Profile of Older Asian Americans 65 Plus

An older Asian couple sitting with some children

The older Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island population is living longer, following the general growth trend of older Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2050 the percentage of the older population that is Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island will increase to 8.6 percent of the American older population. In 2009 the Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island older population was 1.4 million (or 3.4 percent of the older population in the United States).

Characteristics of older Asian Americans include the following:

In 2009, over 60% of Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island elders lived in four states: 39.6% in California; 9.2% in New York; 9.1% in Hawaii and 4.4% in Texas.
The percent of older Asians in 2009 who had a bachelor’s degree or higher was almost 31%.
Households with families headed by Asian persons aged 65+ reported a median income in 2009 of $47, 319. The comparable figure for all older households was $43,702.

To learn more about older Asian Americans, visit the minority aging section on AoA.gov.

Resources on Older Americans

AoA collects and summarizes extensive data on older Americans. For more information on the characteristics of older Americans (including data on income, living arrangements, education, and health), visit these resources:

A Profile of Older Americans
AoA Census Data and Population Estimates
Minority Aging
Aging Integrated Database

Last Modified: 4/19/2011 7:33:38 AM