An estimated 2 million people in the United States identified as Korean in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Korean Americans are the fifth-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 8% of the country’s Asian population.
The Korean population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Korean. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Korea, including immigrants from Korea and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Korean alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 72% of the population – as well as people who identify as Korean in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
The following facts about the Korean population (unless otherwise noted) are based on people who identify as Korean 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 Korean population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Korean 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 1.8 million people in the U.S. identify as Korean alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS.3 The Korean population has grown by roughly 660,000 since 2000, up from 1.2 million – a 56% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 56% of the Korean population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 73% in 2000. However, the number of Korean immigrants in the country increased from 850,000 to 1 million people over the same period.
Korean population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Korean (alone or in combination) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,170,000 | 850,000 | 320,000 |
| 2010 | 1,630,000 | 1,070,000 | 550,000 |
| 2019 | 1,800,000 | 1,050,000 | 740,000 |
| 2023 | 1,830,000 | 1,030,000 | 810,000 |
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 Korean alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins. For a list of Korean 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 Korean immigrants, 82% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 68% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language4
- 68% of Koreans ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 39% who speak only English at home and 29% 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 Koreans 5 and older, 50% of immigrants are English proficient, while 94% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Korean Americans ages 5 and older include Korean (59%), Spanish (0.5%), Russian (0.3%) and Chinese (0.3%).
Geography
- 530,000 out of the nation’s Korean population of 1.8 million, or 29%, live in California.
- Other states with large Korean populations are New York (140,000), Texas (110,000), New Jersey (105,000) and Virginia (90,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Korean populations include the Los Angeles (320,000), New York (215,000) and Washington, D.C. (95,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Koreans is 37.7, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Korean immigrants is 50.2. Some 4% of the Korean immigrant population is under 18 years old and 24% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Korean Americans is 20.5. Some 43% are under 18 and 2% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 60% of Korean Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (36%) or advanced degree (24%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Korean immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (58% vs. 65%).
Marital status
- 58% of Korean adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Koreans ages 18 and older, 67% of immigrants are married compared with 39% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 4% of Korean 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 Korean females 15 to 44, immigrants had a similar fertility rate to the U.S. born (5% and 4%, respectively).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Korean-headed households was $93,600 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Korean immigrant household head had a lower median annual income than those with a U.S.-born Korean household head ($88,400 vs. $104,900).
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Korean Americans ages 16 and older was $55,000 in 2023, higher than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Koreans had a median of $76,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 10% of Koreans in the U.S. are living in poverty, equal to the share of Asians overall (10%).
- 11% of Korean immigrants live in poverty, compared with 8% of Koreans born in the U.S.
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Korean-headed households is 55%, lower than the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Korean-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 (57% vs. 52%).
Religious affiliation5
- 59% of Korean-alone adults are Christian, mostly Protestant. By comparison, 34% of Asian adults overall are Christian.
- 34% of Korean-alone adults are religiously unaffiliated, which includes those who identify as atheist or agnostic or do not identify with any religion in particular. And 3% are Buddhist.
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.