by Amber Davis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Asian immigrants account for the largest number of new arrivals to the States, helping Asian Americans surpass Latinos as the country’s fastest growing racial/ethnic group.
- According to a Pew Research Center report, about 36% of US immigrants arrived from Asian countries in 2010, compared to 31% from Latin America (PewSocialTrends.org, 19 June 2012).
- Asian Americans also arrive with more education and step into higher-paying jobs than Latino immigrants on average. Some 61% of Asian immigrants between ages 25 and 64 have at least a bachelor’s degree — twice the rate of non-Asian immigrants.
- Asian Americans now make up 6% of the country’s population, with over 80% tracing their roots back to China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines or Vietnam.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Even though the Asian American population still hovers in the single digits, their spending power and political influence is outsized — especially in high-concentration states like California, New York and Hawaii.
- Asian immigrants arrive with more education and readiness for high-skill, high-paying jobs on average, but this varies drastically depending on country-of-origin group. Messaging that focuses on aspiration, rather than what’s already been achieved, may be more resonant across the board.
RESOURCES
