We’ve just published a new demographic report on Asian Americans in the United States, co-authored by the Asian American Justice Center and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, members of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice

The new demographic report, A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans in the United States, 2011, found significant social and economic diversity among Asian American ethnic groups, with some enjoying prosperity and others experiencing hardship. For example, while Asian Americans have made considerable contributions to the U.S. economy over the past decade (e.g., Asian American businesses issued more than $80 billion in payroll), other data shows that certain ethnic groups like Hmong, Bangladeshi and Cambodian Americans are among the country’s poorest (e.g., nearly one in four Hmong Americans live below the poverty line). Limited fluency in English remains a significant barrier for many.

With the 2012 elections upon us, Community of Contrasts comes at a most opportune time.  The Asian American community has grown faster than any other racial group over the past decade: More than 46 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to the report’s analysis of Census data.  That means more Asian Americans than ever before are poised to influence next year’s presidential election, and we are ready to speak up and voice the issues that matter most to us. At the same time, our community needs citizenship assistance, voter registration and Get Out the Vote programs to ensure we reach our full potential.

The report is also available under Resources (above), Issue Briefs and Policy Papers