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
2007 American Community Survey Data
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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