Filipino Community in America
4.4 million Filipinos.
Find your city.
4.4 million Filipino Americans have made the United States home — through nursing pipelines, military service, family petitions, and the determination to build something lasting. The parishes, the Filipino grocery stores, the kababayan networks are already in place in every major city. Find the one where your people are already settled.
Choose your city
Los Angeles
400,000+ Filipino Americans • Carson, Historic Filipinotown, Cerritos
Explore LA Guide →San Francisco Bay Area
380,000+ Filipino Americans • Daly City (33% Filipino), Vallejo, South SF
Explore Bay Area Guide →San Diego
200,000+ Filipino Americans • National City, Mira Mesa, Chula Vista
Explore San Diego Guide →Houston
70,000+ Filipino Americans • Alief, Missouri City, Sugar Land
Explore Houston Guide →Chicago
130,000+ Filipino Americans • Albany Park, Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove
Explore Chicago Guide →New York & New Jersey
250,000+ Filipino Americans • Woodside Queens, Jersey City, Bergenfield
Explore NYC · NJ Guide →What Makes Each City Different
Filipino Americans have built distinct communities in each metro — shaped by when they arrived, which industries brought them, and what neighborhoods became home.
Los Angeles
Largest Filipino community in the US • 400,000+ in the metro • Historic Filipinotown, Carson, Cerritos, Eagle Rock
LA has the largest Filipino population in the US — a community built over generations, with the entertainment industry, healthcare sector, and the year-round warm weather as draws. Historic Filipinotown (Hi-Fi) is the designated cultural district. Carson and Cerritos have deep Filipino residential communities. The community spans Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano, and every other regional background.
San Francisco Bay Area
Daly City is the “Pinoy Capital” of America • 380,000+ in the metro • Highest RN salaries in the US ($135K–$214K)
Daly City is 33%+ Filipino — the highest concentration of any major American city. SOMA Pilipinas is an officially designated Filipino Cultural Heritage District in San Francisco. The Manilatown history, UCSF Medical nursing pipeline, and some of the highest RN salaries anywhere in the world make the Bay Area a consistent top destination. South San Francisco, Union City, and Vallejo round out the Filipino residential map.
San Diego
Deep US Navy roots • 200,000+ in the metro • National City as historic Filipino hub • Climate closest to home
Filipino sailors have served in the US Navy since the early 1900s, and San Diego — home of the Pacific Fleet — has the deepest military-Filipino history of any American city. National City has been the Filipino center for decades. The climate is the closest to the Philippines of any major metro. Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health, and UCSD Health are the major nursing employers.
Houston
Texas Medical Center • 70,000+ in the metro • No state income tax • Weather familiar to Filipinos
Houston’s Texas Medical Center is the world’s largest medical complex — a major draw for Filipino healthcare professionals. No state income tax means a nurse earning $85,000 keeps significantly more than in California or New York. The humid heat is familiar. The Filipino community is centered in Alief, Missouri City, and Sugar Land, with a growing community infrastructure.
Chicago
Oldest Filipino settlement on the US mainland • 130,000+ in the metro • Deep healthcare roots
Chicago has the oldest continuous Filipino settlement on the US mainland — a community with deep healthcare roots in Northwestern Memorial, Rush, and Advocate Health. Albany Park, Edgewater, Skokie, Niles, and Morton Grove are the Filipino residential centers. Affordable Midwest living, a strong community organization history, and a large Jollibee presence make Chicago a consistent choice for Filipino families.
New York & New Jersey
Woodside Queens is “Little Manila” • 250,000+ in the metro • Philippine Independence Day Parade • NYC hospital nursing pipeline
Woodside, Queens has the most concentrated Filipino commercial district on the East Coast. The Philippine Independence Day Parade along Madison Avenue is the largest outside the Philippines. The NYC hospital system — NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian — has the most active Filipino nursing pipeline on the East Coast. Bergenfield, NJ has a major suburban Filipino community for families.
How to Choose the Right City
Every Filipino family has different priorities. Here are the key factors that matter most.
Healthcare & Nursing Careers
Nursing is the single largest pathway for Filipino immigrants to the United States. Filipino nurses make up roughly 20% of all registered nurses in California and have a major presence in every metro on this list. If you are a nurse, the Bay Area and New York offer the highest salaries ($135,000–$214,000), while Houston and Chicago offer lower cost of living that stretches your paycheck further. San Diego and LA have strong hospital systems with well-established Filipino nursing networks.
Cost of Living vs. Salary
A nurse earning $140,000 in the Bay Area may keep less than a nurse earning $85,000 in Houston after taxes and rent. California and New York have high state income taxes (up to 13.3% and 10.9% respectively), while Texas has zero state income tax. Our city guides compare real purchasing power, not just gross salaries.
Community & Cultural Life
Having access to Seafood City, Jollibee, a Filipino church community, basketball leagues, and kababayan who speak your language makes an enormous difference in how quickly you feel at home. All six cities on this list have strong Filipino infrastructure, but the depth varies. LA and the Bay Area have the most established communities with decades of Filipino businesses and cultural institutions. Houston and Chicago are growing fast.
Climate
If you are coming from the Philippines, San Diego and Houston will feel the most familiar — warm, humid, and similar to home. LA is warm but dry. The Bay Area is surprisingly cool (Daly City fog is no joke). New York has cold winters but beautiful summers. Chicago winters are genuinely harsh. Each guide includes climate comparisons to the Philippines.
Military & Navy Connections
The Filipino-American community has deep military roots, especially in the US Navy. San Diego is the historic center of this connection, with Filipino sailors serving since the early 1900s. If you are a military family or veteran, San Diego offers the strongest support network and veteran community.
You know who you are.
We know where your people went.
Kapwa. The Filipino sense of shared identity. Every city guide is built around it — the specific neighborhood, the Seafood City, the parish, the basketball league, the kababayan network your family will need from day one.
Find my community →Your community already figured
out where to go.
6 city guides. All Filipino. All free, no signup.
Explore All Guides →