An estimated 4.6 million people in the United States identified as Filipino in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Filipino Americans are the third-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 19% of the country’s Asian population.
The Filipino population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Filipino. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to the Philippines, including immigrants from the Philippines and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Filipino alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 67% of the population – as well as people who identify as Filipino in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
The following facts about the Filipino population (unless otherwise noted) are based on people who identify as Filipino 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 Filipino population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Filipino 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 4.2 million people in the U.S. identify as Filipino alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS.3 The Filipino population has grown by roughly 2 million since 2000, up from 2.2 million – an 89% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 47% of the Filipino population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 59% in 2000. However, the number of Filipino immigrants in the country increased from 1.3 million to 2 million people over the same period.
Filipino population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Filipino (alone or in combination) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,240,000 | 1,320,000 | 920,000 |
| 2010 | 3,130,000 | 1,720,000 | 1,400,000 |
| 2019 | 3,920,000 | 1,970,000 | 1,940,000 |
| 2023 | 4,240,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,240,000 |
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 Filipino alone or in combination with other races, ethnicities or Asian origins. For a list of Filipino 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 Filipino immigrants, 79% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 75% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language4
- 85% of Filipinos ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 51% who speak only English at home and 33% 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 Filipinos 5 and older, 71% of immigrants are English proficient, while 98% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Filipino Americans ages 5 and older include Filipino or Tagalog (43%), Llocano or Hocano (2%), Spanish (1%) and Sebuano (1%).
Geography
- 1.6 million out of the nation’s Filipino population of 4.2 million, or 38%, live in California.
- Other states with large Filipino populations are Hawaii (310,000), Texas (220,000), Florida (180,000) and Nevada (180,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Filipino populations include the Los Angeles (500,000), San Francisco (290,000) and New York (250,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Filipinos is 36.1, similar to the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Filipino immigrants is 51.3. Some 4% of the Filipino immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 26% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Filipino Americans is 21.8. Some 40% are under 18 and 4% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 50% of Filipino Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (39%) or advanced degree (12%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Filipino immigrants 25 and older are more likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (52% vs. 46%).
Marital status
- 54% of Filipino adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Filipinos ages 18 and older, 64% of immigrants are married, compared with 39% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 5% of Filipino 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 Filipino females 15 to 44, immigrants and those born in the U.S. had similar fertility rates (6% and 5%, respectively).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Filipino-headed households was $106,400 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Filipino immigrant household head had a higher median annual income than those with a U.S.-born Filipino household head ($110,900 vs. $100,800).
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Filipino Americans ages 16 and older was $48,000 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Filipinos had a median of $62,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 7% of Filipinos in the U.S. are living in poverty. By comparison, 10% of Asians overall live in poverty.
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Filipinos live in poverty (6% and 7%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Filipino-headed households is 62%, equal to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Filipino-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 (67% vs. 55%).
Religious affiliation5
- 74% of Filipino-alone adults are Christian, mostly Catholic. By comparison, 34% of Asian adults overall are Christian.
- 23% of Filipino-alone adults are religiously unaffiliated, which includes those who identify as atheist, agnostic or do not identify with any religion in particular.
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.