Southwest Asian / North African

Alameda County

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Demographics

Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA), often referred to as Middle Eastern and North African or MENA, communities make up a vibrant and multifaceted population who enrich California’s cultural, economic, and social fabric. Though there are many throughlines within California’s SWANA population, these communities have a breadth of racial, religious, immigrant, and ancestral backgrounds.

Overview for Southwest Asian / North African residents in Alameda County

Color Key; Population

Color Key; Smaller Population light Purple - Larger Population dark Purple

American Community Survey Estimates, Table DP05 (2017-2021)

Alpine County

39.2%

366employed people

Why View Data Through Lens Of A Single Race / Ethnicity

Historically, SWANA individuals have been rendered invisible in data collection and public discourse. In 2025, the RACE COUNTS team at Catalyst California released a groundbreaking report on SWANA Californians using innovative methods to work with the limited data available. In the next few years, there will be a significant increase in SWANA data available as a result of federal agencies adding SWANA to the standard race categories for data collection.

Alameda

Southwest Asian / North African

Alameda County

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Select Place

Demographics

Overview for Southwest Asian / North African residents in Alameda County

Why View Data Through Lens Of A Single Race / Ethnicity

Key Takeaways.

Democracy

Economic Opportunity

Education

Health Care Access

Healthy Built Environment

Housing

Safety and Justice