An estimated 330,000 people in the United States identified as Taiwanese in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Taiwanese Americans are the 11th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 1% of the country’s Asian population.
The Taiwanese population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Taiwanese. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Taiwan, including immigrants from Taiwan and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Taiwanese alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 79% of the population – as well as people who identify as Taiwanese in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
The following facts about the Taiwanese population are based on people who identify as Taiwanese 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 Taiwanese population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Taiwanese 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 260,000 people in the U.S. identify as Taiwanese alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS.3 The Taiwanese population has grown by roughly 125,000 since 2000, up from 135,000 – a 94% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 64% of the Taiwanese population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 78% in 2000. However, the number of Taiwanese immigrants in the country increased from 105,000 to 165,000 people over the same period.
Taiwanese population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Taiwanese (alone or in combination) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 135,000 | 105,000 | 30,000 |
| 2023 | 260,000 | 165,000 | 95,000 |
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of the 2000 decennial census (5%) and the 2021-23 American Community Surveys (IPUMS).
Note: The population shown includes those who identify as Taiwanese alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins. For a list of Taiwanese in combination groups available in the data, refer to the methodology. All figures are rounded according to rules in the methodology.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Time in the U.S. and citizenship status
- Among Taiwanese immigrants, 77% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 72% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language4
- 66% of Taiwanese ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 21% who speak only English at home and 45% 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 Taiwanese 5 and older, 53% of immigrants are English proficient, compared with 92% of the U.S. born.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Taiwanese Americans ages 5 and older include Mandarin (43%); Chinese (17%); Chinese, Cantonese, Min or Yueh (17%); and Cantonese (0.4%).
Geography
- 115,000 out of the nation’s Taiwanese population of 260,000, or 45%, live in California.
- Other states with large Taiwanese populations are Texas (20,000), New York (18,000), Washington (13,000) and New Jersey (11,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Taiwanese populations include the Los Angeles (60,000), New York (25,000) and San Jose, California (19,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Taiwanese is 39.4, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Taiwanese immigrants is 47.8. Some 2% of the Taiwanese immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 24% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Taiwanese Americans is 24.0. Some 38% are under 18 and 1% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 83% of Taiwanese Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (34%) or advanced degree (49%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Taiwanese immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (80% vs. 91%).
Marital status
- 61% of Taiwanese adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Taiwanese ages 18 and older, 69% of immigrants are married, compared with 39% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 4% of Taiwanese females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey. For Asian females overall, the fertility rate was 5%.
- Among Taiwanese females 15 to 44, immigrants and those born in the U.S. had similar fertility rates (5% and 3%, respectively).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Taiwanese-headed households was $133,300 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Taiwanese immigrant household head had a lower median annual income than those with a U.S.-born Taiwanese household head ($124,800 vs. $156,000).
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Taiwanese Americans ages 16 and older was $83,200 in 2023, higher than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Taiwanese had a median of $104,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 8% of Taiwanese in the U.S. are living in poverty, a similar share to Asians overall (10%).
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Taiwanese live in poverty (9% and 7%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Taiwanese-headed households is 70%, higher than the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- The homeownership rate for households headed by a Taiwanese immigrant is 74%. For households with a U.S.-born Taiwanese household head, the rate is 57%.
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Taiwanese 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.
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; and Neil G. Ruiz, head of new research initiatives. Research Assistants Alexandra Cahn and Gracie Martinez and Research Associates Luis Noe-Bustamante and Khadijah Edwards 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.