Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

This short paper provides statistical and demographic characteristics of Vietnamese immigrants in the U.S. The bulk of these immigrants came as refugees in the aftermath of the U.S. war in Vietnam, and there are now 1.4 million foreign-born Vietnamese in the U.S. Most (52 percent) live in California or Texas and one-third live in just three metro areas: Los Angeles, San Jose, and Houston. Vietnamese immigrants are more likely to be limited English proficient (65 percent) than the overall foreign-born population (46 percent) and more likely to lack a high-school diploma than immigrants overall (29 percent vs. 26 percent). Yet, the median household income of Vietnamese immigrants is greater ($70,000) compared to the median income of immigrant households overall ($64,000) and native households ($66,000). As the bulk of these immigrants came to the U.S. many years ago, the median age of foreign-born Vietnamese (51) is higher than that of immigrants overall (46) and natives (37). The paper is filled with charts and graphs illustrating these and other characteristics. (Maurice Belanger, Maurice Belanger Associates)

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