The label “Asian American and Pacific Islander” spans dozens of distinct communities on the Central Coast. The differences in their languages, economic positions, and needs matter as much as what they share. Filipino, Chinese, and Indian communities together accounted for nearly 60 percent of the region’s Asian American and Pacific Islander residents in 2021. Filipino Americans were the largest group at 23 percent, followed by Chinese Americans (18 percent) and Indian Americans (14 percent).

Santa Barbara County’s two largest Asian American and Pacific Islander communities were Chinese and Filipino Americans in 2021, making up nearly half the county’s Asian American and Pacific Islander population. Ventura County was home to about 1,000 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents, the largest such community in the tri-county region. San Luis Obispo County had a small Pakistani community of about 200 residents.

Disaggregated data matters because lumping dozens of communities under one umbrella erases the specific barriers and strengths each group faces. Language access, small business support, and health services need to reflect which communities live where and what they actually need.

Insights & Analyses: Central Coast

• Among the Asian American or Pacific Islander population across the tri-county region, Filipino, Chinese, and Indian populations are the largest communities. 
• In the Central Coast region, there are about 21,200 Filipino Americans, 17,100 Chinese Americans, and 13,200 Indian Americans. These communities make up 23 percent, 18 percent, and 14 percent of AAPI residents respectively, or nearly three-fifths of the AAPI community.

Insights & Analyses: San Luis Obispo County

• San Luis Obispo County has a small, but sizable Pakistani community, with about 200 residents. 

Insights & Analyses: Santa Barbara County

• There are about 6,000 Chinese Americans and 4,400 Filipino Americans in Santa Barbara County. These communities make up 25 percent and 19 percent of AAPI residents respectively, or nearly half of the total AAPI population.

Insights & Analyses: Ventura County

• Though Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders live in many areas across the tri-county region, Ventura County has the largest community of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the region with about 1,000 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders residents in the county.