Pew Research Center: TheAsian American population grew in every state

California is far and away the favorite destination of Asian Americans but as their population continues to grow, Asian Americans are finding homes and creating communities in  the other 49 states, too.

The Asian American population has increased in every state and the District of Columbia over the past two decades, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. California had an Asian population of roughly 5.9 million in 2019, by far the nation’s largest. It was followed by New York (1.7 million), Texas (1.5 million), New Jersey (870,000) and Illinois (732,000). A majority of U.S. Asians (56%) live in these five states.

In terms of growth rates, North Dakota and South Dakota saw the fastest increases in their Asian American populations between 2000 and 2019. The Asian populations in both states more than tripled during that time. Indiana, Nevada and North Carolina also saw significant growth as their Asian populations increased by 183%, 176% and 175%, respectively.

California, Texas and New York saw the most robust numerical growth in their Asian American populations between 2000 and 2019. Together, these three states accounted for 43% of overall Asian population growth in the U.S. during that period. 

The number of Asian Americans grew by over 2 million in California, by 883,000 in Texas and by 617,000 in New York. Notably, the Asian population grew more in Texas than in New York during this span, even though more Asians still reside in New York.
Asian American population growth in some states surpassed the state’s overall population growth

In West Virginia, the Asian population increased between 2000 and 2019 even though the state’s overall population declined. The decrease in West Virginia’s overall population can be largely attributed to a decline in the state’s White population, which makes up a majority of the state’s populace.

In four other states, increases in the number of Asian Americans between 2000 and 2019 exceeded the state’s overall population growth. That was especially apparent in Michigan, where the Asian population grew by more than four times as much as the state’s overall population (151,000 vs. 34,000). New York, Illinois and Rhode Island had similar patterns, though to a lesser degree.

In two other states, Asian Americans accounted for more than half of statewide population growth from 2000 to 2019. Asians accounted for 83% of total population growth in New Jersey and 57% in Connecticut during this span.

Asian Americans recorded the fastest population growth rate among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States between 2000 and 2019. 

The Asian population in the US grew 81% during that span, from roughly 10.5 million to a record 18.9 million, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of US Census Bureau population estimates.

The  census show that Asian American population has continued to rise to over 24 million by 2023. 

Ancestral diversity among Asians in the US is quite noteworthy to political and economic interests. The three largest ancestry groups among Asian Americans are Chinese (including Taiwanese) at 23.6%, Asian Indian at 23% and Filipino representing 15.7% of the US Asian population.

Furthermore, by 2060, the number of US Asians is projected to rise to 35.8 million, more than triple their 2000 population.

Hispanics saw the second-fastest population growth between 2000 and 2019, followed by Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) at 70% and 61%, respectively. The nation’s Black population also grew during this period, albeit at a slower rate of 20%. There was virtually no change in the White population.

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