Research Shows Make-Up of Asian American Population

The Asian American population is not just growing. It’s transforming the fabric of American life in complex and nuanced ways. According to an updated report released from the Pew Research Center in May 2025, nearly 25 million people in the United States identify as Asian, more than double the number from the year 2000. Today, Asian Americans make up around 7% of the U.S. population, up from 4% at the turn of the millennium.

In this case, the term “Asian” encompasses a wide range of nationalities, languages, migration stories, and economic realities. In fact, six origin groups—Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese Americans—make up 86% of the country’s Asian population. Within that group, those distinctions run deep. Indian Americans, as an example, have surged to become the second-largest Asian subgroup in the country, totaling 5.2 million in 2023, right behind Chinese Americans.

While most Asian Americans were born outside of the U.S., that share is getting smaller. In 2000, 63% of Asians here were immigrants, but by 2023, that figure dropped to 54%. The trend reflects growing numbers of second-generation Asian AmericansN born in the U.S. to immigrant parents. But the shift isn’t uniform across the board. For example, the share of Hmong Americans immigrants has dropped from 55% to 31%, while Thai Americans immigrants has remained steady at about 74%.

Geographically, Asian Americans are fairly clustered. California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, and Washington account for more than half of the nation’s Asian population. California alone is home to over 7 million Asian Americans, making it a hub of cultural, political, and economic activity.

Indian Americans stand out for their levels of education and income. Median household income for Indian American households was a staggering $151,200 in 2023, while immigrant Indian households earned 156,000 on average compared to $120,200 for those born in the U.S. The research shows that 77% of Indian Americans age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 56% among Asians overall. Individual income for Indian Americans averaged $85,300, surpassing the average for all Asian Americans which stood at $52,400.

These impressive figures tell only part of the story. The “model minority” myth that all Asian Americans are wealthy, educated, and professionally successful obscures the vast economic inequality within the community. Hmong, Burmese, and Mongolian Americans face higher poverty rates, sometimes as much as three times those of their Indian or Filipino counterparts. A recent story from MarketWatch highlighted a trend that one-third of Asian Americans living in poverty have college degrees, compared to 14% of other low-income U.S. adults.

This disparity points to deeper systemic issues. Underemployment, credential recognition barriers, and racialized labor markets are often overlooked in mainstream discussions. Indian Americans may dominate tech and medicine industries, but other groups remain overrepresented in low-wage jobs with little upward mobility.

As America slowly becomes more diverse, the need to sift through such data and amplify underrepresented Asian American voices is more important than ever, illuminating not just changing facts and demographics, but the very real economic and social complexities that shape our country and our community.

Photo by Duy Pham/Unsplash