About PinoyBuilt
A community archive of Filipino American stories — built by the diaspora, for the diaspora.
PinoyBuilt was created to do one thing: make sure our stories don't get lost. From the Navy towns of California to the hospitals of Houston, from the Rizal Center in Chicago to the Filipino-American Highway in San Diego — we document the Filipino American experience with honesty, context, and pride.
We are independent, community-driven, and rooted in the belief that the Fil-Am story is still being written — and that every voice in the diaspora is part of the archive.
PinoyBuilt was founded on March 28, 2011, in Maui, Hawaii — inspired by Maui Built apparel and the idea that Filipino Americans deserve a platform built for them. The domain was registered that day. The mission has been the same ever since.
What we cover
USA · California · Chicago · Los Angeles · Hawaii · San Diego · Texas · Stockton · Vallejo · Washington
"He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination." — José Rizal
Filipino Americans by the numbers
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS · Pew Research Center · Neilsberg (2023–2025 estimates)
California alone accounts for roughly 38% of all Filipino Americans in the United States — more than the next five states combined. Explore our full national overview in the USA pillar page.
The Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas hold the highest concentrations in California. Daly City — long known as the "Pinoy Capital of the U.S." — remains one of the densest Filipino communities in the nation by percentage of population. San Diego is home to the Filipino-American Highway and the country's first Filipino American mayor of a city with over one million people.
Filipino immigration to Vallejo dates back to the early 1900s, driven by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard — one of the oldest and largest naval installations on the West Coast. Generations of Filipino sailors, laborers, and their families put down roots here, making Solano County not just a California story, but the most historically concentrated Filipino American county in the entire United States. The 707 isn't just a home base. It's ground zero for the Fil-Am diaspora in America. Read the full Vallejo pillar page →
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✍ Become a contributor
PinoyBuilt publishes first-person essays, community histories, photo essays, and diaspora perspectives from Filipino Americans nationwide and around the world. Whether you are 1st, 1.5, or 2nd generation — whether you are in Vallejo or Virginia or Dubai — your story belongs in this archive.
Share your story Meet the contributorsJoin the conversation
Every post on PinoyBuilt has a comment section — and that's where the community comes alive. Share your memory, your reaction, your family's version of the story. Your voice makes this archive richer for everyone who comes after.
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For press inquiries, partnerships, corrections, or general questions — reach PinoyBuilt's editorial team at info@pinoybuilt.com.
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PinoyBuilt exists to remind us: our stories matter — even when we weren't favored, expected, or counted in.