July 4th 2022: Asian America is 24 million strong and growing

On the eve of the United States' birthday, the US Census finds that nation is growing more racially diverse. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders make up 25.6 million of the US population.

The Asian population in the United States was 23,962,215 in 2021, up 281,167 or 1.2% from 2020, according to the Census analysis released May 30. The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population rose to 1,709,860, an increase of 1.5% in 2021.

Asians now make up about 7% of the nation’s overall population an increase of 1% from the 2010 Census when Asian Americans made up 6%. 

Bolstered by new immigrants, Asian Americans are  the fasted growing segment of the US population, and are projected to almost double to 46 million by 2060, 

The Census report analyzing 2021 data, California had the largest Asian population (7,139,394), followed by New York (2,032,935) and Texas (1,842,911), respectively. Idaho, with an increase of 5.4%, had the fastest-growing Asian population in 2021.

A More Diverse Nation

The population profiles of major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (“metro areas”) across the country reflect the geographic dispersion of the Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander population. The 2016-2020 American Communities Survey's 5-year shows:

• The largest Asian alone population in the Chicago and Atlanta metro areas is Asian Indians (229,003 in the Chicago metro area and 136,931 in the Atlanta metro area).
• One of the largest Asian groups in in the Houston metro area was Vietnamese (136,813).
• The Los Angeles metro area is home to roughly 35,000 NHPI alone individuals, including 11,752 Samoans and 4,569 people who identify as Chamorro.
• The largest Asian alone population in the Minneapolis metro area was Hmong (83,132).
• The largest Asian alone population in the Seattle (124,204) and Boston (152,274) metro areas was Chinese, except Taiwanese.
• The largest Asian alone population in the San Diego metro area was Filipino (155,522).
• In the Salt Lake City metro area, the NHPI alone population (18,291) was significantly larger than any detailed Asian alone group.

Nationally, all race and Hispanic origin groups experienced population increases, apart from the White population, which declined slightly by 0.03%. 

The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population was the fastest-growing race or Hispanic origin category between 2020 and 2021, increasing by 1.54% in the 12-month period. 

Hispanic (of any race) was the largest gaining and second-fastest-growing race or Hispanic origin category, increasing by 767,907 or 1.24%.

Other highlights from the Census:

Asian

• The Asian population in the United States was 23,962,215 in 2021, up 281,167 or 1.2% from 2020.
• California had the largest Asian population (7,139,394), followed by New York (2,032,935) and Texas (1,842,911), respectively. Idaho, with an increase of 5.4%, had the fastest-growing Asian population in 2021.
• The median Asian population in counties was 265.
• California was home to the three counties with the largest Asian populations in 2021. Los Angeles County had the biggest Asian population (1,713,784), followed by Santa Clara County (821,135) and Orange County (802,288).
• The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area had the largest Asian population (2,633,881). Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX was the largest-gaining metro area, increasing by 24,288, to 686,834 from 2020 to 2021. Of metro areas with an Asian population of 20,000 or more, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY was the fastest-growing, increasing by 7.4% to 52,252.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

• The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population rose to 1,709,860, an increase of 1.5% or 25,989 individuals in 2021.
• Hawaii had the largest Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population with 399,045, followed by California (375,388) and Washington (105,305). Iowa had the fastest-growing Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population that increased 11.1% from 2020 to 2021 – while Texas was the largest gaining, increasing by 2,652.
• The median Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population for counties in 2021 was 40.
• Clark County, Nevada, had the largest numeric population growth (1,295) among this group between 2020 and 2021.
• The Urban Honolulu, HI metro area had the largest Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population (260,085). Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV was the largest-gaining metro area, increasing by 1,295 to 42,825. Of metro areas with a Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population of 20,000 or more, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX was the fastest-growing, increasing by 3.9% to 22,286 in 2021.

As the number of People of Color grows, the Census found that the White population continues to decline and remains the largest racial group in the US.

White

• The White population in the United States was 260,183,037 in 2021, a decrease of 0.03% or 79,836 people since 2020.
• California had the largest White population, totaling 29,365,260 – followed by Texas with a White population of 23,593,392. Texas also had the largest-gaining White population, which grew by 184,747 in 2021.
• Idaho had the fastest growth (2.8% or 49,918) in its White population from 2020 to 2021.
•  Among counties, Los Angeles County, California, had the largest White population at 7,184,792, while Maricopa County, Arizona, had the largest increase in its White population (40,378 or 1.1%) between 2020 and 2021.
• The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area had the nation’s largest White population, (13,120,012). Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ was the largest-gaining metro area, increasing by 56,905 to 4,202,038, while the St. George, UT metro area had the fastest-growing White population, increasing by 5.1% (8,775).

Black or African American

• The Black population in the United States in 2021 totaled 49,586,352, up 0.7% from July 2020. The Black population in 2021 comprised 14.9% of the nation.
• Texas had the largest Black population in 2021, totaling 4,190,554 – an increase of 83,478 (2.0%) since July 2020. Idaho had the fastest-growing Black population, expanding 5.7% between 2020 and 2021.
• The median size of the Black population for counties in 2021 was 1,280 people.
• Cook County, Illinois, and Harris County, Texas, had the largest Black populations with totals of 1,279,976 and 1,006,791, respectively, making them the only counties in the nation with Black populations over 1 million.
• The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area had the largest Black population at 4,194,108 in 2021. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA was the largest-gaining metro area, increasing by 36,004 to 2,308,337. Of metro areas with 20,000 or more Black residents, Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA had the fastest-growing Black population (43,241), increasing by 7.1% from 2020 to 2021.

American Indian or Alaska Native

• The American Indian and Alaska Native population reached 7,206,898 between July 2020 and July 2021, an increase of 74,291 or 1.0%. California had the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population at 1,121,423, followed by Oklahoma at 574,171. Idaho had the fastest-growing American Indian and Alaska Native population in the nation, with a 3.3%, increase, while Texas was the largest gaining among this population that increased by 11,328 to 510,537.
• The median American Indian and Alaska Native population in U.S. counties was 429 in 2021.
• Los Angeles County had the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population (236,222).
• The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area had the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population at 336,842. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ was the largest-gaining metro area, where this population increased by 4,832 to 208,094. Of metro areas with an American Indian and Alaska Native population of 20,000 or more, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX was the fastest growing, increasing by 3.0% to 47,074.

Hispanic Origin (Any Race)

EDITOR'S NOTE: References to race and Hispanic origin compositions are for race-alone-or-in-combination groups or Hispanic populations of any race unless otherwise specified.

• The Hispanic population grew by 767,907, in 2021, an increase of 1.2%.
• California (15,754,605), Texas (11,857,401) and Florida (5,830,908) were the states with the largest Hispanic populations in 2021. New York (-1.1%) and the District of Columbia (-2.5%) were the only state and equivalent that experienced drops in their Hispanic populations in 2021. Maine (5.4%) and Montana (5.4%) were the states with the fastest-growing Hispanic populations.
• The median Hispanic population for counties in 2021 was 1,217 people.
• Los Angeles County had the largest Hispanic population (4,824,989) in 2021, followed by Harris County, Texas, with 2,097,602 and Miami-Dade County, Florida, with 1,838,864. Riverside County, California, had the largest gaining Hispanic population, which grew by 34,289 or 2.8% in 2021.
• The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area had the largest Hispanic population (5,905,582). Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA was the largest-gaining metro area, increasing by 55,236 to 2,492,300. Of metro areas with a Hispanic population of 20,000 or more, Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL was the fastest-growing, increasing by 9.3% to 206,452.

Growing older

Another demographic trend noted by the Census is the country is getting older. The last two decades have seen the country grow continuously older. Since 2000, the national median age – the point at which one-half the population is older and one-half younger – has increased by 3.4 years, with the largest single-year gain of 0.3 years coming in 2021, bringing it to 38.8 years, according to newly released 2021 Population Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Median age for most states also increased from 2020 to 2021, indicating their populations are getting older overall.

“The states with the lowest median ages saw the largest increases between 2020 to 2021. While Utah remained the youngest state in the nation, the state’s median age increased by 0.3 years from 31.5 to 31.8. Similarly, the District of Columbia had the second-lowest median age but saw the largest increase of 0.5 years from 34.4 to 34.9,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “With birth rates trending downwards and the aging of the Baby Boom and Generation X cohorts, the median age will likely continue to rise in the coming years.”

The median age in over one-half (57%) of all U.S. counties and equivalents increased, and 74% of counties had higher median ages than the nation. Six counties had median ages greater than or equal to 60 years – Sumter County, Florida (68.3); Kalawao County, Hawaii (65.5); Catron County, New Mexico (61.8); Harding County, New Mexico (60.3); Charlotte County, Florida (60.2) and Jeff Davis County, Texas (60). The counties or equivalents with the youngest median ages in the nation were Lexington City, Virginia (22.2); Todd County, South Dakota (23.0); Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska (23.7); Madison County, Idaho (23.7) and Radford City, Virginia (24.4).

Metropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more whole counties or county equivalents and at least one urban area with a population of 50,000 or more. The median age increased in about 76% of metro areas (290) between 2020 and 2021. The three largest increases were in Lake Charles, LA, where the median age rose from 36.5 to 37.4; Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC, which increased by 0.8 years to 47.8; and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA, where the median age crossed the 40-years-of-age threshold, increasing from 39.4 to 40.1. At 25.7 years, Provo-Orem, UT, was the metro with the lowest median age in 2021. Conversely, The Villages, FL, had the highest median age – 68.3 years.

Regionally, the Northeast was the oldest in 2021 with a median age of 40.4, followed by the Midwest (39.0), the South (38.6) and the West – which experienced the largest increase, 0.3 years to 37.7.

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