US Cities with the most Chinese Mandarin Speakers

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Perhaps the only people with a presence in almost all cities in the world are the Chinese. They have a way of making wherever they go their permanent homes. Consequently, you can hardly find a city worldwide where Chinese School transcripts translation services are not in demand.

A phenomenon called “Chinese Diaspora” is largely responsible for this state of affairs. Starting from the early to mid-19th century, the rapid migration of the Chinese from their motherland created large communities of Mandarin speakers in the diaspora.

It, therefore, does not come as a surprise that in almost every metropolis in the world, particularly in the corridors of justice, there is an ever-rising need for a Mandarin interpreter for court proceedings and other related court services.

The Largest Concentration of Mandarin Speakers outside China

Although the global dispersal of the Chinese is phenomenal, considered from an international perspective, the largest concentration of Mandarin speakers outside China is in the USA. Perhaps that explains why there is huge pressure on the US immigration department for Chinese Document Translation services

And due to the tight competition for the dominance of the world economy between China and the USA, the Chinese-American population is burgeoning almost daily. Of all the metropolises in the US, New York City hosts the largest percentage of Mandarin speakers.

The Influences of Chinese Culture on the Global Economy

In addition, since the city is the international finance capital, it does not come as a surprise that the influences of Chinese culture are making important contributions to the global community. In tandem with the specialized requirements of the technologically globalized advanced economies, the migrant workers and businesspersons from China have spearheaded the evolution of the multi-skilled and multi-class profile of migrants.

However, the major factors that have traditionally driven people from China abroad are religious and economic concerns. To understand how this plays out, let us look at the number of Chinese immigrants who have made certain cities in the USA their permanent homes.

The Number of Chinese Speakers in Specific Cities in the USA

As has been mentioned elsewhere in this article (see paragraph 5 above) New York is the city in the US with the largest number of Mandarin speakers. It has a Chinese population of about 798,000. Interestingly, outside Asia, San Francisco is regarded as the largest Chinatown although the number of Mandarin speakers is slightly over half a million at 519,000.

Los Angeles City comes second to New York with a Mandarin population of almost 604,000. Lastly, among the top five cities with the largest Chinese population, San Jose, CA comes 5th with a population nearing 195,000.

Other cities with a significant presence of Mandarin speakers are Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle, Honolulu, and Houston.

Why Do the Chinese Prefer Some Cities to Others in the USA?

It has already been noted here that religious and economic considerations have largely contributed to the wave of Chinese migrants into the USA. Nevertheless, not all immigrants end up in the same places. So, why do the Chinese prefer some cities?

Let us look at the New York metropolitan area. Being an alpha global city, it attracts a large number of people from Mainland China. Economic adventurers and entrepreneurs looking to make it big financial find the economic bustle of New York attractive.

Another reason why the Chinese are more concentrated in some cities than others is fear. During the early years of Chinese influx into the USA, anxiety by the whites led to violent anti-Chinese movements. This triggered an exodus of Mandarin speakers from the West eastwards.

An interesting fact about the Chinese-Americans in the maintenance of their cultural identity is clustering. Whereas it was initially thought they would lose their unique identity in occupational hierarchies, to date the Mandarin speakers have held onto their cultural distinctiveness.

Have you ever wondered why there are Chinatowns almost in every city?