Source: MPI tabulation of data from the U. Vietnamese immigrants are more likely to be Limited English Proficient LEP compared to the overall foreign-born population. In , 65 percent of Vietnamese immigrants ages 5 and over reported limited English proficiency, compared with 46 percent of all immigrants.
Just 8 percent of Vietnamese immigrants reported speaking only English at home, versus 16 percent of all immigrants. Age, Education, and Employment. The age distribution of Vietnamese immigrants is similar to that of the total foreign-born population: 4 percent were under age 18, 76 percent were between 18 and 64, and 20 percent were ages 65 and older. Both groups were older than the U. The median age for Vietnamese immigrants was 51 years old, for all immigrants it was 46 years old, and for the U.
Figure 4. Age Distribution of the U. Population by Origin, Census Bureau ACS. In , approximately 29 percent of Vietnamese immigrants ages 25 and older lacked a high school diploma or equivalent, compared to 26 percent of all foreign-born and 8 percent of U.
Vietnamese immigrant adults ages 16 and older participated in the civilian labor force at the same rate as all immigrants 67 percent versus 62 percent of the U. Vietnamese immigrants were most employed in service occupations 33 percent as well as in the management, business, science, and arts occupations 32 percent.
They were less likely to work in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 5 percent compared to U. Figure 5. Employed Workers in the U. Civilian Labor Force ages 16 and older by Occupation and Origin, Vietnamese immigrants have comparatively high median household incomes.
Furthermore, 11 percent of Vietnamese immigrants in lived in poverty, compared to 14 percent of all immigrants and 12 percent of the U. Immigration Pathways and Naturalization. Immigrants from Vietnam are significantly more likely than the overall foreign-born population to be naturalized U.
As of , 76 percent of Vietnamese immigrants were U. Vietnamese immigrants tended to arrive in the United States earlier than other foreign-born groups, with 62 percent entering before , 19 percent entering between and , and another 19 percent entering in or later.
Figure 6. Source : MPI tabulation of data from the U. The overwhelming majority 95 percent of Vietnamese immigrants who became lawful permanent residents LPRs —also known as green-card holders—in fiscal year FY did so through familial ties as spouses, children, or parents of U. This compares to 69 percent for all immigrants. Vietnamese immigrants alone made up approximately 3 percent of all new green-card holders receiving their status through immediate U.
Figure 7. Notes: Immediate relatives of U. The Diversity Visa lottery program was established by the Immigration Act of to allow entry to immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The law states that 55, diversity visas in total are made available each fiscal year. Individuals born in Vietnam are not eligible for the Diversity Visa lottery. The use of family ties to receive LPR status has been greater in recent decades.
Until FY , Vietnamese immigrants were more likely to obtain green cards as refugees or asylum seekers. In FY , 99 percent of Vietnamese immigrants who received green cards had entered on humanitarian grounds; in FY , less than 1 percent received LPR status through this channel.
Figure 8. Notes: Family ties refers to receipt of lawful permanent resident LPR status both through family-sponsored preferences and as immediate relatives of U. Have a correction or comment about this article? Please contact us. The First Vietnamese in America. Join Our Newsletter. More Stories. Performing Arts.
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Vietnamese immigrants are less likely to be proficient in English than the overall foreign-born population.
In , about 66 percent of Vietnamese ages 5 and over reported limited English proficiency, compared to 48 percent of all immigrants. Eight percent of Vietnamese spoke only English at home, versus 16 percent of the overall foreign born.
Age, Education, and Employment. Overall, Vietnamese are older than the overall foreign-born population and the native population. The median age of Vietnamese in was 50 years, compared to 45 years for all immigrants and 36 years for the U. Meanwhile, Vietnamese were more likely than the native born but about as likely as the overall foreign born to be of working age 18 to 64; see Figure 4.
Figure 4. Age Distribution of the U. Population by Origin, Note: Numbers may not add up to as they are rounded to the nearest whole number. Census Bureau ACS. Click here to view an interactive chart showing the age and sex distribution of the top immigrant groups, including Vietnamese. Vietnamese ages 25 and over have much lower educational attainment compared to the native- and overall foreign-born populations.
In , 26 percent of Vietnamese immigrants had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to about 32 percent of the U. About 30 percent of Vietnamese adults lacked a high school diploma, compared to 28 percent of all immigrant adults. Vietnamese participate in the labor force at a similar rate as the foreign born overall. In , about 65 percent of Vietnamese ages 16 and over were in the civilian labor force, a rate nearly equivalent to that of all immigrants 66 percent and higher than of the native born 62 percent.
Vietnamese are more likely to be employed in service occupations than the other two groups of workers see Figure 5. Figure 5. Vietnamese overall have higher incomes compared to the total foreign- and native-born populations. Further, in , some 11 percent of Vietnamese families were living in poverty, a lower rate than for immigrant families overall 14 percent. Immigration Pathways and Naturalization.
Vietnamese are much more likely to be naturalized U. In , 77 percent of Vietnamese were naturalized citizens, compared to 49 percent of the overall foreign-born population. Compared to all immigrants, the Vietnamese are more likely to have entered before The largest share of Vietnamese, approximately 66 percent, arrived prior to , followed by 18 percent who entered between and , and 16 percent in or later see Figure 6.
Figure 6. Large-scale Vietnamese migration to the United States started as an influx of refugees following the end of the war. Early arrivals consisted largely of military personnel and urban professionals and their families who worked with the U. Most of these refugees came from rural areas and were often less educated. Many of the Vietnamese refugees who arrived between and were initially resettled in states with large immigrant populations, including California, Texas, and Washington State.
According to U. Since , there has been a general downward trend in the number of Vietnamese immigrants arriving as refugees and, subsequently, fewer green cards were granted to Vietnamese as refugees or asylees. They have been replaced by immigrants who qualify for LPR status through family ties either as immediate relatives of U. Figure 7. Notes: The purple line represents Vietnamese immigrants granted lawful permanent resident LPR status both through family-sponsored preferences and as immediate relatives of U.
The dotted portion of the line for refugee arrivals prior to indicates that these numbers are estimates obtained from Table 7. In , about , Vietnamese refugees arrived in the United States as the result of a U. From to , the number of refugee arrivals dropped sharply for the most part because the United States denied admission to Vietnamese individuals except for family reunification.
As a result of continuing political and ethnic conflicts within Southeast Asia, the number of refugees from Vietnam and its neighboring countries rose dramatically beginning in In response to this humanitarian crisis, Western countries, including the United States, began admitting greater numbers of refugees from the region, many of whom were living in refugee camps.
Government Printing Office, , , and ; Linda W. Most Vietnamese who obtain green cards now do so through family reunification channels.
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