1

 CB12-FF.09 

 March 21, 2012 

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: 

May 2012 

In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The 

first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific 

American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) 

and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed 

May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration. Per a 

1997 Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific Islander racial category 

was separated into two categories: one being Asian and the other Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander. Thus, this Facts for Features contains a section for each. 

Asians

17.3 million 

The estimated number of U.S. residents of Asian descent, according to the 2010 Census. This 

group comprised 5.6 percent of the total population. This count includes those who said they 

were both Asian alone (14.7 million) and Asian in combination with one or more additional races 

(2.6 million). 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Brief – Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin 

<www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf> 

5.6 million 

The Asian alone or in combination population in California; the state had the largest Asian 

population in the 2010 Census, followed by New York (1.6 million). Hawaii had the highest 

proportion of Asians (57 percent). 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary 

File, Custom Table 3, <http://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/redistricting.html> 

46%

Percentage growth of the Asian alone or in combination population between the 2000 and 2010 

censuses, which was more than any other major race group. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary 

File, Custom Table 3, <http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn123.html> 
2

3.8 million 

Number of Asians of Chinese, except Taiwanese, descent in the U.S. in 2010. ChineseAmericans were the largest Asian group, followed by Filipinos (3.4 million), Asian Indians (3.2 

million), Vietnamese (1.7 million), Koreans (1.7 million) and Japanese (1.3 million). These 

estimates represent the number of people who reported a specific Asian group alone, and people 

who reported that Asian group in combination with one or more other Asian groups or races. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census, Table QT-P8, 

< http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/QTP8> 

Income, Poverty and Health Insurance 

$67,022 

Median household income for single-race Asians in 2010. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B19013D, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B19013D> 

Median household income differed greatly by Asian group. For Asian Indians, for example, the 

median income in 2010 was $90,711; for Bangladeshi, it was $48,471. (These figures represent 

the single-race population.) 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table S0201, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~013> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~014> 

12% 

The poverty rate for single-race Asians in 2010, not statistically different from the 2009 poverty 

rate. Between 2009 and 2010, the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic whites, for blacks and 

for Hispanics. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United 

States: 2010, <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2010/highlights.html> 

18% 

Percentage of single-race Asians without health insurance coverage in 2010, up from 16.5 

percent in 2009. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United 

States: 2010, <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb11-

157.html> 
3

Education 

50% 

The percentage of single-race Asians 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher level of 

education. This compared with 28 percent for all Americans 25 and older. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Tables B15002D and S1501, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002D> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1501> 

85% 

The percentage of single-race Asians 25 and older who had at least a high school diploma. This 

is not statistically different from the percentage for the total population or the percentage of 

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone, 86 and 87 percent respectively. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Tables B15002D, S1501 and 

B15002E, <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002D>, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1501> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002E> 

20% 

The percentage of single-race Asians 25 and older who had a graduate (e.g., master’s or 

doctorate) or professional degree. This compared with 10 percent for all Americans 25 and older. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Tables B15002D and S1501, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002D> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1501> 

Voting 

589,000 

How many more single-race Asians voted in the 2008 presidential election than in the 2004 

election. All in all, 48 percent of Asians turned out to vote in 2008 — up 4 percentage points 

from 2004. A total of 3.4 million Asians voted. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2008, 

<http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/voting/cb09-110.html> 

Businesses 

Source for the statements referenced in this section, unless otherwise indicated: U.S. Census 

Bureau, 2007 Survey of Business Owners via American FactFinder, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/SBO/2007/00CSA01/0100000US/naics~00 

> 
4

1.5 million

Number of businesses owned by Asian-Americans in 2007, an increase of 40.4 percent from 

2002. 

$506 billion

Total receipts of businesses owned by Asian Americans, up 54.9 percent from 2002. 

In 2007, 44.7 percent of Asian-owned businesses were in repair and maintenance; personal and 

laundry services; professional, scientific and technical services; and retail trade. 

47%

Percentage of businesses in Hawaii owned by people of Asian descent. It was 14.9 percent in 

California and 10.1 percent in New York. 

508,969

California had the most Asian-owned firms at 508,969 (32.8 percent of all such firms), followed 

by New York with 196,825 (12.7 percent) and Texas with 114,297 (7.4 percent). 

Languages 

2.8 million 

The number of people 5 and older who spoke Chinese at home in 2010. After Spanish, Chinese 

was the most widely spoken non-English language in the country. Tagalog, Vietnamese and 

Korean were each spoken at home by more than 1 million people. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B16001, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B16001> 

Serving Our Nation 

265,200 

The number of single-race Asian military veterans. About one in three veterans was 65 years and 

older. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B21001D, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B21001D> 
5

Jobs 

48% 

The proportion of civilian employed single-race Asians 16 and older who worked in 

management, business, science and arts occupations, such as financial managers, engineers, 

teachers and registered nurses. Additionally, 17 percent worked in service occupations, 

22 percent in sales and office occupations and 10 percent in production, transportation and 

material moving occupations. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B24010D, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B24010D> 

Internet Use 

80% 

Percentage of Asians living in a household with Internet use — the highest rate among race and 

ethnic groups. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Reported Internet Usage for Households, by selected Householder 

Characteristics; Current Population Survey: 2009 

<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer/2009.html> 

Age Distribution 

35.4 

Median age of the single-race Asian population in 2010. The corresponding figure was 

37.2 years for the population as a whole. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Summary File 1, Tables P13 and P13D, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P13> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P13D> 

22% 

Percent of the single-race Asian population that was under age 18 in 2010 while 

9.4 percent was 65 or older. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Summary File 1, Table P12D, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P12D> 

Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 

1.2 million

The number of U.S. residents who said they were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 

either alone or in combination with one or more additional races, according to the 2010 Census. 
6

This group comprised 0.4 percent of the total population. More than half of all people who 

identified as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander reported multiple races (56 percent). 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Brief – Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin, 

<www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf> 

Hawaii had the largest population of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders among the 

alone or in combination population with 356,000, followed by California (286,000). Hawaii had 

the largest proportion of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (26 percent). 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary 

File, Custom Table 3, <http://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/redistricting.html> 

40%

Percentage growth of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination 

population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary 

File, Custom Table 3, <http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn123.html> 

Income, Poverty and Health Insurance 

$52,776 

The median income of households headed by single-race Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific 

Islanders. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B19013E, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B19013E> 

18.8% 

The poverty rate for those who classified themselves as single-race Native Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific Islander. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table S1701, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1701> 

17% 

The percentage without health insurance for single-race Native Hawaiians and Other 

Pacific Islanders. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table S2701, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S2701> 
7

Education 

15% 

The percentage of single-race Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 25 and older who 

had a bachelor’s degree or higher. This compared with 28 percent for the total population. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Tables B15002E and S1501, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002E> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1501> 

87% 

The percentage of single-race Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 25 and older who 

had at least a high school diploma. This is not statistically different from either the percentage 

for the total population, 86 percent, or the percentage of Asian alone, 85 percent. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, B15002E, S1501, and 

B15002D, <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002E>, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1501> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002D> 

4% 

The percentage of single-race Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 25 and older who 

had obtained a graduate or professional degree. This compared with 10 percent for the total 

population this age. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B15002E and S1501 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B15002E> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S1501> 

Businesses 

Source for the statements referenced in this section, unless otherwise indicated: 

U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Survey of Business Owners via American FactFinder 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/SBO/2007/00CSA01/0100000US/naics~00> 

37,687

The number of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned businesses in 2007, up 30.2 

percent from 2002. 

$6.3 billion

Total receipts of these businesses, up 47.7 percent from 2002. 
8

45%

The percent of all Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned business revenue that 

construction and retail trade accounted for. 

10%

The percent of businesses in Hawaii owned by Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders, 

highest among all states. 

Serving Our Nation 

27,800 

The number of single-race Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander military veterans. About 

one in five veterans was 65 years and older. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, B21001E, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B21001E> 

Jobs 

26% 

The proportion of civilian employed single-race Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 

16 and older who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations, such as 

financial managers, engineers, teachers and registered nurses (not statistically different from 

service and sales occupations). Additionally, 24 percent worked in service occupations, while 27 

percent worked in sales and office occupations and 14 percent in production, transportation and 

material moving occupations. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey, Table B24010E, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/B24010E>

Age Distribution 

28.9 

The median age of the single-race Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population in 

2010. The median age was 37.2 for the population as a whole. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Summary File 1, Tables P13 and P13E,

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P13> and 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P13E> 
9

29% 

Percentage of the single-race Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population that was 

under age 18 in 2010 while 5.8 percent was 65 or older. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Summary File 1, Table P12E, 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P12E> 

Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features series: 

Black History Month (February) Labor Day 

Super Bowl Grandparents Day 

Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) 

Women’s History Month (March) Unmarried and Single Americans Week 

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/ Halloween (Oct. 31) 

 St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month 

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May) (November) 

Older Americans Month (May) Veterans Day (Nov. 11) 

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) Thanksgiving Day 

Mother’s Day The Holiday Season (December) 

Hurricane Season Begins (June 1) 

Father’s Day 

The Fourth of July (July 4) 

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26) 

Back to School (August) 

Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling 

variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an 

observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed 

to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: 

<pio@census.gov>.