Asian Americans: America's Fastest Growing Minority Group. Population Trends and Public Policy. Number 19.

Newly available statistical data from the March 1990 Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS) indicates that Asians and Pacific Islanders were the fastest growing minority group in the United States during the 1980s. While the size of the Asian American population trails behind the Hispanic American and Black populations, changes in immigration law and the increasing number of immigrants from Southeast Asia are likely to add to their diversity and growth. Even though Asian Americans are often viewed as an economic success story, they are not rewarded economically at a level consistent with their educational attainment. Asian Americans have slightly higher average family incomes than Whites, but they also have much higher poverty rates. The large number of Asian Americans currently enrolled in graduate and professional schools indicates that their average family income should rise during the 1990s. However, the prospects for some of the more recent immigrant groups from Southeast Asia who have less education are not promising. The economic success of Asians makes them likely targets for the frustrations of other minority groups as well as Whites, who fear the growing economic power of the Asian-Pacific rim countries. While Asian American are perceived by Whites as the "model minority," subtle employment discrimination in the form of the "glass ceiling" prevents Asian Americans from achieving their full economic potential. Statistical data are presented in one table and five graphs. A list of 27 references is appended. (FMW)