An estimated 50,000 people in the United States identified as Malaysian in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Malaysian Americans are the 20th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 0.2% of the country’s Asian population.
The Malaysian population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Malaysian. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Malaysia, including immigrants from Malaysia and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Malaysian alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 54% of the population – as well as people who identify as Malaysian in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Malaysian population are based on people who identify as Malaysian 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 Malaysian-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Malaysian 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 24,000 people in the U.S. identify as Malaysian alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Malaysian-alone population has grown by roughly 14,000 since 2000, up from 10,000 – a 140% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 79% of the Malaysian-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 89% in 2000. However, the number of Malaysian immigrants in the country increased from 9,000 to 19,000 people over the same period.
Malaysian population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Malaysian (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10,000 | 9,000 | 1,000 |
| 2010 | 15,000 | 13,000 | 2,000 |
| 2019 | 19,000 | 16,000 | 3,000 |
| 2023 | 24,000 | 19,000 | 5,000 |
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 Malaysian 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 Malaysian immigrants, 67% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 42% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 76% of Malaysians ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 32% who speak only English at home and 44% 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.
- 72% of Malaysian immigrants 5 and older are English proficient.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Malaysian Americans ages 5 and older include Malay (24%), Chinese (13%), Mandarin (12%) and Cantonese (8%).
Geography
- 4,000 out of the nation’s Malaysian-alone population of 24,000, or 17%, live in California.
- Other states with large Malaysian populations are New York (3,000), Texas (3,000), Washington (1,000) and Wisconsin (1,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Malaysian populations include the New York (4,000), Los Angeles (1,000) and Houston (1,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Malaysians is 38.1, while the median age of Asians overall is 34.7.
- The median age of Malaysian immigrants is 44.3. Some 6% of the Malaysian immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 12% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 63% of Malaysian Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (36%) or advanced degree (27%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- 62% of Malaysians immigrants 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Marital status
- 57% of Malaysian adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- 62% of Malaysian immigrants ages 18 and older are married.
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Malaysian-headed households was $94,100 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- The median annual income of households with a Malaysian immigrant household head was $96,700.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Malaysian Americans ages 16 and older was $55,000 in 2023, similar to Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Malaysians had a median of $75,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 10% of Malaysians in the U.S. are living in poverty, an equal share to Asians overall (10%).
- 10% of Malaysian immigrants live in poverty.
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Malaysian-headed households is 59%, similar to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Malaysian-headed households with an immigrant household head, the homeownership rate is 59%.
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Malaysian 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.