Asian American - The Office of Minority Health

Overview (Demographics): This racial group is defined as people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. According to the 2017 Census Bureau population estimate, there are 18.2 million Asian Americans, alone, living in the United States. Asian Americans account for 5.6 percent of the nation's population. In 2017, the following states had the largest Asian American populations: California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts.

Language Fluency: The percentage of persons 5 years or older who "do not speak English very well" varies among Asian American groups: 48.9 percent of Vietnamese, 44.8 percent of Chinese, 20.9 percent of Filipinos and 18.7 percent of Asian Indians are not fluent in English. Overall, 32.6 percent of Asian Americans are not fluent in English. In 2017, 74.4 percent of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home.

Educational Attainment: According to 2017 U.S. Census data, roughly 86.9 percent of all Asians in the United States 25 and older had at least a high school diploma, as compared to 92.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites. However, 53.8 percent of Asian Americans in comparison to 35.8 percent of the total non-Hispanic white population had earned at least a bachelor's degree. Among Asian subgroups, Taiwanese had the highest percentage of bachelor's degree attainment at 77.7 percent. 23.6 percent of Asians held a graduate degree, as compared to 13.8 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

Economics: According to 2017 Census data, the median household income of Asian Americans was $83,456, as compared to $65,845 for non-Hispanic whites. Yet 11.1 percent of Asian Americans as compared to 9.6 percent of non-Hispanic whites, live at the poverty level. Economic status varies widely among Asian populations in the United States, with the poverty rate for Filipinos at 6.0 percent, as compared to 16.2 percent for the Hmong, in 2017. Regarding employment, 52.1 percent of Asian Americans were employed in management, professional and related occupations, compared with 42.9 percent of the non-Hispanic white population. In addition, the proportions employed in managerial sectors varied from 27.3 percent for Cambodians to 73.3 percent for Taiwanese. In 2017, the overall unemployment rate for Asians was 4.2 percent, the same as for non-Hispanic whites.

Insurance Coverage: In 2017, insurance coverage among Asian American subgroups varied. Private insurance coverage rates: 59.8 percent for Cambodian, 78.4 percent for Filipino, 71.8 percent for Chinese, 57.9 percent for Hmong. Public insurance coverage rates: 32.9 percent for Vietnamese, 25.8 percent for Filipino, 27.8 percent for Chinese, 41.3 percent for Hmong, and 26.3 percent for all Asian groups. Asian subgroups also varied within uninsured status: 13.0 percent for Thai, 8.1 percent for Vietnamese, 6.8 percent for Hmong.

In 2017, the overall private insurance coverage for Asian Americans was 73.7 percent, as compared to 75.4 percent for the non-Hispanic white population. 6.6 percent of Asian Americans were uninsured, as compared to 5.9 percent non-Hispanic white Americans.

Health: According to Census Bureau projections, the 2015 life expectancies at birth for Asian Americans are 79.9 years, with 82.0 years for women, and 77.5 years for men. For non-Hispanic whites the projected life expectancies are 79.8 years, with 82.0 years for women, and 77.5 years for men. Asian Americans contend with numerous factors which may threaten their health. Some negative factors are infrequent medical visits, language and cultural barriers, and 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 2017, tuberculosis was 35 times more common among Asians, with an incidence rate of 17.7 as compared to 0.5 for the white population.¹

Full Census Reports:

The Asian Population: 2010 [PDF | 6.4MB]
Language Use in the United States: 2011 [PDF | 1.4MB]
Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2017 [PDF | 1.25MB]
Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017 [PDF | 1.25MB]
Census Bureau, 2018. 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

¹CDC, 2018. Tuberculosis Trends 2017.

Last Modified: 8/22/2019 2:43:00 PM