A new report unveiled this week shows Asians were the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country over the last decade, growing even faster than the Latino community during that period.
Much of that population gain was in the Southwest.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center crunched statistics from the 2010 Census to determine that while California and New York are still the largest Asian hubs, others are growing at a much faster clip.
Nevada, for example, saw an increase of 116 percent. Right behind was Arizona with a 95 percent jump.
And with a 72 percent growth in its Asian population to 1.1 million is Texas, which is now not far behind New York’s 1.5 million.
“In those areas where we’re seeing disproportionate growth, this is fueled primarily by direct immigration,” said Dan Ichinose, a demographer with the legal center and co-author of the new report. The center is part of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.
The top Asian countries immigrants come from are Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But those of Chinese descent still make up the largest Asian ethnic group in the United States — nearly 4 million.
