S t a t i s t i c a l P r o f i l e

2000

Asian American & Pacific Islander

S t a t i s t i c a l

P r o f i l e

by Michael H.

Characteristics	Asian & Pacific Islanders	Non-Hispanic Whites
General Information
Total Population	10.9 million	193.1 million
% of U.S. Population	4 %	69 %
Residing in Northeast U.S.	18 %	20 %
% of Maine Population	0.8 %	97 %
Living outside U.S. Metro areas	4 %	23 %
Under age 18	29 %	24 %
Marriage & Family
Married	53 %	57 %
Never Married	34 %	24 %
Divorced	5 %	10 %
Married with spouse absent	3 %	1 %
Families with no male spouse	13 %	13 %
2 spouse Families with 5+ members	23 %	13 %
Education
Less than 9^th grade education	8 %	5 %
Completed High School or more	85 %	88 %
Bachelor’s degree or more	42 %	28 %
Employment
% in labor force	men = 74 % women = 60 %	men = 74 % women = 60 %
% in managerial and professional specialty	men = 37 % women = 36 %	men = 32 % women = 35 %
% in service occupations	men = 10 % women = 18 %	men = 8 % women = 15 %
Income & Poverty
Family incomes $75,000 or more	33 %	29 %
Family incomes under $25,000	21 %	19 %
Families in poverty (below $16,600)	13 %	8 %
Household median income	$46,637	$42, 439
Children under 18 in poverty	18 %	11 %
% with no health insurance	21 %	11 %

II. Explanation / Interpretation

I decided to compare the dominant population (non-Hispanic Whites) with the Asian and Pacific Islander population. I chose the Asian and Pacific Islander population because I used to be a coordinator for an after-school study center with a lot of refugees and immigrants from this part of the world. In my 2 years there, the most motivated students, by a wide margin, were of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. This does not necessarily mean they were the most successful, just the most motivated. Below are some of the statistics I found based on the 2000 Census and the 1999 Current Population Survey:

First of all, Joel Spring was absolutely right when he said that social class effects the perception of immigrants regarding their chances in the U.S.. All the data and press releases I studied concerning Asian & Pacific Islanders indicates their ability to interact in the dominant culture fairly successfully.

Over half of all Asian & Pacific Islanders (53%) live in the western region of the U.S. while only 20% of non-Hispanic Whites do.

I found that beginning with the 2000 Census, Asian & Pacific Islanders are now classified separately. I decided to keep the two populations together because almost all of the data is still in this format. I guess it could be likened to the difference between Irish or French descent.

There are only 9,493 Asian & Pacific Islanders in the state of Maine as compared to 1,236,014 non-Hispanic Whites. Most Asian & Pacific Islanders in Maine are of Cambodian and Vietnamese descent.

Asians and Pacific Islanders were much less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to live outside metropolitan areas: (4 % and 23 %, respectively). This is perhaps indicative of strong family values and cultural ties.

The overall Asian & Pacific Islander population is a youthful one as compared to non-Hispanic Whites. The number of people under age 18 is a full 5 % higher than that of non-Hispanic Whites. There are also 7 % less Asians and Pacific Islanders over age 65 than non-Hispanic Whites.

Another strong indicator of strong family values is the fact that the number of divorced Asian & Pacific Islanders is half that of non-Hispanic Whites.

A startling statistic is the fact that Asian & Pacific Islanders were three times as likely to be married without their spouse present in the home.

Proportionately, Asian & Pacific Islander families are much bigger than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Asian & Pacific Islander families have a 10 % edge in families with 5 or more members.

Asian & Pacific Islanders were 14 % more likely to have a Bachelor’s degree or higher than non-Hispanic Whites. I think this is directly related to what Joel Spring refers to as the "value" that many Asian & Pacific Islanders place "on scholars and teachers." However, Asian & Pacific Islanders were also slightly more likely to have less than a 9^th grade education.

An interesting contradiction arises when you compare the median household incomes with the poverty levels and health insurance coverage of these two populations. The Asian & Pacific Islanders median income is over $4,000 more than that of their non-Hispanic White counterparts. However, Asian & Pacific Islanders have almost double the percentage of children under 18 in poverty. What’s more, Asian & Pacific Islanders have almost double the percentage of individuals without health insurance.

NOTE: "Asian" refers to those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example: Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. "Pacific Islander" refers to those having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

III. References

1. U.S. Census Bureau: The Asian and Pacific Islander Population in the United States: March, 1999; Current Population Reports Series

http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/p20-529.pdf

2. U.S. Census Bureau: Asian/Pacific Islander Minority Links for Media

http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/apihot2.html#apinewrel

U.S. Census Bureau Press-Releases: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00ff05.html

U.S Census Bureau: State of Maine 2000 Census Basic Data

http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_PL_U_QTPL_geo_id=04000US23.html

U.S. Census Bureau: Minority Links: Facts on the Asian/Pacific Islander Population

http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/apihot1.html