The Asian Population: 2010 Issued March 2012 2010 Census Briefs C2010BR-11 INTRODUCTION By Elizabeth M. Hoeffel, Figure 1. According to the 2010 Census, the Sonya Rastogi, Reproduction of the Question on Myoung Ouk Kim, Asian population grew faster than Race From the 2010 Census and any other race group in the United Hasan Shahid States between 2000 and 2010. This was observed for the population who reported Asian alone (increased 43 percent), as well as for the popu- lation who reported Asian alone or in combination with another race (increased 46 percent). The Asian population continued to be concen- trated in the West, and the Chinese population was the largest detailed Asian group. This report provides a portrait of the Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census questionnaire. Asian population in the United States and discusses that population’s distri- bution at the national level and at lower data products to provide information on levels of geography.1 It is part of a series selected detailed groups, such as Asian 3 that analyzes population and housing data Indians, Koreans, and Filipinos. collected from the 2010 Census. UNDERSTANDING RACE DATA The data for this report are based on the FROM THE 2010 CENSUS 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which was the The 2010 Census used federal standards to collect and present first 2010 Census data product released data on race. with data on race and Hispanic origin, including information on the Asian popu- For the 2010 Census, the question on lation, and was provided to each state for race was asked of individuals living use in drawing boundaries for legislative in the United States (see Figure 1). An districts.2 Data for this report also come individual’s response to the race question from the 2010 Census Summary File 1, was based upon self-identification. The which was one of the first 2010 Census U.S. Census Bureau collects information on race following the guidance of the U.S. 1 This report discusses data for the 50 states and Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) the District of Columbia, but not Puerto Rico. 2 Information on the 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File is available 3 Information on the 2010 Census Summary File 1 online at <http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data is available online at <http://2010.census.gov/news /redistricting-data.php>. /press-kits/summary-file-1.html>. U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 1997 Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal DEFINITION OF ASIAN USED IN THE 2010 CENSUS Data on Race and Ethnicity.4 These According to OMB, “Asian” refers to a person having origins in any federal standards mandate that of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian race and Hispanic origin (ethnicity) subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, are separate and distinct concepts Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and and that when collecting these data Vietnam. via self-identification, two different questions must be used.5 The Asian population includes people who indicated their race(s) as “Asian” or reported entries such as “Asian Indian,” “Chinese,” Starting in 1997, OMB required “Filipino,” “Korean,” “Japanese,” and “Vietnamese” or provided other federal agencies to use a minimum detailed Asian responses. of five race categories: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and in the 1870 Census in California In Census 2000, for the first time, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific only and in other states starting individuals were presented with the Islander. For respondents unable in 1890. Additional Asian response option to self-identify with more to identify with any of these five categories were collected inter- than one race, and this continued race categories, OMB approved the mittently in the question on race with the 2010 Census, as pre- Census Bureau’s inclusion of a sixth over the course of seven censuses, scribed by OMB. There are 57 pos- category—Some Other Race—on from the 1920 Census to the 1980 sible multiple-race combinations the Census 2000 and 2010 Census Census. The use of six detailed involving the five OMB race catego- questionnaires. The 1997 OMB Asian response categories in the ries and Some Other Race.7 standards also allowed for respon- decennial census question on race dents to identify with more than The 2010 Census question on race has remained unchanged since one race. The definition of the included 15 separate response the 1980 Census (Asian Indian, Asian racial category used in the categories and three areas where Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, 2010 Census is presented in the respondents could write in detailed and Vietnamese). text box on this page. information about their race (see Beginning with the 1910 Census, Figure 1).8 The response catego- Data on race have been collected reports of detailed Asian groups ries and write-in answers can be since the first U.S. decennial census that did not have separate response combined to create the five mini- in 1790, but no distinction was categories in the race question mum OMB race categories plus made for people of Asian descent. were tabulated from a general Some Other Race. In addition to In 1860, the first Asian response “Other” write-in area. In the 1990 White, Black or African American, category (“Chinese”) was added to Census, a write-in area was American Indian and Alaska Native, the question on race in California introduced that was solely dedi- and Some Other Race, 7 of the only and in other states begin- cated to the reporting of detailed ning in 1870. A second Asian 7 Asian groups or detailed Native The 2010 Census provides information response category (“Japanese”) on the population reporting more than one Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander race, as well as detailed race combinations was included for the first time groups that did not have a sepa- (e.g., Asian and White; Asian and White and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander). In this report, the multiple-race categories 4 The 1997 Revisions to the Standards rate response category. A shared are denoted with the conjunction and in bold for the Classification of Federal Data write-in area for reports of detailed and italicized print to indicate the separate on Race and Ethnicity, issued by OMB, Asian groups or detailed Native race groups that constitute the particular is available at <www.whitehouse.gov combination. /omb/fedreg_1997standards>. Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 8 There were two changes to the question 5 The OMB requires federal agencies to groups that did not have specific on race for the 2010 Census. First, the word- use a minimum of two ethnicities: Hispanic ing of the race question was changed from or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. Hispanic response categories in the race “What is this person’s race? Mark one or origin can be viewed as the heritage, question continued for Census more races to indicate what this person con- nationality group, lineage, or country of 6 siders himself/herself to be” in 2000 to “What birth of the person or the person’s parents or 2000 and the 2010 Census. is this person’s race? Mark one or more ancestors before their arrival in the United 6 For information about comparability of boxes” for 2010. Second, in 2010, examples States. People who identify their origin as 2010 Census data with race and Hispanic were added to the “Other Asian” response Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any origin to data collected in previous censuses, category (Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, race. “Hispanic or Latino” refers to a person see the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Cambodian, and so on) and the “Other Pacific of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or (Public Law 94-171) Summary File—Technical Islander” response category (Fijian, Tongan, Central American, or other Spanish culture or Documentation at <www.census.gov/prod and so on). In 2000, no examples were given origin regardless of race. /cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf>. in the race question. 2 U.S. Census Bureau 15 response categories are Asian Second, individuals who chose people, or 4.8 percent, were Asian groups, and 4 are Native Hawaiian more than one of the six race cat- alone (see Table 1). In addition, and Other Pacific Islander groups.9 egories are referred to as the race 2.6 million people, or another The 7 Asian response categories in combination population, or as 0.9 percent, reported Asian in com- are Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, the group who reported more than bination with one or more other Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and one race. For example, respondents races.12 Together, these two groups Other Asian. who reported they were Asian and totaled 17.3 million people. Thus, White or reported they were Asian 5.6 percent of all people in the For a complete explanation of the and White and Native Hawaiian United States identified as Asian, race categories used in the 2010 and Other Pacific Islander would be either alone or in combination with Census, see the 2010 Census Brief, included in the Asian in combina- one or more other races. Overview of Race and Hispanic tion population. This population is Origin: 2010.10 also referred to as the multiple-race The Asian population Asian population. increased more than four RACE ALONE, RACE times faster than the total IN COMBINATION, Third, the maximum number U.S. population. AND RACE ALONE-OR-IN- of people reporting Asian is The total U.S.