• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 25, 2005

Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States

Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released a comprehensive summary report titled, "We the People: Asians in the United States," containing a portrait of the Asian population. In a summary by Kang & Lee Advertising, Saul Gitlin, EVP-Strategic Services, said "This new Census summary of the Asian population is an excellent resource for the multicultural marketing industry. (This Report) will be especially useful for companies and brands that have no prior experience in Asian American marketing, yet are seeking to build their knowledge to develop new marketing and communications plans to reach this fast-growing, and affluent segment of consumers."

Based on the Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey (CPS) of the Census Bureau, this report includes details such as:

- Five specific ethnic groups among the 12.5 million Asians and Pacific Islanders in the country each number one million or more: Chinese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Vietnamese, and Koreans.

- Asians are more likely than the total population to be in management, professional, and related occupations.

- The median annual income of Asian families is almost $10,000 higher than the median income for all families in the country.

- 51 percent of the Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States lived in the West, 19 percent lived in the South, 12 percent in the Midwest, and 19 percent in the Northeast. In comparison, 194.8 million (69 percent) of the United States population was non-Hispanic White.

- Ninety-five percent of all Asians and Pacific Islanders lived in metropolitan areas, a much greater proportion than of non-Hispanic Whites (78 percent).

- Twenty-six percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders were under 18, compared with 23 percent of non-Hispanic Whites. 7 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders were 65 and over, compared with 14 percent of non-Hispanic Whites.

- Of the 9.8 million Asians and Pacific Islanders and 158.3 million non- Hispanic Whites 15 and older in 2002, 57 percent of each population was married, but the percentage of divorced Asians and Pacific Islanders was one-half that of non-Hispanic Whites.

- 87 percent of the 7.9 million Asians and Pacific Islanders and 89 percent of the 133.4 million non-Hispanic Whites aged 25 and older had earned at least a high school diploma.

- Asian and Pacific Islander men were much more likely than non- Hispanic White men to have earned at least a bachelor's degree. Similarly, Asian and Pacific Islander women were more likely than non-Hispanic White women to have earned at least a bachelor's degree.

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