CB00-FF.05 May 5, 2000
Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month: May 1-31
Income and Poverty
- Asians and Pacific Islanders continued to have the highest median household
income among the nation's race groups in 1998: $46,637. However, the income
per household member for Asian and Pacific Islander households as a group
was lower than that for non-Hispanic White households. This may be attributed
to the larger average size of Asian and Pacific Islander households,
3.15 people, compared with 2.47 people in non-Hispanic White households.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-188.html
- Poverty remained statistically unchanged among Asians and Pacific Islanders
between 1997 and 1998, as 1.4 million or 12.5 percent were poor in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-188.html
Education
- In 1999, a higher proportion of Asians and Pacific Islanders (42 percent)
than non-Hispanic Whites (28 percent) age 25 and over had a bachelor's degree
or higher; however, a lower proportion of Asians and Pacific Islanders
(85 percent)than non-Hispanic Whites (88 percent) were high school graduates.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-76.html
- Seven in 10 non-Hispanic Asians and Pacific Islanders ages 18 to 21 attended
college in 1998, versus half of non-Hispanic Whites.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html
- In 1997, non-Hispanic Asians and Pacific Islanders received 10 percent of the
doctorates conferred by the nation's colleges and universities. This included
22 percent of the doctorates in engineering and 21 percent of those in
computer sciences.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
Coming to America
- As of 1997, 6 in 10 Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States were
foreign-born.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
- In 1997, foreign-born Asians and Pacific Islanders had a median length of
residence of 11.6 years and 44 percent were naturalized citizens.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
- The Philippines, China and Vietnam were among the 10 leading countries of
birth of the foreign-born population in 1997.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
Families
- There were 2.5 million Asian and Pacific Islander families in 1999; of these,
80 percent were married-couple families. These married-couple families are
relatively large: 23 percent consisted of five or more members.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-76.html
- Asian and Pacific Islander children under 18 years of age related to the
householder were more likely to live with both parents (84 percent) than
their non-Hispanic White counterparts (77 percent) in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-142.html
- In 1999, 34 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders 15 years old and over
had never married, compared with 24 percent of non-Hispanic Whites. Of the
remaining Asians and Pacific Islanders, 53 percent were married and living
with their spouse, 5 percent were divorced, 4 percent were widowed and
3 percent were married with no spouse present.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-76.html
Population Distribution
National Estimates and Projections
- On July 1, 1999, an estimated 10.8 million Asians and Pacific Islanders lived
in the United States, up by 3.4 million from the total of 7.5 million on
April 1, 1990. They comprised 4.0 percent of the total population in 1999,
up from 3.0 percent in 1990.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
- Asians and Pacific Islanders had a higher rate of population growth between
April 1, 1990, and July 1, 1999, than any other race or ethnic group:
45 percent.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
- The nation's Asian and Pacific Islander population is young: children
under 18 comprised 29 percent of this group's population in 1999 while people
age 65 and over constituted only 7 percent. For non-Hispanic Whites, the
corresponding proportions were 24 percent and 14 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-76.html
- According to middle-series population projections, the nation's Asian and
Pacific Islander population will more than triple by mid-century, from
10.9 million in 1999 to 37.6 million in 2050. Under this scenario, its share
of the total population would climb from 4 percent to 9 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-05.html
Subnational Estimates
- In 1999, most Asians and Pacific Islanders resided in the West (53 percent).
Nationwide, 96 percent resided in metropolitan areas, with 45 percent in
central cities and 52 percent in the suburbs.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-76.html
As of July 1, 1998:
- California had more Asians and Pacific Islanders than any other state,
3.9 million. New York was a distant second (995,000), followed by
Hawaii (757,000), Texas (556,000) and New Jersey (453,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
- The states with the highest concentration of Asians and Pacific Islanders
were Hawaii (63 percent of the total population), California (12 percent)
and Washington, New Jersey and New York (6 percent each).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
- Los Angeles County, Calif., was the U.S. county with the highest number of
Asians and Pacific Islanders (1.2 million). Honolulu County, Hawaii, was
second (566,000), followed by Orange County, Calif. (361,000), Santa Clara
County (San Jose), Calif. (359,000); and Queens County, N.Y. (332,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
- With respect to Asians and Pacific Islanders as a percentage of a county or
county equivalent's total population, Honolulu County, Hawaii, led the
nation, with 65 percent of its population made up of Asians and Pacific
Islanders. Each of the next three counties in the top eight also were located
in Hawaii (Kauai, at 64 percent; Maui, 59 percent; and Hawaii, 58 percent),
while each of the following three were in California (San Francisco, at
36 percent; Santa Clara, 22 percent; and San Mateo, 21 percent). Tied with
San Mateo was the Aleutians West Census Area in Alaska.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
- The five metropolitan areas with the highest population of Asians and Pacific
Islanders were: Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, Calif. (1.8 million);
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Conn.-Pa. (1.3 million);
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Calif. (1.3 million); Honolulu,
Hawaii (566,000); and Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. (373,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
- Among the 75 most populous metropolitan areas, Honolulu, Hawaii, had far and
away the highest concentration of Asians and Pacific Islanders (they
comprised 65 percent of the total population there). The other five metros
in double digits were all in California: San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose,
Calif. (19 percent); Stockton-Lodi, Calif. (16 percent); Los
Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, Calif. (11 percent); San Diego, Calif.
(11 percent); and Sacramento-Yolo, Calif. (10 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
Between April 1, 1990, and July 1, 1998:
- The number of Asians and Pacific Islanders residing in California jumped by
990,000, the largest increase of any state. Following California were New York,
which added 285,000 new Asian and Pacific Islander residents, Texas (225,000),
New Jersey 176,000) and Florida and Washington (with 115,000 each).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
- The states with the fastest-growing Asian and Pacific Islander populations
were Nevada (a 106-percent increase), Georgia (95 percent) and North
Carolina (87 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
- Among counties, Los Angeles County, Calif., was No. 1 in Asian and Pacific
Islander population increase, with a gain of 234,000. Neighboring Orange
County, Calif., was No. 2, with 108,000. Others in the top five were Santa
Clara County, Calif. (93,000), and San Diego County, Calif., and Queens
County, N.Y. (each with 90,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html
Jobs
- In 1999, among employed civilians, age 16 and over, a similar proportion of
Asian and Pacific Islander men and women (36 percent) worked in managerial
and professional specialty occupations (e.g., engineers, dentists, teachers,
lawyers and reporters). Asian and Pacific Islander men were more likely than
their non-Hispanic White counterparts (32 percent) to work in these
occupations. The percentage of Asian and Pacific Islander women who worked
in these occupations was not statistically different from that of
non-Hispanic White women.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-76.html
Languages
- Between 1980 and 1995, registrations in Japanese courses at U.S. colleges
and universities almost quadrupled, from 11,500 to 44,700, while the number
in Chinese courses more than doubled, from 11,400 to 26,500. Consequently,
Japanese is now the fourth most popular foreign language taught in
U.S. colleges; Chinese is sixth.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
_______________________________________________________________________________
The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, the Statistical
Abstract of the United States and population estimates and projections. The
data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous
Census Bureau Facts for Features in 2000: African American History Month
(February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March)
and Census Day (April 1). Questions or comments should be directed to the
Census Bureau's Public Information Office (tel: 301-457-3030; fax:
301-457-3670; e-mail: pio@census.gov).
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