Current Population

According to the 2021 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census, there were approximately 5.2 million Chinese living in the U.S.

Population compared to other Asian Americans

Chinese Americans are the largest subgroup of Asian Americans, comprising approximately 20% of all Asian Americans. Of the estimated 5.2 million Chinese Americans, about 907,700 (30%) were US born, while about 2.1 million (70%) were foreign born; about 1.24 million were naturalized US citizens, and about 876,000 were not US citizens.

Language, Education and Socioeconomic Status

Chinese Americans are a heterogeneous population with regard to language, education, and socioeconomic status (Chang, 2003; Lum, 1995; American Community Survey 2005-2007). According to the United States Census, about 26% of the Asian American population spoke English only, while 73.5% spoke a language other than English. About 42% reported they “do not speak English very well.”

Geographic Location and Poverty Rates

In 2019, approximately 53% of Asian Americans live in 3 states: California (939,513), New York (231,771), and Texas (15,808). Only three states have ten percent or more of their population identify as Asian alone – Hawaii, California, and New Jersey.  Hawaii, Washington, and Nevada have the highest population of people that identify as Asian and another race. The 2016-2020 American Community Survey showed that “the largest Asian alone population in Seattle (124,204) and Boston (152,274) metro areas was Chinese, except Taiwanese.”