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FEATURE: Census data shows Asians are the fastest growing racial group
Asians are fastest growing racial group
Asian American groups change between 2015 and 2019 from Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) estimates. Census Tracts with 4% or more Asian in Arapahoe County See more maps at coequitycompass.org
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Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander groups change between 2015 and 2019 from Census Bureau ACS estimates.
The Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities continue to grow steadily, the 2020 census data showed.
In Colorado, the counties that have the highest percent of Asians are: Broomfield at 9%, Arapahoe at 8.4%, and Douglas at 7.6%. There is a also relatively large Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI) population in Northeast Denver due to the increase in migration of Pacific Islanders, many from Micronesia, that work at Denver International Airport.
The data released in July, revealed almost 20 million people in the United States identified as “Asian,” and another 4 million checked boxes as “Asian” combined with another race group, for a total of 7.2 percent of the population. Another 0.5 percent of the population identifies as “Native Hawaiian” and “Other Pacific Islander” alone or in combination with another race group.
The results make the Asian population the fastest growing racial group in the United States at 35.5 percent.
In addition to the uptick, the Asian population has become geographically diverse with wide variations in income, citizenship status and political preference.
In 1990, the country’s Asian population numbered 6.6 million and was largely concentrated in a few pockets in cities on the coasts. Thirty years later, those enclaves have grown significantly, and the Asian population is more spread out, with families building lives in the suburbs of the South and in rural areas of the Midwest.
Nearly 60 percent of all people of Asian descent, including those who are mixed race, were born outside the United States, and a majority are naturalized citizens. A vast majority of Asians in the United States are citizens, either naturalized or U.S.-born.
Asian Americans in Colorado by County Pacific Islanders in Colorado by County
Larimer Weld Larimer Weld
Boulder JeffersonDenver
Adams Arapahoe Douglas
El Paso
Pueblo Mesa
Boulder JeffersonDenver
Adams Arapahoe Douglas
El Paso
Pueblo
Census Tracts with 4% or more Asian
Preliminary maps show Asian communities divided in some areas.
Twin Dragon Restaurant in Denver attracted 40 community members on August 24 to engage in a discussion about Colorado’s redistricting process.
Led by Joie Ha, Co-Founder of CORE DEI, participants learned about the importance of the process and how the preliminary maps would impact Asian, Native Hawaiian (NH), and Pacific Islander (PI) communities in Colorado.
Every ten years, new lines are drawn for national Congressional districts and for state Legislative districts. It is vital that communities of interest (ethnicity, race, economic groups) are not split in ways that dilute their power. In other words, when communities that have a shared interest are split into two districts, they have less political power than they would if the district lines were drawn to keep them together.
Ha reviewed maps showing the areas of Colorado with the highest populations of Asians and NHPIs; this includes Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, and El Paso Counties.
The new proposed State House District 1 and 2 splits Little Saigon in Denver along South Federal Boulevard. There are many Asian American businesses and workers that commute to this area and depend on Little Saigon for their preservation of culture and financial livelihoods.
The restaurant’s owner Mama Shiou welcomed guests to Twin Dragon. Her son Joe Jefferson, presiding judge in Englewood, also attended the event. He shared a few words encouraging attendees to get involved in civic engagement.
During the discussion, Ha provided information on how to give public comments or testimonies to the independent redistricting commissions.
The commissions are currently still accepting comments submitted online at redistricting.colorado.gov.
Asian Eats is organized by the Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network to bring the AANHPI (Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander) community together to learn and share knowledge on various topics affeting the community. Participants dine together at an Asian-owned eateries while networking and learning from experts in the field.
The next event will be on Tuesday, September 21 with a discussion about Afghan refugee resettlement in Colorado. The restaurant is to be determined.
