Pew: Wide differences among Asian Americans by language, education and religion

New data released by the Pew Research Center on May 1 highlights major internal differences among Asian Americans in language use, educational attainment, household income and religious affiliation. The nationally representative study draws on U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Survey data, as well as Pew surveys conducted between 2022 and 2023, and sheds light on the complexity of a population often mischaracterized as a single, uniform group.

While 74% of Asian Americans ages 5 and older were proficient in English in 2023, proficiency varied sharply by nativity. Nearly all U.S.-born Asians (95%) were proficient, compared with 59% of Asian immigrants. Language spoken at home also differed: 68% of U.S.-born Asians spoke only English at home, while only 14% of immigrants did.

Among those who spoke a non-English language at home, Chinese (13%) and Filipino or Tagalog (12%) were most common among immigrants. Overall, 63% of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home, underscoring the community’s multilingual nature.

More than half of Asian Americans ages 25 and older (56%) held at least a bachelor’s degree as of 2023, far above the national average. However, levels of education varied considerably among origin groups. Taiwanese Americans had the highest rate, with 83% holding at least a bachelor’s degree, while Laotian Americans had the lowest, at 18%.

Despite the differences among groups, similar shares of U.S.-born (57%) and immigrant Asians (56%) held college degrees, both significantly higher than the national average for U.S.-born individuals (36%) and immigrants overall (35%).

The median income for Asian-headed households was $105,600 in 2023, surpassing the U.S. household median of $75,500. But this figure conceals large disparities across Asian origin groups.

Indian ($151,200) and Taiwanese ($133,300) households reported the highest median incomes. In contrast, Mongolian ($54,300) and Burmese ($67,600) households had among the lowest, highlighting economic gaps within the broader Asian American population.

Religious affiliation among Asian American adults was highly varied. Christianity was the most common religion, with 34% identifying as Christian. Eleven percent each identified as Buddhist or Hindu, 6% as Muslim, and 4% as adhering to another faith. Nearly one-third (32%) reported no religious affiliation.

Religious identities also differed by origin group. Most Filipino Americans (74%) identified as Christian, mainly Catholic, while nearly half of Indian Americans (48%) identified as Hindu. Among Chinese and Japanese Americans, the largest share — 57% and 47%, respectively — reported no religious affiliation. Vietnamese Americans had the highest share of Buddhists, at 37%.