Map of the United States showing the top 10 states/territories with the largest percentage of Asian Americans according to the Census Bureau.
This profile offers an overview of the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape the health of the Asian American population in the United States. Considering the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances of Asian American populations is fundamental to improving their health outcomes and reducing longstanding disparities and inequities. These factors, known as social determinants of health (SDOH), affect various health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Non-medical factors like poverty, limited access to healthcare, and lack of education are all examples of individual SDOH factors that contribute to health disparities and inequities.
Visit Healthy People 2030 to learn more about SDOH.
Data Collection and Reporting for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Populations
Specific health data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is often limited. Federal data collection and reporting practices often fail to measure, reflect, and disaggregate the diversity of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander experiences. These practices mask the unique needs within these communities, which include dozens of distinct ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages and dialects. Practices that support granular data collection across various characteristics should also help us understand health in a way that considers intersecting identities of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations based on sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and socioeconomic status.
Read the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities to learn about federal strategies to improve data disaggregation practices for these populations.
Asian American Population Information
The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Asian” as a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, India, China, the Philippine Islands, Japan, Korea, or Vietnam. The Census category also includes people who indicate their race as Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and “Other Asian” or provide other detailed Asian responses such as Pakistani, Cambodian, Hmong, Thai, Bengali, Mien, etc.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) population estimates, in 2022, approximately 19.7 million Asian Americans alone reside within the United States representing about 5.9% of the U.S. population. In 2023, the ten states/territories with the largest percentage of Asian Americans were Hawaii (37.3%), California (16.5%), Washington (10.8%), New Jersey (10.6%), Nevada (9.7%), New York (9.7%), Massachusetts (7.9%), Virginia (7.4%), Maryland (7.1%), and Alaska (6.8%).
According to ACS estimates, Asian Americans were most represented in the United States by the following subcategories and their respective estimated populations:
- Asian Indians - 4,534,339
- Chinese – 4,521,970
- Filipinos – 2,969,978
- Vietnamese – 1,887,550
- Koreans – 1,501,587
According to 2022 ACS estimates, 30.1% of Asian Americans alone, age 5 years and older, report speaking English less than “very well.” The percentage of Asian Americans age 5 years or older who report speaking English less than “very well” varies among Asian American subgroups, ranging from 53.5% of Burmese to 11.6% of Japanese reporting speaking English less than “very well.” In 2022, 72.3% of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home.
According to 2022 ACS estimates, roughly 88.2% of all non-Hispanic Asian Americans alone age 25 years and older had at least a high school diploma, compared to 94.2% of non-Hispanic whites. However, 57.6% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans, compared to 39.5% of non-Hispanic whites, had earned at least a bachelor's degree or higher. 26.5% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans held a graduate or professional degree, compared to 15.5% of non-Hispanic whites. Among Asian American subgroups, the Taiwanese population had the highest percentage of those with a bachelor's degree or higher (81.2%).
According to 2022 ACS estimates, non-Hispanic Asian American alone households had the highest median 12-month income ($107,367) compared to other racial and ethnic groups. In 2022, 63.9% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans alone, age 16 or older, in the civilian labor force were employed compared to 59.1% of non-Hispanic whites. 2022 estimates from the U.S. Department of Labor show that the overall unemployment rate for Asian Americans was 2.8%, compared to 3.2% for non-Hispanic whites.
According to 2022 ACS estimates, health insurance coverage among Asian American subgroups varied. In 2022, 77.8% of Filipinos, 73.0% of Chinese, 61.8% of Cambodians, and 63.5% of Hmong had private insurance coverage. Overall, 74.1% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans alone had private healthcare coverage compared to 74.1% of non-Hispanic whites. 28.1% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans alone were covered by Medicaid or other public health insurance, compared to 36.1% of non-Hispanic whites. In 2022, 5.4% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans alone did not have health insurance similar to the percentage for non-Hispanic whites (5.3%). Notably, an analysis of 2013-2019 data found that gains in health insurance coverage since 2014 have essentially erased the coverage disparity Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders experienced compared to non-Hispanic whites prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average estimated life expectancy at birth for Asian Americans is 84.5 years (86.3 years for women and 82.4 years for men). In comparison, in 2022, life expectancy for non-Hispanic whites was 77.5 years (80.1 years for women and 75.1 years for men).
Despite having the highest average life expectancies among all racial and ethnic populations, Asian Americans still contend with barriers to optimal health, such as infrequent medical visits and language and cultural barriers. In 2021, the five leading causes of death among non-Hispanic Asian Americans in the United States were cancer, heart disease, COVID-19, stroke, and unintentional injuries.