U.S. Census 2000

(Number in Parentheses is the 1990 figure)

Total Number of Lao in 50 States and District of Columbia – 168,707 (147,375)

Compiled by Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD

1. California – 55,456 (60,627)

2. Texas – 10,114 (9,494)

3. Minnesota – 9,940 (6,247)

4. Washington – 7,974 (5,878)

5. North Carolina – 5,313 (1,791)

6. Illinois – 5,235 (4,274)

7. Georgia – 4,531 (3,524)

8. Wisconsin – 4,469 (3,389)

9. Oregon – 4,391 (3,241)

10. Tennessee – 4,214 (2,597)

11. Iowa – 4,079 (3,322)

12. Massachusetts – 3,797 (3,862)

13. Florida – 3,522 (2,049)

14. Kansas – 3,361 (2,188)

15. Michigan – 3,158 (2,540)

16. New York – 3,063 (2,975)

17. Rhode Island – 2,922 (2,241)

18. Arkansas – 2,879 (2,185)

19. Connecticut – 2,799 (2,647)

20. Ohio – 2,749 (2,260)

21. Virginia – 2,672

22. Pennsylvania – 2,204

23. Utah – 2,195

24. Colorado – 2,156

25. Hawaii – 1,842

26. Louisiana – 1,334

27. Alaska – 1,280

28. Nevada – 1,134

29. Oklahoma – 1,036

30. South Carolina – 951

31. Arizona – 940

32. Indiana – 937

33. Alabama – 913

34. Nebraska – 902

35. Missouri – 722

36. Maryland – 622

37. Idaho – 490

38. New Jersey – 486

39. New Hampshire – 423

40. New Mexico – 368

41. Kentucky – 316

42. South Dakota – 254

43. Delaware – 109

44. Mississippi – 99

45. Vermont – 80

46. Maine - 79

47. Montana – 73

48. West Virginia – 28

49. North Dakota – 23

50. Wyoming – 17

District of Columbia – 56


TOP 50 METRO AREAS BY LAO POPULATION

Compiled by Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD

US CENSUS 2000

1. San Francisco--Oakland--San Jose, CA CMSA; California - 11,545

2. Sacramento--Yolo, CA CMSA; California - 9,814

3. Los Angeles--Riverside--Orange County, CA CMSA; California -7,626

4. Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI MSA - 7,576

5. San Diego, CA MSA; California - 7,002

6. Dallas--Fort Worth, TX CMSA; Texas - 6,642

7. Seattle--Tacoma--Bremerton, WA CMSA; Washington - 6,572

8. Fresno, CA MSA; California - 6,381

9. Portland--Salem, OR--WA CMSA - 4,502

10. Boston--Worcester--Lawrence, MA--NH--ME--CT CMSA - 3,857

11. Atlanta, GA MSA; Georgia - 3,596

12. Chicago--Gary--Kenosha, IL--IN--WI CMSA - 3,564

13. Nashville, TN MSA; Tennessee - 3,535

14. Stockton--Lodi, CA MSA; California - 3,054

15. Providence--Fall River--Warwick, RI--MA MSA Rhode Island - 2,939

16. Washington--Baltimore, DC--MD--VA--WV CMSA - 2,801

17. Visalia--Tulare--Porterville, CA MSA; California - 2,617

18. Milwaukee--Racine, WI CMSA; Wisconsin - 2,362

19. Denver--Boulder--Greeley, CO CMSA; Colorado - 2,071

20. Salt Lake City--Ogden, UT MSA; Utah - 1,944

21. Merced, CA MSA; California - 1,890

21. Charlotte--Gastonia--Rock Hill, NC--SC MSA - 1,890

22. New York--Northern New Jersey--Long Island, NY--NJ--CT--PA CMSA - 1,867

23. Des Moines, IA MSA; Iowa - 1,829

24. Philadelphia--Wilmington--Atlantic City, PA--NJ--DE--MD CMSA - 1,790

25. Honolulu, HI MSA; Hawaii - 1,778

26. Fort Smith, AR--OK MSA 1,768

27. Tampa--St. Petersburg--Clearwater, FL MSA; Florida - 1,765

28. Modesto, CA MSA; California - 1,627

29. Redding, CA MSA; California - 1,557

30. Rochester, NY MSA; New York - 1,408

31. Grand Rapids--Muskegon--Holland, MI MSA; Michigan - 1,402

32. Houston--Galveston--Brazoria, TX CMSA; Texas - 1,355

33. Kansas City, MO--KS MSA - 1,299

34. Columbus, OH MSA; Ohio - 1,265

35. Wichita, KS MSA; Kansas - 1,204

36. Detroit--Ann Arbor--Flint, MI CMSA; Michigan - 1,201

37. Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC MSA; North Carolina - 1,195

38. Hickory--Morganton--Lenoir, NC MSA; North Carolina - 1,153

39. Hartford, CT MSA; Connecticut - 1,152

40. Rockford, IL MSA; Illinois - 1,190

41. Anchorage, AK MSA - 1,170

42. Las Vegas, NV--AZ MSA - 1,093

43. Amarillo, TX MSA; Texas - 1,063

44. Cleveland--Akron, OH CMSA; Ohio - 721

45. Greenville--Spartanburg--Anderson, SC MSA; South Carolina - 703

46. Oklahoma City, OK MSA; Oklahoma - 666

47. Phoenix--Mesa, AZ MSA; Arizona - 648

48. Chico--Paradise, CA MSA; California - 698

49. Madison, WI MSA; Wisconsin - 500

50. Richland--Kennewick--Pasco, WA MSA; Washington - 451


Lao Socioeconomic Census Data

The U.S. Census has released national level socioeconomic and educational 2000 census data for Lao in the
United States. The following are highlights from this long-awaited data. The comparable 1990 figure is in
parentheses. Data used are for “Laotian and any Combination” responses on the census form.

U.S. Lao Median Family Income 2000 - $42,445 ($23,000)

% U.S. Lao with Public Assistance Income in 2000 – 14.2% (20%)

% U.S. Lao Families Below the Poverty Level in 2000 – 17.1% (32%)

% U.S. Lao Population in Owner Occupied Housing in 2000 – 53.5% (23.0)

Industry Distribution by Percent of U.S. Lao Population (2000 Figures only)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining – 1.1

Construction – 2.1

Manufacturing – 45.1

Wholesale trade – 3.5

Retail trade – 9.1

Transportation and warehousing, and utilities – 2.8

Information – 2.1

Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing – 4.0

Professional, scientific, management, administrative, waste management services – 5.2

Educational, health and social services – 8.7

Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services – 10.3

Other services (except public administration) – 4.3

Public administration – 1.7

Occupational Distribution by Percent of U.S. Lao Population (2000 Figures only)

Management, professional, and related occupations – 13.6

Service occupations – 14.8

Sales and office occupations – 19.4

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations - 0.5

Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations – 6.1

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations – 45.6

Educational Attainment of U.S. Lao Population 25 Years and Over by Percent (2000 Figures only)

Less than 9th grade – 32.5

9th to 12th grade, no diploma – 17.0

High school graduate (includes equivalency) – 24.6

Some college, no degree – 12.9

Associate degree – 5.5

Bachelor's degree – 6.2

Graduate or professional degree – 1.4

Percent high school graduate or higher – 50.5

Percent bachelor's degree or higher – 7.6

Further Questions about accessing this census data may be sent to hmongstudies@yahoo.com

2006 American Community Survey Data

2005 American Community Survey Southeast Asian American Data including Lao

U.S. Census Releases 2005 American Community Survey data for Southeast Asian Americans
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