GOLDSEA | ASIAN AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS

ASIANS STILL TOP INCOME
BY HOUSEHOLDS

ith a median household income of $45,249 in 1997 Asian Pacific Islanders hung onto the top spot, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. On the other hand, because Asians saw no measurable income growth from 1996, for the first time since 1991 they slipped into second place behind Whites in terms of income per household member.
     White households had a median household income of $38,972 but also had smaller households, averaging just 2.58 people versus the 3.17 people averaged by Asians. This disparity results in part from the fact that Asian households are signficantly younger, with about 25% more being in the child-raising age range, in part from the tendency of Asian families to host elderly members, as well as the tendency to have more children. Therefore, in 1997 Whites had a per-capita income of $20,425 and Asians, $18,226.
     Households comprised of persons of Hispanic origin had a median income of $26,628. African American households had a $25,050 median income.
     1.5 million Asian and Pacific Islanders, 14%, lived below the poverty level (defined as $16,400 per household). By comparison, only 11% of Whites lived in poverty, 26.5% of African Americans and 27.1% of Hispanics. The disparity between high median household incomes and relatively high poverty levels results from the far higher percentage of recent immigrants among the Asian Pacific Islander population.

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