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2004
Statistical Portrait of Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders
The
following is a statistical portrait of the Asian American
and Pacific Islander populations produced by the US
Census Bureau for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
in 2004. It provides current census data, population
projections, and Internet links that should be useful
for research, planning, writing and general educational
purposes. Please see the "Editor's note" at the end
of this press release for more information.
CB04-FF.06
April 19, 2004
Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2004 In 1978, a
joint congressional resolution established Asian Pacific
American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were
chosen to coincide with two important anniversaries:
the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese
immigrants (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the transcontinental
railroad (May 10, 1869). In 1992, Congress expanded
the 10-day observance to a month long celebration.
13.1
million
The estimated number of U.S. residents who say they
are Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other
races. This group comprises 5 percent of the total population.
Since Census 2000, the number of people who are part
of this group has increased 9 percent, the highest growth
rate of any race group.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Pelease/www/releases/archives/hispanic_origin_population/
001130.html
943,000
The estimated number of U.S.
residents who say they are native Hawaiian and other
Pacific islander or native Hawaiian and other Pacific
islander in combination with one or more other races.
This group comprises 0.3 percent of the total population.
Since Census 2000, the number of people who are part
of this group has increased 4 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Pelease/www/releases/archives/hispanic_origin_population/
001130.html
33.4 million
The projected number of U.S.
residents who will identify themselves as Asian alone
in 2050. They would comprise 8 percent of the total
population by that year.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720.html
213%
The projected percentage increase
between 2000 and 2050 in the population of people whose
only race is Asian. This compares with a 49 percent
increase in the population as a whole over the same
period.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/
001720.html
INCOME AND POVERTY
$52,018
The 2002 median income of households whose householders
reported their race as either Asian or native Hawaiian
and other Pacific islander and who may or may not have
reported any other race). This income level represented
a 4.5 percent decline in real dollars from 2001, but
is still much higher than the 2002 median of $42,409
for all households.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/001371.html
10.2%
The poverty rate in 2002 for those
who reported their race as either Asian or native Hawaiian
and other Pacific islander (and may or may not have
reported any other race). This rate is not statistically
different from the rate for Asians and Pacific islanders
in 2001.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/001371.html
EDUCATION
47%
The percentage of Asians and
Pacific islanders age 25 and over with a bachelor's
degree or higher. Asians and Pacific islanders have
the highest proportion of college graduates of any race
or ethnic group in the country. The corresponding rate
for all adults in this age group is 27 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/
000818.html
87%
The percentage of Asians and Pacific islanders 25 and
over who are high school graduates. The corresponding
rate for all adults in this age group is 84 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/000818.html
16%
The percentage of Asians and Pacific islanders 25 and
over with an advanced degree (e.g., master's, Ph.D.,
M.D. or J.D.). This amounts to 1.3 million Asians and
Pacific islanders. The corresponding rate for all adults
in this age group is 9 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/000818.html
LANGUAGES
2.0 million
The number of people who speak Chinese at home. Next
to Spanish, Chinese is the most widely spoken non-English
language in the country. French and German rank third
and fourth, but Tagalog (1.2 million) ranks fifth, Vietnamese
(1.0 million) sixth and Korean (894,000) eighth. The
number of Vietnamese speakers and the number of Italian
speakers (in seventh place) are not statistically different.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/
001406.html
COMING TO AMERICA
8.3 million
The number of foreign-born residents in the United States
who were born in Asia. Asian-born residents comprise
one-fourth of the nation's total foreign-born population.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/foreignborn_
population/000815.html
48%
The percentage of the foreign-born population
from Asia who are naturalized U.S. citizens. The corresponding
rate for the foreign-born population as a whole is 37
percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/foreignborn_population/
000815.html
1.5 million
The number of foreign-born people from China. Next to
Mexico, China is the leading country of birth for the
nation's foreign-born. Also among the top 10 countries
of birth for the foreign-born population are the Philippines,
India, Vietnam and Korea.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001623.html
SERVING OUR NATION
351,000
The number of Asian American
military veterans. There are 57,000 veterans who are
of native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander heritage.
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=DEC&_lang=en&_ts=
JOBS
About 75 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander
men age 16 and over and 59 percent of women are in the
civilian labor force. Among these, 41 percent of men
and 37 percent of women are in managerial and professional
occupations. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/race/001127.html
105,300
The number of physicians and
surgeons who report Asian as their only race and who
are not Hispanic. People of this race comprise 15 percent
of all U.S. physicians and surgeons, compared with 4
percent of the total population. Asians are represented
in a wide variety of occupations. For instance, there
are about 89,000 non-Hispanic Asian postsecondary teachers;
43,000 chief executives; 20,000 lawyers; 3,000 news
analysts, reporters and correspondents; and 200 legislators.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001633.html
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
Nation
A total of 2.7 million Asian American residents
are Chinese (excluding Taiwanese) or Chinese (excluding
Taiwanese) in combination with one or more other races
or Asian groups, making Chinese the leading Asian group.
Filipino (2.4 million) and Asian Indian (1.9 million)
follow. The largest Pacific islander groups are native
Hawaiian (401,000) and Samoan (133,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02cn59.html
and http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-14.pdf
95%
The percentage of Asian and Pacific islanders
who live in metropolitan areas. Fifty-one percent of
Asians and Pacific islanders live in the Western part
of the United States.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/race/001127.html
STATES
4.5 million
The number of California residents
who are Asian, making the Golden State home to the largest
number of Asian Americans of any state. Hawaii has the
largest number of native Hawaiians and other Pacific
islanders at 271,000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001342.html
58%
The percentage of Hawaii's
population that is Asian, tops in the nation. For native
Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders, Hawaii is also
the leader, with 22 percent of the state's population
belonging to this race group. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001342.html
COUNTIES
1.3 million
The number of people in Los
Angeles County, Calif., who are Asian. Los Angeles leads
all the nation's counties in number of Asians. Honolulu
County, Hawaii, had the largest native Hawaiian and
other Pacific islander population with 179,000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001341.html
62%
The percentage of Honolulu County, Hawaii, residents
who are Asian American. Honolulu is the only county
in the nation where Asians comprise a majority of the
total population. Meanwhile, Hawaii County, Hawaii,
with 30 percent of its population being native Hawaiian
and other Pacific islander, leads in that race category.
(Rankings limited to counties with minimum populations
of 100,000.)
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001341.html
AGE DISTRIBUTION
26%
The percentage of Asians and Pacific islanders who are
under 18. At the other end of the age spectrum, 7 percent
are 65 or older.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/race/
001127.html
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
73%
The percentage of Asian and Pacific islander households
made up of families. Among these, nearly 2-in-10 have
five or more members.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/race/
001127.html
HOUSING
70%
The percentage of Asians and Pacific islanders who are
naturalized-citizen householders and who own their homes.
For Asians and Pacific islanders born in the United
States, the homeownership rate is 57 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/
foreignborn_population/001399.html
Editor's note:
Some
of the preceding data were collected in surveys and
are, therefore, subject to sampling error. Questions
or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's
Public Information Office:
telephone: (301) 763-3030, fax: (301) 457-3670, or e-mail:
pio@census.gov.
Don T. Nakanishi, Ph.D.
Director and Professor UCLA Asian American Studies Center
3230 Campbell Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546
phone:310.825.2974
fax:310.206.9844
e-mail:dtn@ucla.edu
web site for Center: www.sscnet.ucla.edu/aasc
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