An estimated 2.3 million people in the United States identified as Vietnamese in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Vietnamese Americans are the fourth-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 9% of the country’s Asian population.
The Vietnamese population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Vietnamese. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Vietnam, including immigrants from Vietnam and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Vietnamese alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 81% of the population – as well as people who identify as Vietnamese in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
The following facts about the Vietnamese population are based on people who identify as Vietnamese alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins.2
This fact sheet is a profile of the geographic, social and demographic, and economic characteristics of the Vietnamese population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Vietnamese 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 2.2 million people in the U.S. identify as Vietnamese alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS.3 The Vietnamese population has grown by roughly 970,000 since 2000, up from 1.2 million – an 83% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 60% of the Vietnamese population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 75% in 2000. However, the number of Vietnamese immigrants in the country increased from 880,000 to 1.3 million people over the same period.
Vietnamese population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Vietnamese (alone or in combination) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,180,000 | 880,000 | 300,000 |
| 2010 | 1,700,000 | 1,100,000 | 580,000 |
| 2019 | 2,060,000 | 1,270,000 | 780,000 |
| 2023 | 2,150,000 | 1,290,000 | 870,000 |
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 those who identify as Vietnamese alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins. For a list of Vietnamese in combination groups available in the data, refer to the methodology. All figures are rounded according to rules shown in the methodology.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Time in the U.S. and citizenship status
- Among Vietnamese immigrants, 80% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 78% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language4
- 56% of Vietnamese ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 24% who speak only English at home and 32% 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 Vietnamese 5 and older, 36% of immigrants are English proficient, while 90% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Vietnamese Americans ages 5 and older include Vietnamese (72%), Chinese (1%), Cantonese (1%) and Spanish (0.4%).
Geography
- 770,000 out of the nation’s Vietnamese population of 2.2 million, or 36%, live in California.
- Other states with large Vietnamese populations are Texas (310,000), Washington (105,000), Florida (100,000) and Georgia (70,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Vietnamese populations include the Los Angeles (350,000), San Jose, California (145,000) and Houston (140,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Vietnamese is 38.0, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Vietnamese immigrants is 50.8. Some 4% of the Vietnamese immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 23% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Vietnamese Americans is 18.8. Some 45% are under 18, and 2% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 36% of Vietnamese Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (24%) or advanced degree (12%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Vietnamese immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (29% vs. 59%).
Marital status
- 54% of Vietnamese adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Vietnamese ages 18 and older, 64% of immigrants are married, compared with 28% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 5% of Vietnamese 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 Vietnamese females 15 to 44, immigrants had a higher fertility rate than the U.S. born (7% vs. 3%).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Vietnamese-headed households was $86,000 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Vietnamese immigrant household head had a lower median annual income than those with a U.S.-born Vietnamese household head ($82,000 vs. $101,200).
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Vietnamese Americans ages 16 and older was $40,200 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Vietnamese had a median of $56,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 11% of Vietnamese in the U.S. are living in poverty, a similar share to Asians overall (10%).
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Vietnamese live in poverty (12% and 10%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Vietnamese-headed households is 68%, higher than the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- The homeownership rate for households with a Vietnamese immigrant household head is 73%. For households with a U.S.-born Vietnamese household head, the rate is 54%.
Religious affiliation5
- 37% of Vietnamese-alone adults are Buddhist. By comparison, 11% of Asian adults overall are Buddhist.
- 36% of Vietnamese-alone adults are Christian and 23% are religiously unaffiliated, which includes those who identify as atheist or agnostic and those who do not identify with any religion in particular.
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.