Asian American, Native Hawaiian,& Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI)

Welcome to AAPI Data’s 2024 Guide to Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Public Opinion. We have compiled timely insights from across a number of our survey data products to foster greater understanding of the distinct perspectives and viewpoints of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders on key issues and top political topics in a critical election year.

Asian Americans are sometimes grouped with Pacific Islanders under the “AAPI” umbrella, and the joint Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month is celebrated annually in May. The AAPI population is the fastest growing racial group in the US, with a population that increased 27% from 2011 to 2021.

The following facts are possible thanks to the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we measure America’s people, places and economy.

Using recently released data from both the 2020 Census and the American Community Survey’s (ACS) 5-year estimates, we detail the diversity of the racial and ethnic composition of this population and its geographic distribution.

The 19 largest Asian origin groups in the United States together account for 97% of the nation’s total Asian population. Below are key findings about these Americans.

This racial group is defined as people having origins in any of the original peoples of the East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. According to the 2019 Census Bureau population estimate, there are 18.9 million Asian Americans, alone, living in the United States. Asian Americans account for 5.7 percent of the nation's population. In 2019, the following states had the largest Asian American populations: California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts.

The share of Asian Americans who are in the U.S. middle class has held steady since 2010. In 2023, 48% of Asian Americans lived in middle-class households, about the same share as in 2010, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data.

The following facts are possible thanks to the invaluable responses to U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy.

AAPI Data is a leading research and policy organization producing accurate data to shift narratives and drive action toward enduring solutions for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. AAPI Data aspires to transform public and private systems to ensure that all AA and NHPI communities are recognized, valued and prioritized.

Our demographic data tools and fact sheets provide deeply intricate yet easily accessible statistics and figures of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities across the U.S.

Research and data are key to having a clear understanding how these developments affect different members of our community, now and into the future. We have created a user-friendly guide to data sources that help us get a more precise understanding of hate incidents and hate crimes in AANHPI communities.