An estimated 340,000 people in the United States identified as Thai in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Thai Americans are the 10th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 1% of the country’s Asian population.
The Thai population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Thai. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Thailand, including immigrants from Thailand and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Thai alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 59% of the population – as well as people who identify as Thai in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Thai population are based on people who identify as Thai alone and no other race or Asian origin.
This fact sheet is a profile of the geographic, social and demographic, and economic characteristics of the Thai-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Thai Americans with characteristics of the U.S. Asian population overall. These detailed tabulations are based on Pew Research Center analysis of the 2021-23 American Community Survey (ACS). (For more information, refer to the methodology.)
Detailed tables: U.S. Asian population data by origin groups
Population
About 195,000 people in the U.S. identify as Thai alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Thai-alone population has grown by roughly 85,000 since 2000, up from 110,000 – a 79% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 74% of the Thai-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a slight decrease from 78% in 2000. However, the number of Thai immigrants in the country increased from 85,000 to 145,000 people over the same period.
Thai population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Thai (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 110,000 | 85,000 | 24,000 |
| 2010 | 165,000 | 125,000 | 40,000 |
| 2019 | 220,000 | 165,000 | 55,000 |
| 2023 | 195,000 | 145,000 | 50,000 |
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of the 2000 decennial census (5%) and the 2008-10, 2017-19 and 2021-23 American Community Surveys (IPUMS).
Note: The population shown includes only those who identify as Thai alone and no other race or Asian origin. All figures are rounded according to rules shown in the methodology.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Time in the U.S. and citizenship status
- Among Thai immigrants, 74% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 67% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 59% of Thai ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 27% who speak only English at home and 31% who speak another language at home but say they speak English very well. By comparison, 74% of Asian Americans 5 and older are English proficient.
- Among Thai 5 and older, 49% of immigrants are English proficient, compared with 89% of the U.S. born.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Thai Americans ages 5 and older include Thai (68%), Karen (2%), Laotian (1%) and Spanish (1%).
Geography
- 50,000 out of the nation’s Thai-alone population of 195,000, or 26%, live in California.
- Other states with large Thai populations are Florida (15,000), Texas (14,000), New York (12,000) and Washington (10,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Thai populations include the Los Angeles (25,000), New York (12,000) and Seattle (8,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Thai is 43.6, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Thai immigrants is 48.1. Some 3% of the Thai immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 25% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Thai Americans is 28.8. Some 29% are under 18 and 3% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 49% of Thai Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (32%) or advanced degree (17%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Thai immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (48% vs. 55%).
Marital status
- 58% of Thai adults are married, equal to the share of Asian adults overall (58%).
- Among Thai ages 18 and older, 63% of immigrants are married, compared with 41% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 5% of Thai females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey, equal to the share of Asian females overall (5%).
- Among Thai females 15 to 44, immigrants and those born in the U.S. had similar fertility rates (4% and 6%, respectively).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Thai-headed households was $82,000 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Thai immigrant household head had a lower median annual income than those with a U.S.-born Thai household head ($77,700 vs. $108,400).
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Thai Americans ages 16 and older was $40,000 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Thai had a median of $52,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 12% of Thai in the U.S. are living in poverty, a similar share to Asians overall (10%).
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Thai live in poverty (12% and 11%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Thai-headed households is 64%, similar to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Thai-headed households in the U.S., homeownership rates are higher for those with an immigrant household head than those with a U.S.-born household head (66% vs. 54%).
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Thai population because of insufficient sample size in the surveys used.
Find out more
Explore fact sheets on other Asian origin groups in the U.S.
For detailed information on the data and analysis used for these fact sheets, read the methodology.
This fact sheet was written and compiled by Carolyne Im, research analyst. It is an update of a fact sheet originally published on April 29, 2021, compiled by Abby Budiman, former temporary research associate.
The following individuals provided research and editorial guidance: Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research; Jens Manuel Krogstad, senior writer and editor; Sahana Mukherjee, associate director of race and ethnicity research; Jeffrey S. Passel, senior demographer; Neil G. Ruiz, head of new research initiatives; and Ziyao Tian, research associate. Research Assistants Alexandra Cahn and Gracie Martinez and Research Associates Luis Noe-Bustamante, Khadijah Edwards and Tian provided research support.
This fact sheet was produced by Sara Atske, digital producer. It was copy edited by David Kent, senior copy editor. John Carlo Mandapat, information graphics designer, provided guidance on charts. The communications and outreach strategy was led by Tanya Arditi, senior communications manager, with support from Talia Price, communications associate.
Find related reports online at www.pewresearch.org/AsianAmericans.