AAPIs are among the fastest growing racial subgroups in the states, and their tremendous racial diversity is matched by diversity in poverty status, household income, and educational attainment.
Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups, in particular, have income levels and educational levels well below their Asian counterparts, and in line with other disadvantaged non-Asian racial minorities.
Despite the model minority myth, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian and Hmong communities have poverty rates above the national average, with Hmong communities suffering rates (27%) more than twice the national rate (11%).
Those same Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander communities also have some of the highest percentages of adults without a basic high school diploma, with some communities suffering from rates as high as 40% above the national average.
Similarly, college attendance rates for these communities are also lower than the national average. In 2016, college enrollment for 18-24 year olds was around 41% nationally and 58% for Asian communities overall, but only 21% for Pacific Islander communities.
Some additional statistics:
- A 2012 report by ACT found that only about 17% of NHPI high school graduates met all four college readiness benchmarks for English, reading, math, and science. This is lower than the average of 25%, and much lower than the 32% rate for white students.
- Hmong and Cambodian American children have the highest rates of poverty in California. Coupled with inadequate programs to address limited English proficiency, this creates significant barriers to higher education.
- Fewer than 15% of Cambodian, Hmong, and Laotian American adults have a bachelor’s degree.
