=81,232)
32.2%
21.8%
14.1%
Source: 2008-2010 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau
SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
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SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION