Factors Impacting the Economic Wellbeing of Asian Minnesotans

26.6 years

Nepalese

OLDEST

All MN

YOUNGEST

37.7 years

Japanese

46.5 years

OLDEST

All MN

37.7 years

Japanese

46.5years

22.4 years

Hmong

26.6 years

Nepalese

OLDEST

All MN

YOUNGEST

37.7 years

Japanese

46.5 years

22.4 years

Hmong

20.7years

26.6 years

NepaleseBurmese

OLDEST

All MN

YOUNGEST

37.7 years

Japanese

46.5 years

22.4 years

Hmong

20.7years

26.6 years

NepaleseBurmese

OLDEST

All MN

YOUNGEST

37.7 years

Japanese

46.5 years

INTR

OD

UCTIO

N

The Minnesota State Demographer’s report, The Economic Status of Minnesotans 2018 , highlights that data about the economic condition of Minnesotans are not always collected and presented in a way that helps policymakers and community leaders understand the key differences among Minnesota’s diverse populations. This is problematic.

Because quantitative institutional data systems usually make the more than 40 different Asian Minnesotan cultural communities a homogenous group, it hides the economic insecurities experienced by ethnic groups. When more nuanced information does not appear in the data, communities run the risk of being excluded from federal,

Additionally, any community assets that might be built upon is ignored.

CAAL has proactively led a campaign urging our government and private institutions to collect and use disaggregated data that more

crafted to achieve equitable social, economic, and health outcomes will be more responsive and relevant. We’ve seen some signs of progress, but more needs to be done. We present this snapshot of CAAL’s ongoing efforts to dispel generalizations and stereotypes about Asian Minnesotans’ economic situation, and to help re-center the narrative so that challenges around poverty and wealth building among Asian communities are visible to broader audiences working on economic justice. The infographics here present tabulated data on the economic indicators of Asian Minnesotans, primarily pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau 2011-2015 American Community Survey data. We believe having richer and more nuanced data will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of different Asian communities that will accelerate the work of advancing equity for all Asian Minnesotans.

Invisibility Perpetuated: the Complex Economics of Asian Minnesotans by Leoma Van Dort (2018). Find the report on the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, http://hdl.handle.net/11299/208805with qualitative data will be released Summer 2020.

OLDEST

YOUNGEST

Even though the median age for all Asians is 28.8 years, data disaggregated by Asian ethnic groups shows a higher median age for some population groups, such as Japanese (46.5 years). This is the oldest population group with almost 20% of the population 65 years or above. The Burmese are the youngest Asian population group: 45% of the Burmese population is below 18 years.

MEDIAN AGE OF ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS IN MINNESOTAAG

E

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For more information, please contact CAAL at info@caalmn.org or visit www.caalmn.org .

Filipino

37%

Asian Indian

37%

Pakistani

36%

All MN

23%

Hmong

31%

Cambodian

28%

Vietnamese

28%

All MN

8%

70%

91%

Hmong

97%10%Nepalese

Burmese

Taiwanese

13%Vietnamese

13%

Education is one of the strongest predictors of economic status. A higher educational attainment can lead to higher earnings and better economic success. While a larger proportion of Asians age 25 and above (43%) have a bachelor’s degree or graduate/professional degree compared to Whites (35%) and other minority populations, this high level of educational attainment masks disparities within the Asian population.

Many Asian groups come from a rich multilingual heritage and continue to speak their own languages. In Minnesota fewer Burmese (3%), Hmong (9%), and Nepalese (10%) indicate that they speak only English at home. In comparison, more than half of the Korean population (69%) indicate that they only speak English at home along with 48% of Japanese and 38% of Filipino. This tells us that we need to invest in both native language literacy as well as provide English interpretation to those who need it.

Disparities also exist among Asian ethnic groups in relation to how well they speak English. 85% of Burmese and 54% of Vietnamese reported that they speak English “less than very well” whereas only 9% of Pakistani and 14% of Asian Indians and Koreans are in this category. English language barrier is an issue that has to be addressed in some communities.

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT BY ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS

THREE ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS with the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE of ADULTS WHO DON’T HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA:

THREE ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS with the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE of ADULTS WHO HAVE A BACHELOR’S DEGREE:

LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH SPOKEN AT HOME: TOP 5 ETHNIC GROUPS

EDU

CATIO

N & LA

NG

UA

GE

Taiwanese community has the largest percentage of adults with a graduate or professional degree

22.4 years

Hmong

20.7years

26.6

NepaleseBurmese

YOUNGEST

40%63%

37%60%

Burmese Nepalese

68%

32%

All MN

7%5% 7%

77%93%93%95%

23%

Asian Indian Taiwanese Filipino Hmong

INCOME BELOW POVERTY LEVEL

INCOMEAT or ABOVE POVERTY LEVEL

22.4 years

Hmong

20.7years

26.6 years

NepaleseBurmese

YOUNGEST

Japanese

46.5 years

20.7years

Burmese

Management, business, science, and arts occupations

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

Service occupations Sales and office occupations

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

21%7%

67%

5%

14%

59%

56%

24%

79%5%

10%1% 6%

12%

22%

26%

32%

8%

1%

22%

14%

5% 80%

70%6%

1% 4%

25%

16%25%

2%

31%

Hmong PakistaniNepalese

23%

8%

26%

11%

33%

Total MN

AsianIndian

31%47%

7%5%

10%

Burmese Cambodian Chinese

Taiwanese

31.9%

ALL MN

POV

ERTY

LABO

R FO

RCE

OCCUPATIONS OF SELECTED ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS

Some occupations have a higher average annual salary than others. Nearly half of the Asian Minnesotan population (43%) is employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations similar to Whites (41%). A closer look at the different Asian groups shows that higher paying management, business, science, and arts occupations are held mainly by people in some Asian groups, such as Taiwanese (80%), Asian Indian (79%), Pakistani (67%), Chinese (59%), and Nepalese (56%).

However, nearly half of the Burmese and Laotian populations are engaged in production, transportation, and material moving occupations. A larger proportion of Cambodian (32%) and Hmong (31%) residents are also in this category of occupations. The average annual salary for production, transportation, and material moving occupations is one of the lowest ($37,224) (Data USA).

Even though aggregated data shows that only 16% of Asians have an income below the poverty level, some Asian groups have large percentages of people with incomes below the poverty level.

While 95% of Asian Indians have incomes at or above the poverty line, 60% of Burmese have incomes below the poverty level.

Among adults age 65 and older, the largest percentage of people living below the poverty line can be seen among the Vietnamese (2.6%). This percentage is higher than the state percentage of older adults living in poverty (1.1%).

Almost 30% of Burmese children under 18 years old live in poverty, followed by 11.5% of Hmong children and 10.9% of Nepalese children.

POVERTY BY ASIAN ETHNIC GROUP

43.3%31.9% 28.6%

Asian(Southeast)

Asian(Other)

ALL MN

43.3%28.6%

Asian(Southeast)

Asian(Other)

43.3%31.9% 28.6%

Asian(Southeast)

Asian(Other)

ALL MNH

OU

SEHO

LD IN

COM

E

Income is a key indicator of socioeconomic status. The median household income divides the income distribution of households into two equal parts, one-half falling below and one-half falling above the median household income (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018).

In Minnesota, Asian households have the highest median income ($66,780), however, it is important to consider the income inequality within Asian Minnesotan households. The Burmese have the lowest median household income ($25,823) which is nearly four times lower than the highest median household income for Asian Indians ($96,291). Household income includes the income of the head of the household and all other people in the household over 15 years old (Guzman, 2019).

MEDIAN* HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS

$68,091Filipino

$69,688Vietnamese$69,531Japanese

$94,018Taiwanese$82,115Pakistani

$66,518Nepalese

Asian Indian $96,291

$64,410Cambodian

$72,172Chinese

$53,175Hmong

$61,963Korean

$44,650Thai

$51,559Laotian

$25,823Burmese

$61,492All MN

HOUSEHOLDS IN THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST INCOME BRACKETS

COST-BURDENED HOUSEHOLDS

$200,000 or MORE $10,000 or LESS

15%

Taiwanese

18%

Pakistani

1%Burmese

5%

All MN

1%

HOUSEHOLDS with INCOME of $200,000 or MORE

Laotian

3%

Asian Indian

5%

All MN

2%

HOUSEHOLDS with INCOME of $10,000 or LESS

18%

Nepalese

19%

Burmese Pakistani

*The median household income for a group is found by lining up all of the households in that group in order of lowest to highest income, and then taking the income of the middle household.

A household is considered cost-burdened when 30 percent or more of its monthly gross income is dedicated to housing (Minnesota Compass, 2015).

• In Minnesota, a larger share of Southeast Asian households are cost-burdened (43.3%) compared to other Asian households that are cost-burdened (28.6%).

• The share of cost-burdened households in all of Minnesota (31.9%) and among White households (29.8%) is much lower than the proportion of Southeast Asian households that are cost-burdened.*Households who pay more than 30% of their income for all of the housing costs.

According to the data disaggregated by Asian ethnic groups, Pakistani (18%) and Taiwanese (15%) populations have the largest share of households with incomes in the highest income bracket ($200,000 or more). In contrast, 19% of Burmese earn less than $10,000 per year, which is the largest share of households in the lowest income bracket, followed by Nepalese (18%).

All MN

72%

Cambodian

74%

Vietnamese

74%

Taiwanese

77%

Cambodian

70%

Burmese

85%

All MN

28%

AsianIndian

54%

ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS WITH THE LARGEST HOUSEHOLD SIZES FOR RENTER-OCCUPIED UNITS

ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS WITH THE LARGEST HOUSEHOLD SIZES FOR OWNER-OCCUPIED UNITS

HOME OWNERSHIP AND RENTING

TOP THREE ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS WHO OWN THEIR HOME

TOP THREE ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS WHO RENT THEIR HOME

TOP FIVE ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS WITH THREE OR MORE GENERATIONS LIVING IN ONE HOUSEHOLD

2%

All M

N

15% 15%17%17% 15%

Viet

nam

ese

Burm

ese

Hm

ong

Laot

ian

Cam

bodi

an

5.2

Burmese

TOP 5 HOUSEHOLD SIZE for OWNER-OCCUPIED UNITS

4.0

Hmong

2.9

Pakistani

2.6

All MN

2.62.7

Vietnamese Cambodian& Laotian

5.3

Burmese

2.2

All MN

4.24.2

TOP 5 HOUSEHOLD SIZE for RENTER-OCCUPIED UNITS

5.6

Hmong

4.5

Cambodian LaotianFilipino

HO

USIN

G

caalmn.org www.cura.umn.edu

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Multigenerational households include at least two adult generations or grandparents and grandchildren younger than 25 years (Cohn & Passel, 2018).

The size of the household is an important factor in understanding how household income is distributed. Asians have the second highest average household size of all racial and ethnic groups in Minnesota: 4.0 for owner-occupied units and 3.0 for renter-occupied units.

Overall, 72% of Minnesotan households own the home they live in. The highest share of Asian Minnesotan homeowners is seen among Taiwanese (77%), Cambodian (74.4%), and Vietnamese (74%) populations. Even though only 45% of Asians in Minnesota are renters, 85% of Burmese and 70% of Nepalese are renters.

Cohn, D. & Passel, J. (5 April 2018). A record 64 million Americans live in multigenerational households. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/2018/04/05/a-record-64-million-americans-live-in-multigenerational-households/

Data USA. (2016). Occupations. Retrieved from https://datausa.io/search/?kind=soc

Kolmar, C. (9 December 2018). These are the 10 Minnesota cities with the largest Asian population for 2019. HomeSnacks. Retrieved from https://www.homesnacks.net/most-asian- cities-in-minnesota-1214574/ Minnesota Compass. (2015). Cost-burdened households. Retrieved from https://www.mncompass.org/housing/cost-burdened-households#1-12702-g

Guzman, G. (2019). Household Income 2018: American Community Survey Briefs. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/acs/acsbr18-01.pdf

Minnesota State Demographic Center. (2018). The economic status of Minnesotans 2018. Retrieved from https://mn.gov/admin/assets/MNSDC_EconStatus_2018Report_FNL_Access_r2_tcm36- 362054.pdf

United States Census Bureau. (2018). Median household income. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/note/US/INC110217

Less than 1%

1-5%

5-10%

More than 10%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

N

Roseau

Clay

Stevens

Nobles

Lyon Redwood

CottonwoodWatonwan

Blue Earth

Nicollet

Freebom

Steele

Rice

DakotaScott

Carver

HennepinWright

Sherburne

BentonMorrison

WashingtonAnoka

Ramsey

Mower

Olmsted Winona

Jackson

Lake ofthe Woods

Saint Louis

Less than 1%

1-5%

5-10%

More than 10%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

N

Roseau

Clay

Stevens

Nobles

Lyon Redwood

CottonwoodWatonwan

Blue Earth

Nicollet

Freebom

Steele

Rice

DakotaScott

Carver

HennepinWright

Sherburne

BentonMorrison

WashingtonAnoka

Ramsey

Mower

Olmsted Winona

Jackson

Lake ofthe Woods

Saint Louis

RANK CITY (COUNTY) PERCENT of ASIANS

1 St. Paul (Ramsey) 17.9%

2 Brooklyn Park (Hennepin) 17.3%

3 Brooklyn Center (Hennepin) 16.8%

4 Little Canada (Ramsey) 16.1%

5 Maplewood (Ramsey) 14.9%

6 Falcon Heights (Ramsey) 14.4%

7 Eden Prairie (Hennepin) 10.0%

8 Shakopee (Scott) 10.0%

9 Worthington (Nobles) 9.9%

10 Hopkins (Hennepin) 9.74%0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

2000

4,919,479

5,576,606

2017

87%~ Chinese

100%~ Hmong

13%~ All MN

172%~ Taiwanese

45%~ Japanese

206%~ Thai

75%~ Cambodian

YEAR

-10%� Laotian

354%~ Pakistani

94%~ Filipino

37%~ Korean

36%~ Vietnamese

165%~ Asian Indian

Hmong31%

16%11%

9%

6%

6%

4%4% 3% 2%

Asian IndianChinese

Vietnamese

Korean

Burmese

FilipinoCambodian

Laotian Japanese

CONNECT • LEARN • ACT

HARNESSING OUR COLLECTIVE POWER to IMPROVE the LIVES of COMMUNITY.

POPULATION GROWTH OF ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS IN MINNESOTA FROM 2000-2017

PROPORTION OF ASIANS IN MINNESOTA BY COUNTY

TEN MINNESOTA CITIES WITH THE LARGEST PROPORTIONS OF ASIANS (KOLMAR, 2018)

*In Minnesota, in 2017, as a percentage of the total Asian Minnesotan population

In 2017, there were 273,194 Asians in Minnesota, that is, nearly 5 percent of the total population in Minnesota.

LARGEST ASIAN ETHNIC GROUPS*

THE10

POPU

LATIO

N