Asians Have the Highest Income Inequality in America
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![Carl Samson](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CARLSAMSON_NEXTSHARK.jpg?width=128&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
By Carl Samson
Asian Americans have the highest income inequality among all ethnic groups in the United States, a new report from the
The observation comes as Asians remain the most financially successful of all groups, earning a median annual income of $51,288 to Whites ($47,958), Blacks ($31,082) and Hispanics ($30,400) in 2016.
The report, which reviewed data from 1970 to 2016, found that earnings of higher-income Asians rose by 96%, while middle-income earners saw 54% more.
However, lower-income Asians found their earnings increase by only 11% throughout those years.
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Poverty rates are highest among the Burmese (35%), Bhutanese (33%), Hmong and Malaysians (both 28%), compared to the general U.S. population (15.1%).
Overall, income inequality has increased in the U.S., with the top 10% earning 8.7 times more in 2016 and 6.9 times more in 1970.
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Researchers point at changes in Asian immigration as a possible contributing factor to the growing divide.
“You’re looking at different cultures and languages and characteristics and different motivations for coming to the US,” Pew senior researcher and report co-author Rakesh Kochhar said. “Asians are often pictured as the highest-achieving group in America, but it’s clear they are in fact the most economically divided ethnic group.”
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For one, many Asians immigrated after the Immigration and Nationality Act passed in 1965 which favored family reunification. They were joined later by a wave of refugees when the Vietnam War ended in 1975. These events contributed to a decrease of new Asian immigrants in high-skill occupations and an increase in low-skill occupations.
A shift then started through the Immigration Act of 1990, which aimed to attract high-skilled immigrants. Many came from India through the H-1B visa program.
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As of 2016, there are 20 million Asians living in the U.S., 78% of whom were foreign-born, according to another Pew report. Between 2000 and 2015, the Asian population rose by 72% from 11.9 million to 20.4 million, the fastest of all ethnic groups.
Asian immigrants also have higher levels of education compared to native-born Americans. In 2015, 29% of immigrants aged 25 and above from South and East Asia held a bachelor’s degree, compared to 19% of native-born Americans of the same age.
Meanwhile, 23% of these Asian immigrants held advanced degrees, twice more than 11% of native-born Americans. As such, many have settled at the top of the income distribution.
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