U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Arab Households in the United States: 

2006–2010

American Community Survey Briefs

By Maryam Asi and Daniel Beaulieu 

Issued May 2013

ACSBR/10-20

INTRODUCTION

This brief provides a portrait of households in the 

United States with a particular focus on Arab households; people of Arab ancestry are also discussed.1

Characteristics of households can provide important 

insights into population groups’ composition and wellbeing. For this brief, Arab households are defined as 

households where the householder’s ancestry included 

an Arab response.2

Data shown in this brief are based on the American 

Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates from the 

2006–2010 Selected Population Tables. This product 

uses data aggregated over a 5-year period to provide 

detailed estimates of social, economic, and housing 

characteristics for many race, tribal, Hispanic origin, 

and ancestry population groups at multiple levels of 

geography.3

The Arab population in the United States is a relatively 

small, yet growing ancestry group, increasing from 

850,000 people with Arab ancestry (0.35 percent of the 

total population) in 1990 to 1.2 million (0.42 percent 

of the total population) in 2000.4 The 2006–2010 ACS 

5-year estimates show that an estimated 1.5 million 

people (0.5 percent of the total population) with Arab 

1 For more information on households in the United States, visit 

<www.census.gov/hhes/families>. 2 Arab ancestry is determined if one or two Arab ancestries were 

reported. Two ancestries were collected from each individual and the 

order does not matter. For example, a householder reporting “Lebanese 

and Syrian” is included in the Lebanese as well as in the Syrian estimates, and a householder reporting “Lebanese and French” is included 

in the Lebanese and French estimates, but note only Arab ancestries 

are discussed in this brief. In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau tabulates 

responses of “Arab,” “Arabic,” “Kurd,” and “Berber” as Arab. 3 This brief features selected Arab ancestry groups with at least 

5,000 Arab households in 2006–2010. 4 U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census, 1990 and 2000.

ancestry were living in the United States, representing a 

76.0 percent increase since 1990.

The number of Arab households has also grown over 

time, increasing from 268,000 in 1990 to 427,000 in 

2000. Data from the 2006–2010 ACS 5-year estimates 

reveal that there were 511,000 Arab households in the 

United States, representing a 91.0 percent increase 

since 1990.

While the Arab population is a distinct ancestry group, 

it is also a heterogeneous one, composed of many 

groups with different ethnic origins originally from the 

Middle East and North Africa. This brief focuses on a 

How Is Arab Ancestry Determined?

The American Community Survey includes an 

ancestry question that asks each individual his or 

her “ancestry or ethnic origin.” From the responses 

collected, the U.S. Census Bureau considers anyone 

who reported being Algerian, Bahraini, Egyptian, 

Emirati, Iraqi, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Libyan, 

Moroccan, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi 

Arabian, Syrian, Tunisian, and Yemeni to be of Arab 

ancestry. 

The Census Bureau defines ancestry as the ethnic 

origin, descent, roots, heritage, or place of birth of 

the person or of the person’s ancestors. Ancestry 

is a broad concept. The ancestry question was not 

intended to measure the degree of attachment to a 

particular group, but simply to establish the ethnic 

group(s) with which the respondent self-identifies.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

number of selected Arab ancestry groups—Lebanese, Egyptian, 

Syrian, Palestinian, Moroccan, Iraqi, 

Jordanian, and Yemeni. 

The following sections highlight 

some of the different types of characteristics available in the Selected 

Population Tables for total households and households with an 

Arab householder, such as average 

household size, household type 

and composition, homeownership, 

and median household income. 

POPULATION AND 

HOUSEHOLDS 

Out of 304 million people in the 

United States in 2006–2010, 1.5 

million were of Arab ancestry. 

Within the Arab population, the 

selected ancestry groups shown 

in Table 1 varied in population 

size. Population size ranged from 

Yemeni, with a population size of 

29,000, to Lebanese, the largest 

group within the Arab population in 

the United States, with a population 

of nearly one-half million. 

As Table 1 also shows, there were 

about 114.2 million total households in the United States, of 

which over 500,000 were Arab 

households. Among Arab households, about 1 in 3 were Lebanese 

households.

Average household size is determined by dividing the total household population by the total number of households.5

5 Note that Table 1 shows the total 

U.S. population, which includes the group 

quarters population. The total household 

population is not shown but can be obtained 

from the 2006–2010 ACS 5-year estimates, 

Selected Population Tables, visit <factfinder2

.census.gov/> then click on “Topics,” then 

“Dataset,” then “2010 ACS 5-year Selected 

Population Tables.”

Table 1. 

Total and Arab Population and Households by Selected Arab Ancestry Group: 2006–2010

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Ancestry group

Total population Total households Average household size

Number

Margin of 

error1

(±) Number

Margin of 

error1(±) Number

Margin of 

error1(±) 

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . 303,965,272 (X) 114,235,996 248,114 2.59 0.01

 Total Arab2 . . . . . . . . 1,517,664 17,397 511,102 5,035 2.93 0.02

Lebanese . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485,917 6,375 181,127 2,437 2.66 0.03

Egyptian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179,853 4,999 60,137 1,731 2.95 0.05

Syrian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147,426 3,950 56,040 1,432 2.67 0.04

Palestinian . . . . . . . . . . . . 83,241 4,035 25,679 1,163 3.50 0.10

Moroccan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74,908 3,183 23,365 1,170 2.75 0.07

Iraqi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73,896 4,162 22,979 1,189 3.27 0.10

Jordanian . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,056 3,797 18,134 1,088 3.42 0.11

Yemeni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29,358 2,618 6,812 550 4.34 0.21

(X) Not applicable. 1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error 

in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent 

confidence interval. 2

 The total Arab estimate includes selected ancestry groups (Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, Moroccan, Iraqi, Jordanian, and Yemeni), as well as 

general “Arab/Arabic” responses and other Arab groups not shown.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Selected Population Tables 2006–2010, DP02 and B01003.

How Are Households Defined?

Everyone living in a housing unit makes up a household; a household may include one or more people. One of 

the people who owns or rents the residence is designated as the householder. For the purposes of 

examining family and household composition, two types of households are defined: family and nonfamily. 

A family household has at least two members related by birth, marriage, or adoption, one of whom is the householder. Family households are maintained by married couples or by a man or woman living with other relatives—children may or may not be present. A married-couple household includes a householder with a spouse 

present. An other family household can have either a male or female householder, with no spouse present.

A nonfamily household can be either a person living alone or a householder who shares the housing unit only 

with nonrelatives; for example, boarders or roommates. The nonrelatives of the householder may be related to 

each other.
U.S. Census Bureau 3

According to Figure 1, the average 

household size in the United States 

was 2.59 people per household, 

lower than the average household 

size for Arab households (2.93 

people per household). Yemeni 

households had the largest average 

household size among the selected 

Arab groups, 4.34 people per 

household.

HOUSEHOLD TYPE AND 

COMPOSITION

Table 2 shows that the majority of 

all households in the United States 

were composed of family households (66.8 percent). Among the 

selected Arab households, Yemeni 

(79.8 percent), Jordanian (77.2 

percent), and Palestinian (76.8 

percent) households were the most 

likely to be composed of family 

households.6 Married-couple family 

6 The percentages of Yemeni, Palestinian, 

and Jordanian family households were not 

statistically different from each other. 

households represented nearly 

half (49.6 percent) of all households in the United States; for Arab 

households, it was over half (55.7 

percent). Palestinian (63.7 percent), 

Jordanian (63.1 percent), Egyptian 

(61.8 percent), and Yemeni (61.7 

percent) households were more 

likely to be married-couple households than other Arab households 

shown in this brief (Table 2).7

Other family households represented 17.2 percent of total 

households and 13.2 percent of 

Arab households. Among Arab 

households, the percentage of 

other family households ranged 

from about 9.9 percent for Egyptian 

households to about 18.1 percent 

for Yemeni households.8

7 The percentages of Egyptian, Yemeni, 

Palestinian, and Jordanian married-couple 

households were not statistically different 

from each other. 8 The percentages of total and Yemeni 

other family households were not statistically 

different from each other.

There were about 38 million nonfamily households in the United 

States and 0.16 million Arab nonfamily households, each representing about one-third of all households and one-third of all Arab 

households, 33.2 percent and 31.1 

percent, respectively. Moroccan, 

Lebanese, and Syrian households 

were more likely to be composed of 

nonfamily households than the other 

selected Arab ancestry groups.

HOMEOWNERSHIP

The homeownership rate is the 

percentage of all occupied housing units that are owner-occupied. 

The homeownership rate was 

66.6 percent for the nation, compared with 59.6 percent for Arab 

owner-occupied housing units. The 

homeownership rate for Lebanese 

and Syrians was above the national 

level at 71.6 and 69.2 percent, 

respectively. At the other end of 

Total Yemeni Palestinian Jordanian Iraqi Egyptian Moroccan Syrian Lebanese

Arab1

Total

population

Figure 1.

Average Household Size by Selected Arab Ancestry Group: 2006–2010

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error 

and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

1 The total Arab estimate includes selected ancestry groups (Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, Moroccan, Iraqi, Jordanian, 

and Yemeni) as well as general “Arab/Arabic” responses and other Arab groups not shown.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Selected Population Tables 2006–2010.

2.59

2.93

4.34

3.50 3.42 3.27

2.95

2.75 2.67 2.66
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2. 

Household Characteristics by Selected Arab Ancestry Group: 2006–2010

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Ancestry group

Household type

Owner-occupied 

housing unit

Total 

households

Family households Nonfamily 

Total Married-couple households

family Other family

Percent 

Margin 

of error1 

(±) Percent 

Margin 

of error1 

(±) Percent 

Margin 

of error1 

(±) Percent 

Margin 

of error1 

(±) Percent 

Margin 

of error1 

(±) 

 Total . . . . . . . . . 100.0 66.8 0.1 49.6 0.2 17.2 – 33.2 0.1 66.6 0.2

 Total Arab2 . . . . . . 100.0 68.9 0.6 55.7 0.6 13.2 0.4 31.1 0.6 59.6 0.5

Lebanese . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 66.0 0.8 53.2 1.0 12.9 0.5 34.0 0.8 71.6 0.8

Egyptian . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 71.7 1.3 61.8 1.4 9.9 0.8 28.3 1.3 56.5 1.3

Syrian . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 67.5 1.5 55.8 1.5 11.7 1.1 32.5 1.5 69.2 1.3

Palestinian . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 76.8 2.0 63.7 2.0 13.1 1.5 23.2 2.0 59.6 2.5

Moroccan . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 65.8 2.1 49.9 2.4 15.8 1.9 34.2 2.1 36.9 2.2

Iraqi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 71.5 2.1 55.1 2.5 16.4 1.9 28.5 2.1 45.3 2.4

Jordanian . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 77.2 2.9 63.1 2.8 14.1 2.1 22.8 2.9 50.5 3.2

Yemeni . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 79.8 3.4 61.7 3.5 18.1 3.0 20.2 3.4 36.7 4.3

– Rounds to zero. 1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error 

in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent 

confidence interval. 2

 The total Arab estimate includes selected ancestry groups (Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, Moroccan, Iraqi, Jordanian, and Yemeni), as well as 

general “Arab/Arabic” responses and other Arab groups not shown.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Selected Population Tables 2006–2010, DP02, DP03, DP04, and B11001.

Total Lebanese Egyptian Syrian Palestinian Jordanian Moroccan Yemeni Iraqi

Arab1

Total

population

Figure 2.

Median Household Income by Selected Arab Ancestry Group: 2006–2010

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error 

and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

1 The total Arab estimate includes selected ancestry groups (Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, Moroccan, Iraqi, Jordanian, 

and Yemeni) as well as general “Arab/Arabic” responses and other Arab groups not shown.

Note: Data on median household income are based on 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Selected Population Tables 2006–2010.

51,914

56,433

67,264

62,812 62,637

55,950

47,692

44,521

34,667 32,075
U.S. Census Bureau 5

the spectrum, the Moroccan and 

Yemeni homeownership rates were 

about one-third each (36.9 and 

36.7 percent, respectively).9

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD 

INCOME

The median household income for 

all households in the United States 

in 2010 dollars was $51,914, 

about $4,500 dollars lower than 

the median household income for 

Arab households ($56,433—see 

Figure 2). Lebanese households 

had the highest median income 

($67,264), while Iraqi and Yemeni 

households had lower median 

incomes ($32,075 and $34,667, 

9 Homeownership rates for Moroccan and 

Yemeni households were not statistically different from each other.

respectively) than the other 

selected Arab ancestry groups.10

SOURCE AND ACCURACY 

Data presented in this brief are 

based on people and households 

that responded to the ACS from 

2006–2010. The resulting estimates are representative of the 

entire population. All comparisons 

presented in this brief have taken 

sampling error into account and are 

significant at the 90 percent confidence level unless otherwise noted. 

Due to rounding, some details may 

not sum to totals. For information on sampling and estimation 

10 Median incomes for Iraqi and Yemeni 

households were not statistically different 

from each other.

methods, confidentiality protection, sampling error, and nonsampling errors, please see the “ACS 

Accuracy of the Data” document 

located at <www.census.gov

/acs/www/Downloads/data

_documentation/Accuracy

/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2010

.pdf>.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the Arab 

population and other ancestry 

groups in the United States, visit 

the Census Bureau’s Internet site at 

<www.census.gov/population

/ancestry/>. The most recent 

data on ancestry can be found on 

American FactFinder located at 

<factfinder2.census.gov/>.

What Is the American Community Survey?

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities with reliable 

and timely demographic, social, economic, and housing data for the nation, states, congressional districts, 

counties, places, and other localities every year. It has an annual sample size of about 3 million addresses 

across the United States and Puerto Rico and includes both housing units and group quarters (e.g., nursing 

facilities and prisons). The ACS is conducted in every county throughout the nation, and every municipio in 

Puerto Rico, where it is called the Puerto Rico Community Survey. Beginning in 2006, ACS data for 2005 were 

released for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 and greater. For information on the ACS sample 

design and other topics, visit <www.census.gov/acs/www>.