An estimated 360,000 people in the United States identified as Cambodian in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Cambodian Americans are the ninth-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 1% of the country’s Asian population.
The Cambodian population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Cambodian. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Cambodia, including immigrants from Cambodia and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Cambodian alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 71% of the population – as well as people who identify as Cambodian in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Cambodian population are based on people who identify as Cambodian 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 Cambodian-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Cambodian 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 270,000 people in the U.S. identify as Cambodian alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Cambodian-alone population has grown by roughly 95,000 since 2000, up from 180,000 – a 54% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 56% of the Cambodian-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 66% in 2000. However, the number of Cambodian immigrants in the country increased from 120,000 to 155,000 people over the same period.
Cambodian population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Cambodian (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 180,000 | 120,000 | 60,000 |
| 2010 | 235,000 | 140,000 | 95,000 |
| 2019 | 250,000 | 140,000 | 115,000 |
| 2023 | 270,000 | 155,000 | 120,000 |
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 Cambodian 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 Cambodian immigrants, 85% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 78% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 61% of Cambodians ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 31% who speak only English at home and 30% 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 Cambodians 5 and older, 40% of immigrants are English proficient, while 90% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Cambodian Americans ages 5 and older include Mon-Khmer or Cambodian (66%), Vietnamese (1%), Spanish (1%) and Chinese (1%).
Geography
- 95,000 out of the nation’s Cambodian-alone population of 270,000, or 34%, live in California.
- Other states with the large Cambodian populations are Massachusetts (30,000), Washington (20,000), Texas (18,000) and Pennsylvania (14,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Cambodian populations include the Los Angeles (40,000), Boston (30,000) and Seattle (16,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Cambodians is 36.8, similar to the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Cambodian immigrants is 49.6. Some 4% of the Cambodian immigrant population is under 18 years old and 21% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Cambodian Americans is 21.6. Some 39% are under 18 and 1% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 22% of Cambodian Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (16%) or advanced degree (5%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Cambodian immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (18% vs. 31%).
Marital status
- 48% of Cambodian adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Cambodians ages 18 and older, 59% of immigrants are married, compared with 27% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 6% of Cambodian females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey, similar to the share of Asian females overall (5%).
- Among Cambodian females 15 to 44, immigrants and those born in the U.S. had similar fertility rates (7% and 6%, respectively).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Cambodian-headed households was $83,200 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Cambodian immigrant household head had a median annual income of $81,100, while households with a U.S.-born Cambodian household head had a median annual income of $88,500.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Cambodian Americans ages 16 and older was $41,600 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Cambodians had a median of $50,100 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 13% of Cambodians in the U.S. are living in poverty, slightly higher than the share of Asians overall (10%).
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Cambodians live in poverty (12% and 14%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Cambodian-headed households is 60%, equal to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Cambodian 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. 44%).
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Cambodian 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.