Asian American/Pacific Islander Profile

(Map of the US with the top 10 states displaying the
largest Asian American population according to the Census Bureau)

CA - NY - HI - TX - NJ - IL - WA - FL - VA - MA

Language Fluency: The percentage of persons 5 years or older who do not speak English at home varies among Asian American groups: 62 percent of Vietnamese, 50 percent of Chinese, 24 percent of Filipinos and 23 percent of Asian Indians are not fluent in English.

Educational Attainment: According to the 2006 U.S. Census data, roughly 83 percent of both all Asians and all people in the United States 25 and older had at least a high school diploma. However, 42 percent of Asian Americans in comparison to 27 percent of the total U.S. population had earned at least a bachelor’s degree. Among Asian subgroups, Asian Indians had the highest percentage of bachelor’s degree attainment at 64 percent. In regards to employment, about 45 percent of Asian Americans were employed in management, professional and related occupations, compared with 34 percent of the total population. In addition, the proportions employed in high-skilled and managerial sectors varied from 13 percent for Laotians to 60 percent for Asian Indians.

Economics: According to 2007 Census data, the median family income of Asian American families is $15,600 higher than the national median income for all households. 10 percent of Asian Americans compared to 8.2 percent of non-Hispanic Whites live at the poverty. 2.2 percent of Asian Americans compared to 1.3 percent of Caucasians live on public assistance.

Insurance Coverage: By 2003, insurance coverage among Asian American subgroups varied. Private insurance coverage rates: 75.8 percent for Vietnamese, 81.5 percent for Filipino, 84.2 percent for Chinese and 81.3 percent for other Asian groups. Public insurance coverage rates : 11.2 percent for Vietnamese, 4.9 percent for Filipino, 3.8 percent for Chinese and 5.5 percent for other Asian groups. Asian subgroups also varied within uninsured status: 13.0 percent for Vietnamese, 13.6 percent for Filipino, 12.0 percent for Chinese and 13.2 percent for other Asian groups.

In 2007, the overall insurance coverage for Asian Americans was 83.9%, as compared to 89.6% for the non-Hispanic White population.

Full Census Reports:

The Asian Population: 2000 [PDF, 420KB]

We the People: Asians in the United States, December 2004 [PDF, 480KB]

The American Community Survey - Asians: 2004 [PDF, 1.1MB]

The American Community Survey - Pacific Islanders: 2004 [PDF, 3.5MB]

Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000 [PDF, 482KB]

Census Bureau, 2008. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 [PDF, 3MB]

Health: It is significant to note that Asian American women have the highest life expectancy (85.8 years) of any other ethnic group in the U.S. Life expectancy varies among Asian subgroups: Filipino (81.5 years), Japanese (84.5 years), and Chinese women (86.1 years). However, Asian Americans contend with numerous factors which may threaten their health. Some negative factors are infrequent medical visits due to the fear of deportation, language/cultural barriers, and the lack of health insurance. Asian Americans are most at risk for the following health conditions: cancer, heart disease, stroke, unintentional injuries (accidents), and diabetes. Asian Americans also have a high prevalence of the following conditions and risk factors: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, smoking, tuberculosis, and liver disease.

Other Health Concerns: In 2007, tuberculosis was 24 times more common among Asians, with a case rate of 26.3 as compared to 1.1 for the White population. In 2006, Asian Americans were 1.2 times more likely to have Hepatitis B than Whites.

Quick Facts

Cancer

• Asian/Pacific Islander men were 40% less likely to have prostate cancer as non-Hispanic white men.
• Asian/Pacific Islander women were 30% less likely to have breast cancer as non-Hispanic white women.
• Both Asian/Pacific Islander men and women have three times the incidence of liver & IBD cancer as the non-Hispanic white population.
• Asian/Pacific Islander men are twice as likely to die from stomach cancer as compared to the non-Hispanic white population, and Asian/Pacific Islander women are 2.6 times as likely to die from the same disease.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and cancer, please click here

Diabetes

• In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians have more than twice the rate of diabetes as Whites.
• Asians are 20% less likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes.
• In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians are more than 5.7 times as likely as Whites living in Hawaii to die from diabetes.
• Filipinos living in Hawaii have more than 3 times the death rate as Whites living in Hawaii.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and diabetes, please click here

Heart Disease

• Overall, Asian/Pacific Islander adults are less likely than white adults to have heart disease and they are less likely to die from heart disease compared to non-Hispanic whites.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and heart disease, please click here

HIV/AIDS

• Asian/Pacific Islanders have lower AIDS rates than non-Hispanic white counterparts and they are less likely to die of HIV/AIDS.
• One Asian/Pacific Islander child was diagnosed with AIDS in 2006.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and HIV/AIDS, please click here

Immunization

• In 2005, Asian/Pacific Islander adults aged 65 years and older were 40% less likely to have ever received the pneumonia shot, compared to non-Hispanic white adults of the same age group.
• In 2005, Asian/Pacific Islander children aged 19 to 35 months reached the Healthy People goal for immunizations for Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b), hepatitis B, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), polio and chicken pox.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and immunization, please click here

Infant Mortality

• Among Asian/Pacific Islanders, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the fourth leading cause of infant mortality.
• The infant mortality rate for Asian/Pacific Islanders was 40% greater for mothers under 20 years old, as compared to mothers, ages 25-29 years old.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and infant mortality, please click here

Stroke

• In general, Asians/Pacific Islander adults are less likely to die from a stroke.
• In general, Asian/Pacific Islander adults have lower rates of being overweight or obese, lower rates of hypertension, and they are less likely to be current cigarette smokers, as compared to white adults.
  For more statistics on Asian/Pacific Islanders and stroke, please click here