Asians' numbers surge in census

03/10/2001

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The country's Asian population is soaring, new census figures from at least nine states show, and demographers and civil-rights groups attribute the trend largely to an influx of immigrants seeking to fulfill the American dream.

As a result, "there are issues relating to the needs of immigrants, like educational and language-access issues ... that will occur in communities that aren't used to dealing with them," said Karen Narasaki, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium.

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The figures show Asians still primarily clustered in and around big cities. Data released for New Jersey – a traditional destination for Asian immigrants – showed as much as a 94 percent gain during the 1990s.

Direct comparisons of figures for 1990 and 2000 were impossible, however, because in past counts, people could choose from only five racial categories compared with 63 in the latest census. But findings from state figures released Friday showed, for example:

• Two states with relatively few Asians still saw growth rates soar: Arkansas, up as much as 110 percent to 25,401; and South Dakota, up as much as 105 percent to 6,009.

• Louisiana had the lowest Asian population growth rate among the five states released Friday, but the population was up as much as 60 percent, to 64,350.

"We are going to see some geographic diversification of the Asian population, outside of their traditional core like California, New York and Washington state," said demographer Jeffrey Passell of the Urban Institute.

The figures come from the first wave of detailed 2000 census data released to the states, which will be used to remap congressional, state and local political district lines, and to distribute federal funds. The bureau expects to release a total Asian population figure this month.

Because of the rise in Asian population and race-reporting changes, the extent of the social and political implications are unclear. Ms. Narasaki said she expected the new multirace option to be especially popular among Asians.

Various estimates placed the percentage of all Americans who would check off more than one race at 1 percent to 2 percent. But in Virginia, for example, 14 percent of those who checked off Asian also marked at least one other race.