The statistics also indicate that most Asians prefer urban rather than rural settings. The Asian connection is a crucial part of the national demographic snapshot provided by the Census Bureau's transmission of data to the individual states. That process, which started March 8, will continue through the end of March. With these critical numbers, governors and state legislative leaders will carve out new political district boundary lines. The disbursement of billions in federal dollars also hangs on what the figures tell America about Americans.
New Jersey typifies the growth of the Asian American population.
Data released for that state showed as much as a 94 percent gain over the decade. Direct comparisons of figures for the 1990 and 2000 censuses were impossible, however, because people previously could choose from only five racial categories compared to 63 in the latest census. Indiana's Asian American population may have nearly doubled, to 72,839 during the past decade. Because of the rise in API population and race-reporting changes, the extent of the social and political implications remain unclear. Narasaki said she expects Asian Americans will be well represented among those who chose the new multi-race option.