diversity statistics header

Empower your employees to learn and change. Put more than 1,000 diversity articles, tools and resources into their hands! License or Subscribe today!

See your text ad here!

diversity events

JULY 2009

Asian Indian Americans

NOTE: The term Asian Indian was first used by the U.S. Census Bureau to limit confusion with American Indian (Native Americans). Use of the term East Indian has been avoided because it implies that the West (U.S.) is centralized.

The first Asian Indians arrived in America as early as the middle of the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, about 2,000 Indians, most of them Sikhs (a religious minority from India's Punjab region), settled on the west coast of the United States, having come in search of economic opportunity. Today, the Asian Indian population is among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States. Asian Indian Americans are the third largest Asian American ethnic group, after Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans. Take a look at statistics concerning this U.S. population!

  • A U.S. Census Bureau report in 2007 indicated that there are approximately 13,233,287 Asians living in the United States. Of this number, about 2,570,166 are Asian Indian.
  • A 2002 report launched by the Institute for International Education indicated that approximately 87 percent of Asian Indians have at least a high school diploma, while 64 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher. This compares to the Asian population as a whole, of which 80.4 percent have a high school diploma and 44 percent have a bachelor's degree of higher. Of the total U.S. population, 84 percent have at least a high school Diploma and 24 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher.
  • A 2001 U.S. Census report revealed that about 71 percent of Asian Indians are between the ages of 16 and 64. This is greater than any other Asian group in the U.S., except Thai (82 percent).
  • Asian Indians have a higher percent of married people than any other Asian group (67 percent). This compares to 62 percent of all Asian households and 53 percent of all households in the United States.
  • Approximately 25 percent of all Asian Indians in America are natural born citizens, compared to 31 percent of the entire Asian population.
  • About 58 percent of Asian Indians speak another language at home and additionally speak English "very well," while 40 percent of the general Asian population speak another language at home and reported speaking English "very well." Out of the total U.S. population, about 10 percent speak a language other than English at home and additionally speak English "very well."
  • In terms of the Asian population, Asian Indian men had the highest labor force participation rates (79 percent). These rates were also higher than that of all Asian men.
  • About 60 percent of Asian Indians are in management, professional and related positions. This compares to about 45 percent of Asians in general and 34 percent of the overall U.S. population.
  • The median yearly earnings for the average Asian Indian male worker in the United States is $51, 904 while the average for Asian male workers in the United States is $40,650 and the average for the total U.S. population is $37, 057.
  • Asian Indians have a lower poverty rate than the total U.S. population (9.8 percent vs. 12.4 percent).

Disclaimer: Although we try to use the most credible sources, we are not responsible for any incorrect findings.

Read more:

© 2009 The GilDeane Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Information on this site may not be reproduced in part or in full in any form without written permission from The GilDeane Group, Inc. 13751 Lake City Way NE, Suite 210, Seattle, Washington, 98125-8612.