The U.S. Asian population is not homogeneous, consisting of at least 30 various ethnic groups. Many Asians have been established in the U.S. for three generations or more. Sustained immigration rates have contributed significantly to the Asian American population rise. The U.S. will be further augmented by Eastern and Southern Asians (e.g. Thais, Vietnamese, Indians, and Pakistanis) due to the immigration influx. However, many Asians have been established in the U.S. for three generations or more. One of these groups is the Chinese Americans, who make up the largest Asian ethnic subgroup, at 2.4 million. The Chinese increased by 48 percent, another major leap in the Census 2000 findings. Filipinos followed as the second largest group with 1.8 million. The Vietnamese population recorded the second highest growth at 82.7 percent; whereas, the Japanese American population recorded a decline in numbers by about 6 percent. This has been attributed to the aging of the populations, decreased immigration and increased inter-racial marriages.

All Asian groups in the Census 2000 had impressive growth between 1990 and 2000; expect for the Japanese. In all likelihood, Asian Americans will yield more economic, social and political influence into the 21st century as they expand.

Source: U.S. Census 2000