An estimated 680,000 people in the United States identified as Pakistani in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Pakistani Americans are the seventh-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 3% of the country’s Asian population.
The Pakistani population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Pakistani. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Pakistan, including immigrants from Pakistan and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Pakistani alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 89% of the population – as well as people who identify as Pakistani in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Pakistani population are based on people who identify as Pakistani 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 Pakistani-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Pakistani 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 580,000 people in the U.S. identify as Pakistani alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Pakistani-alone population has grown by roughly 420,000 since 2000, up from 165,000 – a 254% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 62% of the Pakistani-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 76% in 2000. However, the number of Pakistani immigrants in the country increased from 125,000 to 360,000 people over the same period.
Pakistani population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Pakistani (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 165,000 | 125,000 | 40,000 |
| 2010 | 330,000 | 225,000 | 110,000 |
| 2019 | 500,000 | 330,000 | 175,000 |
| 2023 | 580,000 | 360,000 | 220,000 |
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 Pakistani 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 Pakistani immigrants, 67% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 70% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 76% of Pakistanis ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 19% who speak only English at home and 57% 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 Pakistanis 5 and older, 67% of immigrants are English proficient, compared with 93% of the U.S. born.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Pakistani Americans ages 5 and older include Urdu (68%), Panjabi (4%), Pashto or Afghan (2%) and other Indo-Iranian languages (1%).
Geography
- 95,000 out of the nation’s Pakistani-alone population of 580,000, or 17%, live in Texas. New York has a Pakistani population of about 90,000.
- Other states with large Pakistani populations are California (75,000), Illinois (45,000) and Virginia (45,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Pakistani populations include the New York (110,000), Washington, D.C. (45,000) and Houston (45,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Pakistanis is 32.3. For Asians overall, the median age is 34.7.
- The median age of Pakistani immigrants is 42.7. Some 7% of the Pakistani immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 15% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Pakistani Americans is 15.3. Some 55% are under 18 and 1% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 59% of Pakistani Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (31%) or advanced degree (29%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Pakistani immigrants 25 and older are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than those born in the U.S. (57% vs. 72%).
Marital status
- 66% of Pakistani adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Pakistanis ages 18 and older, 75% of immigrants are married, compared with 35% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 8% of Pakistani females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey. The rate for Asian females overall was 5%.
- Among Pakistani females 15 to 44, immigrants had a higher fertility rate than the U.S. born (11% vs. 4%).
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Pakistani-headed households was $108,100 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Pakistani immigrant household head had a median annual income of $105,700. Among households with a U.S.-born Pakistani household head, the median annual income was $114,900.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Pakistani Americans ages 16 and older was $48,000 in 2023, lower than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Pakistanis had a median of $72,800 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 12% of Pakistanis in the U.S. are living in poverty, a similar share to Asians overall (10%).
- Equal shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Pakistanis live in poverty (12% each).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Pakistani-headed households is 60%, similar to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Pakistani-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 (63% vs. 50%).
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Pakistani 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.