Asians in America: What the Census Showed
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the term “Asian” defines anyone who originated in the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent. This includes China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It also includes anyone who marks their race as Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese or Other Asian. All information is from that census.
Basics
Asians comprised about 5.6 percent of the total population of the U.S. That’s about 17.3 million out of a total population of 308.7 million. As for the other ethnic groups:
Race
| Percentage
| Population
|
|---|---|---|
White
| 74.8%
| 231 million
|
Latino or Hispanic
| 16.3%
| 50.4 million
|
Black or African American
| 13.6%
| 42 million
|
American Indian and Alaska Native
| 1.7%
| 5.2 million
|
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
| 0.4%
| 1.2 million
|
Other
| 7%
| 21.7 million
|
Origins
In terms of ethnicity, the Asians of Chinese descent were the largest at 3.8 million, followed by Filipinos at 3.2 million, Asian Indians at 2.8 million, Vietnamese at 1.7 million, Koreans at 1.6 million and Japanese at 1.3 million. The most widely spoken Asian language at home was Chinese, with 2.6 million speakers. Then followed Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean, with over 1 million speakers each.
Locations
Nearly 37 percent of all Asians in America lived in the South, 23 percent lived in the West, 22 percent lived in the Midwest and 18 percent lived in the Northeast. The state with the largest number of Asians was California at 5.6 million, followed by New York at 1.6 million. The state with the largest proportion was Hawaii, with 57 percent of the population identifying as Asian. The cities with the largest numbers of Asians were the following:
Metro Area
| Total Population
| Asian Population
| Asian %
|
|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA
| 12.8 million
| 1.87 million
| 15%
|
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NY-PA
| 18.8 million
| 1.87 million
| 10%
|
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
| 4.3 million
| 1 million
| 23%
|
In terms of proportion of the population, the following city had the greatest percentages of Asians:
Metro Area
| Total Population
| Asian Population
| Asian %
|
|---|---|---|---|
Honolulu, HI
| 953 thousand
| 418 thousand
| 44%
|
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, C
| 1.8 million
| 571 thousand
| 31%
|
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
| 4.3 million
| 1 million
| 23%
|
Money
The median household income for Asians was higher than any racial group at $64,309. (Median income varied by Asian group with Asian Indians earning $90,429 in 2009, and Bangladeshi making $46,657.) This compared to U.S. median household income of $49,445, white income of $51,846, black income of $32,068, and Latino income of $37,759. About 15 percent of the total U.S. population lived in poverty. This translates to 12 percent for Asian, 13 percent for White, 27.4 percent for black and 26.6 percent for Latino.
Education
About 85 percent of all Asians 25 and older had at least a high school diploma, which was similar to the total population of the country. About 50 percent had a bachelor’s degree or better, which compared to 28 percent of all Americans. About 20 percent had a master’s, doctorate or professional degrees. This compared to 10 percent of the total population.
Resources
- Asian American Organizations : Asian American Net
Asian American Net is an invaluable Internet resource for students, teachers, businessmen, and anyone interested in Asian American communities and Asian countries. - AWIB - Asian Women In Business
Asian, asian women, Corporate leadership, women-owned business, entrepreneur, women in business, minority-owned, Asian women corporate leaders, asian american, asian organizations, women business owner, asian women-owned business, procurement, awards - OCA NATIONAL WEBSITE - Home
OCA - Embracing the Hopes and Aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans - Advancing Equality - Welcome to AAJC! - Advancing Equality
AAJC - Asian American Justice Center - Accountant Salary Information | Accountant Salary Info
Accountant Salary Info. Describes a profession popular with Asians in America.
