Pollard K M, De Vita C J
Population Reference Bureau, Inc. Washington, DC, USA.
Stat Bull Metrop Insur Co. 1997 Jul-Sep;78(3):2-9.
Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) have an increasingly visible presence in the United States. This diverse population--encompassing persons with ancestry from East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Pacific islands--has grown at a faster rate than any other major racial or ethnic group. In 1996 Asian Americans numbered approximately 9.7 million (up from 3.8 million in 1980), nearly 4 percent of the U.S. population. The Census Bureau projects that this population group will reach 34.4 million by 2050, representing roughly 9 percent of all Americans. While immigration has fueled much of this growth, Asians' young age structure also will help boost their numbers in the next century. Fifty-six percent of Asian Americans live in three states--California, New York and Hawaii. Asian Americans comprise very small proportions of the populations of most other states. About 77 percent of the 2.8 million API households in 1996 were families, compared with 69 percent of white households. Roughly one in six Asian American households has five or more persons, compared with one in 12 white households. Educationally, Asians tend to be high achievers--42 percent of all API adults have at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 26 percent of while adults. Two-thirds of Asian Americans participated in the civilian labor force in 1996. Among employed Asians, one-third held managerial and professional jobs. Both proportions were roughly the same as for whites. Although the median income for API households was 9 percent higher than for white households in 1995, this difference is largely due to Asian households having more workers contributing to the household income. Despite these apparent measures of success, the poverty rates for Asian American families and individuals are nearly twice as high as those for whites.
亚裔和太平洋岛民在美国的存在感日益增强。这个多样化的群体——包括来自东亚、东南亚、印度次大陆和太平洋岛屿的后裔——其增长速度比任何其他主要种族或族裔群体都要快。1996年，亚裔美国人约有970万（1980年为380万），占美国人口近4%。人口普查局预计，到2050年，这个群体将达到3440万，约占所有美国人的9%。虽然移民是这一增长的主要推动力，但亚洲人的年轻年龄结构也将有助于在下个世纪增加他们的数量。56%的亚裔美国人居住在三个州——加利福尼亚州、纽约州和夏威夷州。亚裔美国人在大多数其他州的人口中所占比例非常小。1996年，在280万个亚裔和太平洋岛民家庭中，约77%是家庭，而白人家庭这一比例为69%。大约六分之一的亚裔美国家庭有五口或更多人，而白人家庭中这一比例为十二分之一。在教育方面，亚洲人往往成绩优异——所有亚裔和太平洋岛民成年人中42%至少拥有学士学位，而白人成年人这一比例为26%。1996年，三分之二的亚裔美国人参与了民用劳动力市场。在就业的亚洲人中，三分之一从事管理和专业工作。这两个比例与白人大致相同。尽管1995年亚裔和太平洋岛民家庭的收入中位数比白人家庭高9%，但这种差异很大程度上是因为亚裔家庭有更多的劳动者为家庭收入做出贡献。尽管有这些明显的成功指标，但亚裔美国家庭和个人的贫困率几乎是白人的两倍。
