An estimated 1.6 million people in the United States identified as Japanese in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Japanese Americans are the sixth-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 7% of the country’s Asian population.
The Japanese population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Japanese. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Japan, including immigrants from Japan and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Japanese alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 44% of the population – as well as people who identify as Japanese in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
The following facts about the Japanese population (unless otherwise noted) are based on people who identify as Japanese 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 Japanese population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Japanese 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 1.4 million people in the U.S. identify as Japanese alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS..3 The Japanese population has grown by roughly 370,000 since 2000, up from 1 million – a 36% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 24% of the Japanese population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 32% in 2000. The number of Japanese immigrants in the country remained steady over the same period, at 330,000 people.
Japanese population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Japanese (alone or in combination) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,020,000 | 330,000 | 690,000 |
| 2010 | 1,140,000 | 340,000 | 810,000 |
| 2019 | 1,280,000 | 340,000 | 940,000 |
| 2023 | 1,390,000 | 330,000 | 1,060,000 |
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 Japanese alone and in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins. For a list of Japanese 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 Japanese immigrants, 66% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 33% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language4
- 87% of Japanese ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 70% who speak only English at home and 17% 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 Japanese 5 and older, 53% of immigrants are English proficient, compared with 98% of the U.S. born.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Japanese Americans ages 5 and older include Japanese (26%), Spanish (2%), Portuguese (1%) and French (0.2%).
Geography
- 410,000 out of the nation’s Japanese population of 1.4 million, or 29%, live in California.
- Other states with large Japanese populations are Hawaii (250,000), Washington (80,000), Texas (65,000) and New York (55,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Japanese populations include the Honolulu (200,000), Los Angeles (170,000) and San Francisco (65,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Japanese is 39.4, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Japanese immigrants is 49.2. Some 8% of the Japanese immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 25% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Japanese Americans is 34.4. Some 25% are under 18 and 17% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 54% of Japanese Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (35%) or advanced degree (19%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Among Japanese 25 and older, similar shares of immigrants and those born in the U.S. have a bachelor’s degree or higher (55% and 54%, respectively).
Marital status
- 53% of Japanese adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Japanese ages 18 and older, 67% of immigrants are married compared with 47% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 5% of Japanese females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey, equal to the share of Asian females overall (5%).
- Among Japanese females 15 to 44, immigrants had a similar fertility rate to the U.S. born (7% and 5%, respectively).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Japanese-headed households was $99,700 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Japanese immigrant household head had a lower median annual income than those with a U.S.-born Japanese household head ($85,100 vs. $104,000).
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Japanese Americans ages 16 and older was $55,100 in 2023, higher than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Japanese had a median of $75,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 7% of Japanese in the U.S. are living in poverty. By comparison, the poverty rate among Asians overall is 10%.
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Japanese live in poverty (8% and 7%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Japanese-headed households is 65%, compared with 62% among Asian-headed households overall.
- Among Japanese-headed households in the U.S., homeownership rates are lower for those with an immigrant household head than those with a U.S.-born household head (52% vs. 70%).
Religious affiliation5
- 47% of Japanese-alone adults are religiously unaffiliated, including those who identify as atheist or agnostic and those with no religion in particular. By comparison, 32% of Asian adults overall are religiously unaffiliated.
- 25% of Japanese-alone adults are Christian and 19% 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.