Indian-Americans Have Lowest Poverty Rate Among Asian Americans: Research

Indian-Americans are doing better than any other Asian-American group, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. For the research, experts studied the analysis of 18 focus groups conducted with 144 Asians living with economic hardships. They also studied the data of 561 Asian American adults whose approximate family income was at or below the 2022 federal poverty line. They found that over 2.3 million people with Asian roots living in the United States were living in poverty in 2022. The data also showed that one out of every ten Asian Americans lives in poverty. 

According to the research, Indian-Americans have the lowest poverty rate among Asian Americans. They have a poverty rate of 6%, which is the lowest among all other Asian groups living in the US, the study found. 

In contrast, Burmese and Hmong Americans were among the Asian-origin groups with the highest poverty rates. "Meanwhile, Filipinos (7%) and Indian Americans (6%) were among the groups with the lowest poverty rates," the research said. 

The Pew Research Center also found that one out of every three Asian Americans aged 25 and older living in poverty has a bachelor's degree. By comparison, only 14% of non-Asians in poverty have the same level of education. "Asian Americans 25 and older with at least a bachelor's degree are still less likely to live in poverty (5%) than those with less formal education (13%)," it said. 

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As per the study, around 6 out of 10 Asian Americans living in poverty were immigrants. And relatively few of these immigrants speak English proficiently. Among Asian immigrants aged 5 and older living below the poverty line, only 44% are proficient in English. By comparison, 61% of those immigrants above the poverty line speak English proficiently.

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted, nearly 8 out of 10 Asian adults living in poverty encountered financial difficulties in the past year. This contrasts with 48% of Asian adults above the poverty line who reported similar challenges.

"Roughly half of Asian Americans who live in poverty say the American dream is out of reach, but others say they have achieved it or are on their way to achieving it," as per the study.