Where MENA Ancestry Groups Work in California: Industries, Neighborhoods, and Community Hubs

California is home to the largest MENA population in the U.S. (about 740,000 people reporting MENA alone or in combination). MENA-origin workers in the state and nationwide are concentrated in professional & technical occupations (management, business, science, arts), sales & office, and small business / self-employment (retail, restaurants), with meaningful representation in health care, education, and hospitality/service.

Geographic hubs include Los Angeles, Orange County (Little Arabia/Anaheim), San Francisco Bay Area, and other metro clusters. The data cannot identify religion (Muslim vs Christian) — only ancestry and occupation — so any religious breakdown requires targeted surveys.

1) What the official data actually tells us

• Population size & where they live: The 2020 Census first allowed people to identify as MENA; California reported the largest MENA population (≈740,219 people). Major metro hubs for Arab/MENA populations include the Los Angeles metro area and other large metropolitan regions.

• Employment data available: U.S. Census / ACS and academic summaries report industry and occupation but do not record religion. Therefore we can say where people who report MENA ancestry work (by occupation and industry), but we cannot say which workers are Muslim without separate surveys.

2) Main occupational patterns for MENA-origin workers (national & California-relevant findings)

Multiple analyses of immigrant labor and MENA-origin workers show consistent patterns:

• Management, business, science, and arts occupations (professional & technical). Migration Policy’s review of MENA immigrants finds a larger share employed in these higher-skill occupations (about 46% of MENA immigrant workers), reflecting a strong presence in STEM, engineering, medicine, academia, and managerial roles. This is visible in California’s tech, medical, and university economies.

• Sales and office occupations. Roughly 20% of MENA immigrants work in sales and office roles (banking, clerical, retail management, etc.), sectors common in metro labor markets.

• Self-employment and small business ownership. Pew and community reports show notable self-employment rates among Muslim and Arab-origin populations (food service, grocery stores, specialty imports, halal markets, and small retail). In many California neighborhoods MENA entrepreneurs run bakeries, restaurants, grocery and import shops.

• Health care & social assistance. California’s major employment sector — health care — employs many immigrants, including MENA-origin professionals (nurses, technicians) and support staff. Community-serving roles are common.

• Hospitality & food service. Restaurants, catering and food-service roles (including owner-operators) are an important employer for community members, especially where Middle Eastern culinary businesses cluster. to find MENA-origin workers across the spectrum — from physicians and software engineers in the Bay Area and LA, to small-business owners and food-service workers in Little Arabia / local commercial corridors, to health-care workers across county systems.

3) Geographic clustering in California (where MENA workers concentrate)

• Greater Los Angeles metro: A major hub for Arab/MENA-origin communities and employers — from professional offices and hospitals to restaurants and retail corridors. Los Angeles metro remains a primary concentration.

• Orange County — Little Arabia (Anaheim / Brookhurst Street corridor): A dense commercial and cultural cluster of Arab businesses — bakeries, restaurants, markets and service shops — and therefore a local employment hub. San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley: Strong representation of MENA-origin professionals in tech, engineering, research, and universities. Migration Policy notes high shares of MENA in management, business, science occupations — sectors that map onto Bay Area employment.

• Other pockets: Inland Empire, San Diego area and certain Central Valley towns have smaller but significant MENA-origin populations involved in a mix of retail, services and skilled trades. The distribution broadly follows metropolitan job markets.

4) Sectors to target if you’re outreach, hiring, or planning services for MENA communities

If the goal is outreach, job placement, or community programming aimed at people of MENA ancestry, these sectors are high-impact places to engage:

• Healthcare systems & hospitals (hiring a range of staff and professionals).

• STEM employers, universities & research centers (Bay Area, LA universities).

• Small business corridors & retail districts (Little Arabia, Brookhurst St, ethnic plazas).

• Food service & culinary businesses (restaurants, halal markets, bakeries).

• Religious and community institutions (mosques, community centers) — essential for community outreach and recruitment; they host job boards, bazaars and networking events.

5) Data limits & how to get more precise answers

• Religion is not in Census/ACS. If you need to know which workers are Muslim specifically, you must use survey data that asks both religion and ancestry (for example: targeted community surveys, Pew-style religion surveys with oversamples, or partnership research with community organizations).

• Disaggregation challenges. “MENA” includes Arab and non-Arab groups (e.g., Iranians report Persian ancestry). Any program targeting “Arab Muslim” workers must be careful with definitions and community sensitivities.

6) Five Los Angeles / SoCal entertainment & community places where Arab & Muslim families gather (confirmed)

These five are family-friendly, community-oriented, and regularly host events, food, and cultural programming:

1. Little Arabia District (Anaheim — Brookhurst Street corridor) — a commercial and cultural enclave with restaurants, bakeries, shops and festivals. Great for weekend strolling and hiring local staff.

2. Halal Night Fest (rotating SoCal night market; Torrance event is typical) — a halal-focused night market that draws large Muslim family crowds with food and vendors (useful for outreach and pop-up hiring).

3. Hollywood Arab Film Festival (HAFF — Glendale/Hollywood screenings) — annual festival showcasing Arab cinema, Q&As, and cultural gatherings. Good for cultural outreach and community networking.

4. Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC) — major mosque and community hub in the LA area; hosts food programs, family events, and community resource fairs.

5. Pico Union Project (central LA cultural center) — an interfaith, arts & community venue that runs concerts, community programs, and fairs used by diverse immigrant communities including Arab & Muslim families.