While many AANHPI are recovering from pandemic-caused economy but suffering lingers

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders hit hard by the pandemic and the coronavirus-caused recession have largely recovered but many are still hurting, says a newly released report.

In 2021, the AANHPI poverty rate dropped by nearly 22%, however, the wide disparities within the AANHPI community revealed by the report shows the need for more disaggregated data to fully comprehend their contributions to the US economy.

The report was released May 27 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month drew to a close. It was commissioned by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. The report provides a snapshot of the current economic state of the AANHPI community and their contributions to the American economy.

"We cannot overlook the ways this community continues to face barriers to economic prosperity — which were magnified by the coronavirus pandemic — and the ways inadequate aggregate data mask stark disparities in income, poverty, education and access to health insurance," said JEC Chair Rep. Don Beyer, D-VA. "The coronavirus pandemic shed new light on the ways in which economic inequality and discrimination compound the disadvantages of many Americans, and these disparities made its impact even worse."

AANHPI, which makes up about 7% of the American population, is extremely diverse and includes approximately 50 ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages. This fact sheet disaggregates measures of economic well-being, showing the full diversity of the AANHPI community’s economic state and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Among the report’s key findings:

• Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have the highest level of income inequality of any racial group, ranging from median family incomes that are nearly twice the national median to incomes that are significantly below it.

• Poverty rates vary widely across AANHPI households: The poverty rate is 11-percent for Asian Americans and 13-percent for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, but disaggregated data show poverty rates range from six-percent for Filipino Americans to 31-percent for Micronesian Americans not from Guam.

• Aggregate statistics on educational achievement obscure the low rates of college graduation for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: While 79% of Taiwanese Americans and 75% of Indian American adults have bachelor’s degrees, just 17% of Laotian Americans and 24% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have a four-year college degree.

• Many AANHPI groups have fully recovered the jobs lost during the pandemic,

• High AANHPI median family income masks some groups’ economic insecurity.

• Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have higher rates of poverty, while Asian American poverty rates vary widely.

• Asian Americans’ high level of educational achievement obscures wide-ranging disparities and low rates of college graduation for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

• Despite high aggregate rates of health insurance coverage, the AANHPI community was disproportionately affected by the pandemic when controlling for socioeconomic factors.

Rep. Judy Chu, CAPAC chair, says the findings show "the importance of data disaggregation and that there is still work needed to be done to address disparities among AANHPI communities across the nation. I look forward to continuing CAPAC’s work alongside JEC, ensuring we are on the right track trending toward economic recovery and taking steps to mitigate inequities.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.