An estimated 50,000 people in the United States identified as Mongolian in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Mongolian Americans are the 19th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 0.2% of the country’s Asian population.
The Mongolian population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Mongolian. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Mongolia, including immigrants from Mongolia and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Mongolian alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 76% of the population – as well as people who identify as Mongolian in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Mongolian population are based on people who identify as Mongolian 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 Mongolian-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Mongolian 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 30,000 people in the U.S. identify as Mongolian alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Mongolian-alone population has grown by roughly 10,000 since 2019, up from 19,000 – a 51% increase over roughly the last half decade.
Immigrants made up 75% of the Mongolian-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a similar share to 2019 (79%). However, the number of Mongolian immigrants in the country increased from 15,000 to 22,000 people over the same period.
(Data on the Mongolian population in the U.S. is not available prior to 2012.)
Mongolian population in the U.S., 2019-2023
U.S. Mongolian (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 19,000 | 15,000 | 4,000 |
| 2023 | 30,000 | 22,000 | 7,000 |
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of the 2017-19 and 2021-23 American Community Surveys (IPUMS).
Note: The population shown includes only those who identify as Mongolian 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 Mongolian immigrants, 50% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 32% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 61% of Mongolians ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 21% who speak only English at home and 40% 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.
- 55% of Mongolian immigrants 5 and older are English proficient.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Mongolian Americans ages 5 and older include Mongolian (71%), Russian (2%), Hindi (1%) and Chinese (1%).
Geography
- 8,000 out of the nation’s Mongolian-alone population of 30,000, or 28%, live in California.
- Other states with large Mongolian populations are Illinois (6,000), Virginia (4,000), Washington (2,000) and Colorado (1,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Mongolian populations include the Chicago (6,000), Los Angeles (4,000) and Washington, D.C. (4,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Mongolians is 30.5, younger than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Mongolian immigrants is 34.8. Some 16% of the Mongolian immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 3% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 69% of Mongolian Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (46%) or advanced degree (23%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- 70% of Mongolian immigrants 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Marital status
- 59% of Mongolian adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- 62% of Mongolian immigrants ages 18 and older are married.
Fertility
- 7% of Mongolian females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey. Among Asian females overall, the fertility rate was 5%.
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of households with a Mongolian household head was $54,300 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Mongolian Americans ages 16 and older was $35,500 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Mongolians had a median of $60,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 18% of Mongolians in the U.S. are living in poverty, a greater share than among Asians overall (10%).
- Among Mongolian immigrants, 19% live in poverty.
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Mongolian-headed households is 36%, lower than the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Mongolian 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.