Asian Americans have a reason to celebrate Black History Month

Artists: Alex Chiu & Viva La Free

A mural at the Portland Chinatown Museum reads "We are hee as immigrants because Black freedom fiighters in the Civil Rights Movement fought for us to exist in this land."

If you’ve ever looked at the vibrant, diverse tapestry of Asian America today and wondered, "How did we get here?"—the answer isn't just found in a travel agency. It’s found in the streets of Selma, the lunch counters of Greensboro, and the halls of a Congress finally forced to reckon with its own soul.

To put it plainly: The 1965 Immigration Act wouldn't have happened without the Black Civil Rights Movement. And Asian Americans would not be the fastest growing ethnic group in the US, according to the US Census. Roughly 68% of Asian American adults are first generation immigrants.

February has been designated Black History Month and all communities of color, including th AANHPI communities are indebted to the Civil Rights Movement led by Black icons like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Lewis, Rosa Parks and so many others who literally bled on the streets to gain those rights so many take for granted today.

Here is how the fight for racial justice at home cracked open the door for millions of  immigrants from Asia.

The Hypocrisy of the "Golden Door"

Before the mid-60s, the US immigration system was, frankly, a mess of institutionalized racism. Since the 1920s, we had a "national-origins quota" that was designed to keep America as white as possible. If you were from Great Britain or Germany, the door was wide open. If you were from Asia? You were essentially persona non grata.

But as the Civil Rights Movement gained steam, the optics became impossible to ignore. How could the US claim to be the leader of the "Free World" while enforcing Jim Crow at home and "Europeans Only" at the border? The movement stripped the mask off the idea that discrimination was just "the way things are."

In 1965, the same momentum that gave us the Voting Rights Act gave us the Immigration and Nationality Act (also known as Hart-Celler). It did something revolutionary for the time: it abolished those racist quotas.

Instead of looking at your skin color or your country of origin, the law shifted to two main pillars:

• Family Reunification: If you had family here, you could bring them over.

• Specialized Skills: If you were a doctor, engineer, or scientist, the US wanted your talent.

The Wave Nobody Saw Coming

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, he actually downplayed it. He said it "is not a revolutionary bill" and wouldn't "reshape the structure of our daily lives."

He was wrong.

Free from the old bans, Asian immigration didn't just grow; it exploded. We're talking about a 663% increase in just the first decade.The "Brain Drain": Highly educated professionals from India, the Philippines, and South Korea rushed to fill gaps in the American workforce.

Those higly educated professionals with specialized skills then used the "family" provision to bring their siblings, parents, and cousins.

Within the new law were provisions that eventually allowed for the influx of Southeast Asian refugees following the Vietnam War.

Before the 1960s, Asian Americans made up only 0.5% of the US population. The Act allowed for a massive increase in immigration, especially from South and Southeast Asia, growing the community to approximately 7% of the population today.

Why It matters today

It’s a powerful reminder of how interconnected our struggles are.

The Asian American community as we know it—our Chinatowns, our Manilatowns, K-towns and Japantowns, and Little Saigons, our suburban enclaves in Jersey City, Daly City and the San Gabriel Valley—those ethnic enclaves, originally born out of racial biases meant to corral us in and keep us out of other parts of the cities, are now sources of cultural pride and worthy of preservation and growth.

We are direct beneficiaries of the courage shown by Black activists who demanded that America live up to its promise of equality.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, while primarily focused on African Americans, provided legal protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that applied to all people of color, including AAPI individuals. This set the stage for challenging discriminatory practices in employment, education, and public accommodation

Inspired by the Black Power movement and the fight for racial justice, young Asian Americans in the late 1960s began to unite across diverse ethnic lines (Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, etc.) to form a cohesive "Asian American" identity. This movement focused on fighting against racism, imperialism, and for social justice.

The era spurred the creation of ethnic studies programs, Asian American community organizations, and health centers, as activists demanded representation and resources tailored to their needs.

The 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage, benefited AAPI individuals who faced legal restrictions on marrying outside their race.

Unfortunately, today there are those in America feel threatened by immigrants of color. Encouraged and led by the regime of Donald Trump, the push for mass deportation isn't simply following the law; the aggressive enforcement

in too many cases federal authorities have expanded the list of "undesirable immigrants" to include those who are here legally or who are following the proper steps to eventuallly become citizens. Even US citizens have been victims of the regime's dragnet, detained for hours or months before ICE realizes its error.

There are conservative forces who would do away with the gains of the Civil Rights Movement. The US Supreme Court, once the champion of civil rights, has weakened the Voting Rights Act so that it is a shadow of itself and allowed conservative lawmakers to impose new Jim Crow-like barriers to voting. 

The Civil Rights Movement didn’t just change the law for Black Americans; it changed the very definition of who gets to be an American. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Census: AANHPI community is fastest growing group in the US but there's danger ahead

AANHPI fought for disagregated data leading up to the 2020 Census.

America's reputation as the land of opportunity and promise is taking a hit among would-be immigrants thus achieving Donald Trump's goal of the making America white again.

In addition, In a series of executive orders and policy shifts, the Trump regime has moved to fundamentally reshape how the U.S. Census Bureau counts the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community—a move advocates warn could leave the "fastest-growing" group in America both underrepresented and underfunded.

Population growth in the United States has slowed significantly with an increase of only 1.8 million, or 0.5%, between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the new Vintage 2025 population estimates released Jan. 27 by the US Census Bureau.

This was the nation’s slowest population growth since the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by a historically low 0.2% in 2021. The slowdown also comes after a sizeable uptick of growth in 2024, when the country added 3.2 million people and grew by 1.0%, the fastest annual population growth rate since 2006.

“The slowdown in US population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau. “With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today.”

Currently, the estimates of NIM are trending toward negative net migration. If those trends continue, it would be the first time the United States has seen net negative migration in more than 50 years.

Despite the slowdown in immigration growth, AANHPI is still the fastest growing demographic in the US according to Census estimates.

if you’ve been following this blog, you know the "model minority" myth usually hides the real struggle. While the Bureau hasn't released a 2026-specific "America Counts" report yet, the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates just went live on January 29, 2026, and they tell a story of a community that's growing fast but still fighting for visibility.

About us:

Here’s the breakdown on what the numbers say about us:

Strength in Numbers: The AANHPI community has topped 26.8 million—with 25.2 million identifying as Asian (alone or in combo) and 1.6 million as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

The Big Three: Chinese (5.5M), Asian Indian (5.2M), and Filipino (4.6M) remain the largest groups followed by Vietnamese (2.3M) and Korean (2.0M).

NHPI Community: Native Hawaiians are the largest detailed group (approx. 693,679), followed by Samoan (268,539) and Chamorro (159,845).

Citizenship & Veterans: Roughly 73.2% of the Asian population and 85.9% of the NHPI population are US citizens. Military service remains prominent in the NHPI community, with 6.6% of adults identifying as veterans.

The Education Gap: On the surface, 56.6% of Asians have a bachelor’s degree, but look closer—the NHPI community sits at 25.6%. This is why we keep screaming for data disaggregation; you can't fix what you don't count.

Hustle and Business: There are now over 650,000 Asian-owned firms with employees, proving we aren't just part of the workforce—we’re the ones creating the jobs.

Regional Concentration: Nearly half of the NHPI population continues to reside in Hawaii and California. For the Asian population, more than half live in just four states:
California, New York, Texas, and Washington.

View From the Edge: Danger ahead

The Trump regime's suspicion of the immigrant community could undermine Census' collection for disaggregated data, something the ANNHPI community has been asking for for decades.

Here is what will happen if the Census Bureau sticks to Trump's edicts:

Undocumented neighbors disappear: By directing the Department of Commerce to exclude undocumented residents from the count used for congressional apportionment, the administration is effectively erasing a portion of our community. Since many AANHPI families live in mixed-status households, this move creates a "chilling effect" that keeps even legal residents from opening their doors to census workers.

Cutting the advocacy cord: On day one, the administration revoked Executive Order 14031, which officially shuttered the White House Initiative on AANHPI. Without this body and its advisory commission, the community loses its primary seat at the table for ensuring the census provides linguistic access and accurate data disaggregation.

Expert voices muted: The official disbanding of the Census Bureau National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations in June 2025 means there are fewer experts in the room to explain why a Hmong farmer in Minnesota or a Tongan family in Utah might be missed by generic counting methods.

Trump's "New Census": The Trump regime has proposed a new data collection model that may rely on administrative records and election info rather than traditional door-knocking. For communities with high numbers of non-citizens or limited-English speakers, this shift risks a massive undercount that could drain resources from local hospitals, schools, and infrastructure for a decade to come.

With billions of dollars and political power at stake, these changes aren't just administrative—they’re personal. An undercount doesn't just mean a smaller number; it means our concerns go unheard and our resources are misallocated.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

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.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

US Census: Asian American population growth tops the nation last year; more Native Hawaiians on the Mainland than in Hawaii.

Asian American population growth is outpacing the rest of the country.

The Asian population of the United States continues to grow at a faster rate than other ethnic groups, based on data released by the US Census Bureau June 22.

Immigration drove Asian growth last year, accounting for two-thirds of the 577,000-person increase in people who identify as Asian, including those who identify with more than one race. That 2.4% bump was the largest of any race or ethnic group, and there were 24.6 million Asians in the U.S. last year.

King County, Washington — home to Seattle — added almost 21,500 Asian residents, the most of any US county last year.

However, Asian Americans and immigrants from Asia continue to flock to California, which already is home to the largest number of Asians.

RELATED: US Census releases updated stats on AANHPI population

“Immigrant and refugee communities bring talent, culture and a set of skills that are needed in our community,” said Arrey Obenson, president and CEO of the International Institute of St. Louis, which helps newcomers adapt to life in the U.S.

There were more than 1.7 million Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in the US last year, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. Clark County, Nevada, home to Las Vegas, had the biggest increase, with almost 1,500 new residents.

There were more Native Hawaiians living on the Mainland than in the island state. In 2021, there were about 309,800 Native Hawaiians in Hawaii and about 370,000 in other states. The new 2022 data will add on to those totals.

The exodus from Hawaii is due to the high cost of living there. Most Native Hawaiians can't afford to live in their own state. A $300,000 house in Las Vegas, a popular destination for Native Hawaiians, would cost $1.2 million in Hawaii.

Population estimates released by the US Census show what drove changes in different race, ethnic and age groups last year, as well as since the start of COVID-19’s spread in the US. in April 2020. The country had grown to 333.2 million people by the middle of last year, a 0.4% increase over the previous year, according to the 2022 population estimates.

Highlights of the Asian American Census:

• The Asian population in the United States was 24,683,008 in 2022, up 577,420 or 2.4% from 2021.

• In 2022, California had the largest Asian population (7,242,739), followed by New York (2,085,285) and Texas (1,958,128). California also had the largest-gaining Asian population with an increase of 108,881, while Montana — with an increase of 6.8% (1,276) — had the fastest-growing Asian population.

• California was home to four of the top five counties with the largest Asian populations in 2022. Los Angeles County topped the list with an Asian population of 1,711,002, followed by Santa Clara County (830,790) and Orange County (816,274). Alameda County, California, had the fifth largest Asian population at just over 616,000, and Queens County, New York, ranked fourth with an Asian population of 671,358.

• King County, Washington, had the largest-gaining Asian population, adding 21,498 people.

• Williamson County, Texas, had the fastest growth among counties with an Asian population above 10,000, expanding by 15.9% or 10,742 people.

Highlights of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations:

• The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population rose to 1,759,756, an increase of 1.8% or 31,949 people in 2022.

• Hawaii had the largest Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population (393,837), followed by California (373,173) and Washington (109,115).

• South Dakota had the fastest-growing Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population, which increased by 11.4% from 2021 to 2022, while Texas had the largest- gaining, up by 3,871.

• Honolulu County, Hawaii, had the largest Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population (254,769), followed by Hawaii County, Hawaii (72,467), and Los Angeles County, California (67,010).

• Clark County, Nevada, had the largest numeric population growth (1,499) among this population group between 2021 and 2022.

• Among counties with Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations above 10,000, Utah County, Utah, with an increase of 5.6% or 723 people, was the fastest growing in 2022.

The 2.4% growth rate of the Asian American population was greater than other groups. Two-thirds of that growth was due to immigration.

The Hispanic population gained over a million residents, reaching 63,664,346 in 2022, an increase of 1.7%

Comprising 15% of the nation’s total population in 2022, the national Black population totaled 50,087,750, up 0.9% from July 2021.
.

The White population in the United States was 260,570,291 in 2022, representing an increase of 0.1% or 388,779 people from 2021.

Ironically, to the chagrin of White Supremacists and replacement-theory believers, the White increase is wholly due to immigration. Take away the immigrants, the White-alone population showed a decrease by more than 85,000 people instead of growing meagerly by more than 388,000 residents, or 0.1%.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

Census releases new stats on the AA and NHPI communities

How does the Filipino American population differ from the total Asian population in the United States? Which Asian group is the oldest or the largest? Is the Native Hawaiian population larger than all other Pacific Islander groups?

The answers to these questions and a trove of other detailed data on hundreds of race, Hispanic origin, ancestry and tribal groups are in the New American Community Survey (ACS) population tables released Thursday.

The answer to the first question: The Filipino population and Japanese population had the largest percentage point difference (around 3%) between the alone and alone or in any combination groups; Filipinos have the second oldest median age (42.8) among other AANHPI groups; and the The Filipino population and Japanese population are more likely to be mixed race.

The US Census release ACS characteristics for race and ethnic groups every year but the new 2017-2021 ACS Selected Population Tables (SPT) and American Indian and Alaska Native Tables (AIANT) is an even broader release that covers a 5-year period and offers social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics of more population groups at numerous geographic levels.

There are 399 population groups in the 2017-2021 SPT that had a national population estimate of at least 7,000 and 1,059 population groups in the 2017-2021 AIANT that had a national population estimate of at least 100. This is the third time the Census Bureau has released these detailed 5-year ACS estimates.

The data includes two categories of race: race alone and mixed race. 

As a result, the race alone or in any combination population represents the maximum number of people who identified as that detailed Asian or NHPI group.

These concepts are important to frame the discussion of racial and ethnic composition and help us understand the changing demographics of our country as it becomes much more multiracial.

The Census release highlights 10 largest Asian and six largest NHPI population groups to illustrate the type of data available in these products. These groups were selected based on the race alone population size.

Some factoids from Thursday's release:

• Among the Asian population, Asian Indian (22.8%) was the largest race alone group and Chinese, except Taiwanese the largest alone or in any combination group (23.0%).

• Among the Asian population, Asian Indian (22.8%) was the largest race alone group and

• Chinese, except Taiwanese, were the largest alone or in any combination group (23.0%).

• The Hmong population had the youngest median age for both the alone (26.1) and alone or in any combination (25.2) populations.

• Over three-quarters of the Asian Indian and over half of the Korean, Pakistani, Chinese except Taiwanese, and Japanese populations had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

FYI: For more details about the AA and NHPI communities.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

AANHPI Heritage Month: Asian Americans now the largest ethnic group in the SF Bay Area

WIKI COMMONS

San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade is one of the most popular celebrations in the Bay Area.

Since the California Gold Rush of 1849, the San Francisco Bay Area has always been a favorite destination of immigrants from Asia, so much so that Asian Americans are now the majority in the region.

Of the 7.5 million Bay Area residents, Asian Americans make up 33.1% of the population, narrowly edging out Whites, who are 32.9% of the residents.

This is a dramatic change compared to the 2010 Census, when Whites made up 40.3% in the Bay Area and 25.5% were of Asian descent.

Maps created by the SF Chronicle show clusters of AANHPI communities throughout the Bay Area with large concentrations in San Francisco, Daly City, Fremont, Oakland, San Jose and Vallejo.

Overall, the Asian American population in the Bay Area’s nine counties grew by about 30% since 2010. Though the growth in the past decade was highest in Contra Costa County at 44%, data showed Santa Clara County had the largest numerical share of Asian Americans in the Bay Area in 2020 with about a 200,000 growth.

Much of the growth in the Asian American community is due to immigration, say demographers, demonstrating that the Bay Area is still a favorite entry point for immigrants from all over Asia.

 (Image via Bay Area Equity Atlas)

Fremont is among the largest Asian-majority cities in the continental US, Fremont, he said, is among the largest Asian-majority cities in the continental US, James Lai, ethnic studies professor at Santa Clara University, told the SF Chronicle.

Dublin, according to the 2020 Census data, is the Bay Area's fastest growing city, and most of that increase was driven by the growth of Asian American population. These places provide a “sense of community” that pulls people there, Lai said.

“What we’re seeing is direct migration of Asian immigrants not just to big cities but to suburbs,” Lai told the Chronicle. “You want your family to have access to your community, network, a way for you to find your livelihood, your children to find schools, churches and restaurants.”

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The Asian Art Museum observes Filipino American History Month in October.

The demographic changes in the Bay Area is reflective of what's happening in California where AANHPI make up about 16.5% of the population, an increase of 25% from 2010—the largest percent increase of any major racial or ethnic group in the state.

California is home to one-third of the nation's AANHPI population of 24 million, based on the latest data from the US Census.

It is important to stress that California’s AANHPI residents are not a monolith. Though they may share a common origin from a very broad region of the world, they can be as different from each other as much as the state’s non-AANHPI residents. Diversity, however, doesn't dilute their growing influence whose story will play a key role in shaping the Bay Area's and California's future.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

AANHPI Heritage Month: The Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities by the numbers

Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) businesses

The US Census released this fact sheet for journalists and employers who wish to celebrate and bring attention to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities or employees.

AANHPI communities, a diverse collection of peoples from two dozen countries, is the fastest growing ethnic group in the US due to the immigration rate from Asia and the Pacific region. They speak over 23 different languages.

It is also the youngest with almost a third of them choosing to live in California. However, Hawaii has the largest percentage of its residents, 45.5%, counted as AANHPI.

The Asian and NHPI population is not evenly distributed across the United States, according to the 2020 Census:

• Only three states — Hawaii, California, and New Jersey — had 10% or more of their population identify as Asian alone.
• Hawaii, Alaska, and Utah were the only states where at least 1% of the population identified as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone.
• Hawaii, Washington, and Nevada are the three states with the highest percentage of the population who identify as Asian in combination with another race.
• Hawaii, Nevada, and Alaska are the three states with the highest percentage of the population who identify as NHPI in combination with another race.

The Asian diaspora in the US is is extremely diverse. Using data from the 2016-2020 5-year ACS, the Census Bureau published data for 21 different detailed groups in the United States under the umbrella of Asian alone, including 4.2 million people reporting Chinese (excluding Taiwanese) and 3,526 people reporting Okinawan.

By the US Census 

In 1992, Congress established May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to coincide with two key milestones: the arrival of the nation’s first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and Chinese workers’ pivotal role in building the transcontinental railroad (completed May 10, 1869). The move expanded what had been Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week since 1978. In 2021, a presidential proclamation expanded this to include Native Hawaiians. 

This Facts for Features includes separate sections on the Asian and the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations, which the Office of Management and Budget in 1997 split into two race categories.  

The following facts are possible thanks to the responses to the U.S. Census Bureau surveys.

Asian Population

Did You Know?

24.0 million

The estimated number of Asian alone or in combination residents in the United States in 2021.

5.2 million

The estimated number of people of Chinese (except Taiwanese) descent in the United States in 2021. The Chinese (except Taiwanese) population was the largest Asian group, followed by Indian (4.8 million), Filipino (4.4 million), Vietnamese (2.3 million), Korean (2.0 million), and Japanese (1.6 million). These estimates represent individuals who reported a specific detailed Asian group alone as well as those who reported that detailed Asian group in combination with one or more other detailed Asian groups or another race(s).

2.4%

The percentage of the Asian alone-or-in-combination military veterans in 2021.

55.1%

The percentage of the Asian alone-or-in-combination population age 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education in 2021. 

88.5% 

The percentage of the Asian alone-or-in-combination population age 25 and older who had at least a high school diploma or equivalency in 2021.

612,194

The estimated number of Asian-owned employer firms in the United States in 2020. They employ about 5.2 million workers.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population

Did You Know?

1.7 million

The estimated number of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone-or-in-combination residents of the United States in 2021. 

680,353

The number of Native Hawaiian residents of the United States in 2021. The Native Hawaiian population was the largest detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) group, followed by Samoan (243,682) and Chamorro (142,516). These estimates represent the number of people who reported a specific detailed NHPI group alone as well as those who reported that detailed NHPI group in combination with one or more other detailed NHPI groups or another race(s).

6.8%  

The percentage of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone-or-in-combination military veterans in 2021.

25.0%

The percentage of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone-or-in-combination population age 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2021. 

89.9%

The percentage of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone-or-in-combination population age 25 and older with at least a high school diploma or equivalency in 2021. 

8,822

The estimated number of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned employer firms in the United States in 2020. 

FYI: 

• Click here to see more detailed stats on the AANHPI population including voter registration, marital status, housing and income. 
• Click here to read the President's proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023. 
• Click here for more responses from members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

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

Asian Americans disproportionately worked from home during the pandemic

In 2021, Asian American workers took advantage of the COVID-19 era work rules that allowed them to perform their jobs from home.

Although Asian American workers made up only 6% of the US workforce, Asian American telecommuters made up 10% if the home-based workforce, according to stats released this week by the US Census.

In general, the number of home-based workers increased across all races and ethnic groups — especially among high-income workers — between 2019 and 2021, a time when working from home was encouraged because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A U.S. Census Bureau report released today shows that while White home-based workers more than doubled their numbers and remained the largest single group in the home-based workforce, the number of Black or African American, Asian and Hispanic or Latino individuals working from home also grew substantially during 2019-2021, the period examined by the Census, which also coincided with the start of the pandemic in 2020.

The data show the increase of home-based workers from 2019 to 2021:

• White home-based workers increased from 7.2 million to 18.4 million.
• Black home-based workers increased from 0.7 million to 2.6 million.
• Asian home-based workers increased from 0.5 million to 2.6 million.
• Workers reporting Two or More Races increased markedly, from 0.2 million to 2.6 million.
• Hispanic and non-Hispanic home-based workers roughly tripled from 1.1 million to 3.2 million and from 7.9 million to 24.3 million, respectively.

In 2021, White workers made up 63% of the total U.S. working population but 67% of the home-based workforce.

Black workers made up 11% of all workers but 10% of home-based workers in 2021. Hispanic origin workers made up 18% of all workers and just 12% of home-based workers.

The Census report also found that workers in higher-income brackets work more able to work from home, while those workers in lower-paying jobs had to go to their place of employment.

The racial composition of the workforce also varied by income,. Higher income workers were disproportionately white, the survey said.

White workers made up the majority of each income bracket but were underrepresented at the bottom end of the income distribution and overrepresented at the top. Asian American workers followed a similar pattern. Black workers, on the other hand, were overrepresented at the bottom end of the income distribution and underrepresented at the top.

However, even outside of the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, income, education, and health are closely correlated and their relationship to telework is one of a wide array of social and economic outcomes of interest to researchers and policymakers studying changing employment trends.

Although working from home was popular with employees, after the worst of the pandemic appears to over, employers are beginning to require workers to come into the office or, created a hybrid situation where workers would go to the office only a few days a week.

Asian Americans composed of dozens of nationalities and ethnicities, have the widest income disparity of the ethnic groupings, according to the Pew Research Center

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Generally, according to the Pew study, some Asian American ethnicities more than others, such as Indian Americans and Filipino Americans, have greater household incomes than others, and thus, one could surmise, would most likely benefit from the new work trends that allow working at home.

Changing telework patterns have been a major feature of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many workers transitioned from commuting to a workplace to working from home.

In order to retain workers, the traditional workplace experience seems to be in a state of transition because of the positive economic experience with the pandemic.

Besides saving many businesses, working from home has not only given people the ability to work but also things that office work did not allow. This includes things like flexibility in your working hours and being somewhat in charge of your schedule. The freedom to choose your own working hours introduced new dynamics to businesses. 

Employees like remote work so much, that some of them would be willing to take a pay cut for it. 

Between July and August 2021, FlexJobs surveyed 4,612 people on their platform about job plans, and here is what they found from the respondents.

• Almost 45% knew somebody who has already quit or is planning to quit their job due to in-person work requirements.
• 29% were looking for a new job that allows remote work.
• 17% would quit their job if it did not offer some remote work options.
• 21% would give up some vacation time in order to work remotely.
• Almost a quarter of the employees would take a pay cut of 10% to 20% to work remotely as much as they want.

As of the start of COVID-19, 81% of employees expect that their employer will continue to encourage remote work. On the same note, 59% said they would want to work for a company that allowed for remote work.

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