An estimated 245,000 people in the United States identified as Laotian in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Laotian Americans are the 13th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 1% of the country’s Asian population.
The Laotian population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Laotian. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Laos, including immigrants from Laos and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Laotian alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 72% of the population – as well as people who identify as Laotian in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Laotian population are based on people who identify as Laotian 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 Laotian-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Laotian 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 180,000 people in the U.S. identify as Laotian alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. In 2000, the Laotian-alone population was roughly 170,000.
Immigrants made up 57% of the Laotian-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 69% in 2000. The number of Laotian immigrants in the country decreased from 115,000 people to 100,000 over the same period.
Laotian population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Laotian (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 170,000 | 115,000 | 55,000 |
| 2010 | 195,000 | 115,000 | 80,000 |
| 2019 | 200,000 | 115,000 | 85,000 |
| 2023 | 180,000 | 100,000 | 80,000 |
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 Laotian 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 Laotian immigrants, 94% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 79% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 65% of Laotians ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 30% who speak only English at home and 35% 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 Laotians 5 and older, 45% of immigrants are English proficient, while 91% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Laotian Americans ages 5 and older include Laotian (65%), Miao or Hmong (1%), Thai (1%) and Spanish (1%).
Geography
- 45,000 out of the nation’s Laotian-alone population of 180,000, or 25%, live in California.
- Other states with large Laotian populations are Texas (13,000), Minnesota (9,000), Washington (7,000) and Tennessee (7,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Laotian populations include the San Diego (8,000), Dallas (7,000) and Los Angeles (7,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Laotians is 40.6, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Laotian immigrants is 52.5. Some 1% of the Laotian immigrant population is under 18 years old and 21% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Laotian Americans is 24.0. Some 33% are under 18 and 1% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 18% of Laotian Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (14%) or advanced degree (4%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Laotian immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (16% vs. 24%).
Marital status
- 48% of Laotian adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Laotians ages 18 and older, 60% of immigrants are married, compared with 25% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 4% of Laotian 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 Laotian 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 Laotian-headed households was $79,400 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Laotian immigrant household head had a median annual income of $81,900, while households with a U.S.-born Laotian household head had a median annual income of $72,800.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Laotian Americans ages 16 and older was $41,000 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Laotians had a median of $49,900 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 10% of Laotians in the U.S. are living in poverty, equal to the share of Asians overall (10%).
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Laotians live in poverty (9% and 11%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Laotian-headed households is 64%, similar to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Laotian-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 (72% vs. 46%).
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Laotian 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.