An estimated 145,000 people in the United States identified as Indonesian in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Indonesian Americans are the 16th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 1% of the country’s Asian population.
The Indonesian population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Indonesian. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Indonesia, including immigrants from Indonesia and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Indonesian alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 52% of the population – as well as people who identify as Indonesian in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Indonesian population are based on people who identify as Indonesian 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 Indonesian-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Indonesian 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 80,000 people in the U.S. identify as Indonesian alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Indonesian-alone population has grown by roughly 40,000 since 2000, up from 40,000 – a 111% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 74% of the Indonesian-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 82% in 2000. However, the number of Indonesian immigrants in the country increased from 30,000 to 60,000 people over the same period.
Indonesian population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Indonesian (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 40,000 | 30,000 | 7,000 |
| 2010 | 65,000 | 50,000 | 18,000 |
| 2019 | 75,000 | 55,000 | 20,000 |
| 2023 | 80,000 | 60,000 | 21,000 |
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 Indonesian 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 Indonesian immigrants, 70% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 47% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 69% of Indonesians ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 26% who speak only English at home and 43% 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 Indonesians 5 and older, 61% of immigrants are English proficient, while 95% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Indonesian Americans ages 5 and older include Indonesian (63%), Malay (2%), Dutch (2%) and Spanish (2%).
Geography
- 30,000 out of the nation’s Indonesian-alone population of 80,000, or 34%, live in California.
- Other states with large Indonesian populations are Texas (7,000), New York (6,000), Washington (5,000) and Pennsylvania (3,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Indonesian populations include the Los Angeles (11,000), New York (7,000) and Riverside, California (7,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Indonesians is 41.2, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Indonesian immigrants is 47.0. Some 3% of the Indonesian immigrant population is under 18 years old and 14% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Indonesian Americans is 17.9. Some 45% are under 18 and 2% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 55% of Indonesian Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (34%) or advanced degree (21%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- 54% of Indonesian immigrants 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher, as do 61% of U.S.-born Indonesians.
Marital status
- 63% of Indonesian adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Indonesians ages 18 and older, 69% of immigrants are married, compared with 31% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 4% of Indonesian females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey, similar to the share of Asian females overall (5%).
- The fertility rate for Indonesian immigrant females 15 to 44 was 6%.
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Indonesian-headed households was $93,100 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Among households with an Indonesian immigrant household head, the median annual income was $90,000.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Indonesian Americans ages 16 and older was $41,200 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Indonesians had a median of $60,500 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 11% of Indonesians in the U.S. are living in poverty, a similar share to Asians overall (10%).
- Equal shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Indonesians live in poverty (11% each).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Indonesian-headed households is 59%, similar to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- The homeownership rate for households with an immigrant Indonesian household head was 61%.
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Indonesian 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.