Parsing Asian America 2/4 | Asian American Demographics

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Parsing Asian America
PART 2 OF 4

For those reasons, the F.O.B. ratio varies greatly among the various nationalities of Asian Americans. The relationship between that ratio and socio-economic status, however, isn't what many people would expect. Let's examine those factors among the five leading Asian American groups.

JAPANESE AMERICANS
    The F.O.B. ratio is lowest among Japanese Americans for the simple reason that the first wave of Japanese immigration, which began around 1902, was by far the largest, accounting for over 78% of U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry. Unlike every other Asian American nationality, there was little Japanese immigration in the postwar years. This owes mainly to two factors. First, Japan was an enemy nation during World War II. The second, the Japanese economic boom that began in 1967 gave Japanese little incentive to endure the hardships of immigrating.
    In the three decades after the end of World War II, only a trickle of war brides and students added to the wave of Japanese immigrants who had come between 1902 and 1939. Even that trickle was severely constricted by the anti-miscegenation laws that prevailed in most U.S. states until the late 1960s and early 70s and prevented U.S. servicement from legally marrying Japanese women. Most warbrides and adoptees entered the country during the 1960s and early 1970s.
    The 1970s, 80s and 90s produced a small third wave of Japanese immigrants consisting mostly of free spirits who had experienced American life as students, expatriate execs or travelers and decided to relocate. Of course, currently the large numbers of U.S. subsidiaries of Japanese companies create a population of about 100,000 rotating expatriate executives and their families who typically put in three to five-year tours of duty. I don't consider them among the current Japanese American population of 820,000. Until the early 1970s, Japanese Americans ranked first among America's Asian populations. Today, they rank fifth after Chinese, Filipinos, Coreans and Vietnamese.

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    The fact that the Japanese American population boast the highest percentage of native-born Americans might lead one to suppose them to rank first in income and educational levels. In fact, they rank a close third behind Corean and Chinese Americans. This is due in large part to the fact that virtually all Japanese Americans are descended from rural peasant families with weaker educational traditions than the elite professional classes that made up the bulk of the big wave of Chinese and Corean immigration of the 70s and 80s. Another important factor is the severe economic and psychological trauma suffered by the large percentage of the Japanese American population who were subjected to internment between 1942 and 1945. Many of the 78,000 Japanese Americans who were affected had built up impressive fortunes as farmers and merchants but were forced to abandon their assets or fire-sale them at about three pennies on the dollar. Just as importantly, the aftermath of this terrible experience discouraged many talented Japanese Americans from rising to the kinds of positions they might otherwise have attained. Nevertheless, Japanese Americans today are considerably better educated and enjoy higher incomes than virtually every other non-Asian segment.

CHINESE AMERICANS
    The most confusion exists with regard to Chinese Americans. That's because the 2.5 million people who make up this group run the widest gamut in terms of virtually every measure. For one thing, their ranks include the oldest as well as the newest elements of Asian immigration -- the laborers, adventurers and merchants who came over as early as 1849 all the way to the illegal aliens smuggled aboard fishing and cargo boats a few hours ago. During the 150-years in between, the U.S. has received every class of Chinese from practically every community of the farflung Chinese diaspora. Perhaps because there are more Chinese than any other race on earth, Chinese immigrants have exhibited the most ingenuity and determination in making it to American shores. The fast-swelling ranks of Chinese immigrants puts the Chinese Americans near the top in terms of the F.O.B. factor, with nearly a third having arrived during the past ten years. That's why the Chinese community includes the lion's share of the most affluent Asian Americans as well as the majority of those living in poverty.
    Only about 25% of Chinese Americans are native-born Americans. Until 1970 they numbered under 500,000. But that doesn't mean 75% are F.O.B. Because of the high educational levels of the majority of Chinese immigrating between 1970 and 1980, 58% of even foreign-born Chinese Americans have now entered the mainstream -- speaking English as their primary language, working in English-speaking workplaces and living in middle-class neighborhoods instead of ethnic ghettoes.
    Because of the large proportion who hail from elite professional-class families, Chinese Americans enjoy the third highest educational levels, just behind Coreans and Japanese. In sheer numbers they produce the most affluent people, accounting for 55% of Asian Americans earning over $100,000 a year, though their median income levels are dragged down by the 23%, mostly recent immigrants of less than 10 years, who live at or below the poverty level. The Asians you see driving Merces Benzes and BMWs are more likely than not Chinese Americans, as are the ones you see working on assembly lines at $7.50 an hour.

COREAN AMERICANS
    In percentage terms Corean Americans are the most successful immigrant group ever to hit American shores. Several factors give them a statistical edge over Japanese and Chinese Americans. First, the number of Coreans who immigrated as peasant labor is relatively low. Corean immigration began in 1903 when three boatloads of peasants sailed to work in Hawaii's cane fields. Joining them during the next few year were several hundred patriotic students determined to keep alive Corean independence as Japan moved to make official its claim over the peninsula. The annexation of Corea in 1910 effectively ended the trickle of Corean immigration. In all, between 1903 and 1909 only about 3,700 Coreans immigrated to the U.S. Some stayed on in Hawaii, but most ultimately settled in California's Monterey Peninsula, though a sizeable number later moved down to Southern California.
    No more Coreans came to the U.S. until anti-Asian-immigration laws were relaxed to allow several thousand orphans to be adopted by Americans following the end of the Corean War in 1953. By 1968 another 20,000 Coreans came over as war brides, adoptees and students. It wasn't until 1969 that Corean immigration began in significant numbers and the Corean American population began growing at the rate of about 34,000 per year. By 1997 it had grown to 1,100,000 though the rate of immigration had dropped below 15,000 per year. Nearly half settled in California, with Los Angeles becoming the largest overseas Corean community. Because of stringent immigration standards as well as generally high educational levels in Corea, Coreans were the best educated among Asian immigrants. And because of their strict observance of Confucian values built around education, Corean families made the most intensive sacrifices to send their children to elite universities.
    As a result, by 1995 Corean Americans were already enjoying both the highest educational levels and highest median income levels among all American groups. But the source of success for first-generation Corean Americans was quite different from that of the better assimiliated Japanese Americans. Whereas Japanese Americans tend to work in professional and corporate positions, Corean heads of households, 84% of whom are foreign-born, earn their affluence by operating small businesses, typically groceries, liquor marts, laundries, gas stations and garages. Often they earn good profits by operating in high-risk areas. The Koreantown Riots of 1992 illustrated graphically the kinds of risks and losses that lie behind the affluence and educational achievements. PART 3

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"The Chinese community includes the lion's share of the most affluent Asian Americans as well as the majority of those living in poverty."