Houston has large populations of immigrants from Asia. The city has the largest Vietnamese American population in Texas and second-largest in the United States as of 2019.Money Smart Press Release . Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Furthermore, Houston also has one of the largest Chinese American, Pakistani American, and Filipino American populations in the United States. Currently, the Asian American population in Houston is estimated to be 650,000 people.
History The 1877 Houston City Directory listed three ethnic Chinese who worked in laundries, and the 1880 United States census listed seven Chinese living in the city.Chen and Harwell, p. 3. In 1910, 30 Asians lived in Houston of which 20 were Japanese and 10 were Chinese.Treviño, Robert R. The Church in the Barrio: Mexican American Ethno-Catholicism in Houston. UNC Press Books, February 27, 2006. 29. Retrieved from Google Books on November 22, 2011. , . Even though at the time, the population of Asian Americans was very few, til this day the population has continued to be unacknowledged although they have been part in enhancing Houston's development as a leading city.
In the era of de jure racial segregation in the United States, authorities in Texas classified people of Asian origins as "White." This allowed people of Asian ancestry to get superior educational opportunities.Chen and Harwell, p. 4.
The Chinese were the only ethnic group with a significant settlement pattern in Houston until the 1970s. The lack of Asian immigration in Greater Houston was due to historical restrictions on Asian Americans. According to the 1980 U.S. census, 484 Chinese immigrants currently living in the area had lived there prior to 1950; of twelve Asian nationalities other than Chinese listed by the census for the Houston area, there were fewer than 100 immigrants who had settled before 1950. The 1965 Immigration Act, which had ended the restrictions, allowed an increase in Chinese Americans. The number increased to 121 by the start of World War II. During the war, many Chinese from southern states migrated to take advantage of the economy and the population increased by more than twice its size.Rodriguez, Nestor, "Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in Houston," p. 38.
Albert Gee, the head of the Houston Restaurant Association and an Asian American, helped African-American community leaders negotiate a voluntary desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement.
In the 1970s, large-scale Asian immigration to Houston began. In 1980, 48,000 Asians lived in Greater Houston. The amount of Asian immigration increased in the 1980s.Rodriguez, Nestor, "Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in Houston," p. 37. This increase was facilitated by many migrations waves such as the coming of professional following the Nationality Act of 1965 which abolished harsh immigration laws as well as refugee relocation after the Vietnam War.Edward C. M. Chen and Debbie Harwell, authors of "Asian Americans: Expanding Our Horizons," wrote that prior U.S. Censuses lacked the ability to accurately track Asian American populations and that only the 1980 and subsequent ones accurately did so.
In 1990, 90,000 Asian immigrants lived in Harris County, and 48,000 Asians lived in Greater Houston. As of 1990 the largest two Asian immigrant groups to Houston were the Chinese and the Vietnamese,Rodriguez, Nestor, "Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in Houston," p. 37-38. making up 46% of all Asian immigrants,Rodriguez, Nestor, "Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in Houston," p. 41. with 15,568 Vietnamese and 10,817 of Chinese from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. However, the Asian immigration also increasingly diversified with more population from other regions in Asia. For example, the others were 7,044 Indians, 4,807 Filipinos, 3,249 Koreans, 2,419 Iranians, 2,411 Pakistanis, 1,950 Japanese and 1,146 Cambodians. This growing population made Houston one of the most multicultural cities in the United States.In the 1990s the Asian immigration rates exceeded those of Hispanics. A U.S. Census survey conducted in 1997 stated that in Harris County and Fort Bend County, there were 202,685 Asians combined. In 1998 Betty Ann Bowser, a reporter for PBS Newshour, said that many Southeast Asians came to Houston because "its hot humid climate reminded them of home.""." PBS Newshour. August 25, 1998. Retrieved on March 17, 2012. Houston does have a similar climate to that of Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
According to a 2002 survey of 500 Asian Americans in Harris County overseen by Stephen Klineberg, a professor at Rice University, Asian immigrants have substantially lower household income than Anglo residents and other immigrant groups, while they have higher levels of education.Snyder, Mike. "Survey provides insight into Chinese community." Houston Chronicle. October 2, 2002. Retrieved on April 22, 2013.
In 2007 Houston had 16,000 Asian American businesses. A 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report stated that the annual revenues of those businesses totaled to $5.5 billion ($ in today's money).Moreno, Jenalia. "Houston's 'Chinatown' near Beltway 8 sparks banking boom." Houston Chronicle. Sunday February 18, 2007. Retrieved on October 16, 2011.
By 2010 the number of Asian-Americans in Greater Houston was over 417,000.Chen and Harwell, p. 2. In 2010 John B. Strait and Gang Gong, authors of the article "Ethnic Diversity in Houston, Texas: The Evolution of Residential Segregation in the Bayou City, 1990–2000," stated that Asians were "only modestly segregated from" non-Hispanic whites.Strait, John B; Gong, Gang. "Ethnic Diversity in Houston, Texas: The Evolution of Residential Segregation in the Bayou City, 1990–2000." Population Review, 2010, Vol.49(1). cited: p. 58.
Demographics The Asian American community has expanded hugely over the years. Looking at research from Rice University's Kinder Institute, Asian Americans have become one of the quickest expanding groups in Houston, rising from 1.8% of the population in 1980 all the way to 10% in 2020.
The population is wide-ranging, with Asian Indians currently taking the lead for the biggest ethnic group, then Vietnamese and Chinese groups. Yet, these groups all have their own stories surrounding migration, different social class and economic status, and community layout through the United States.
In general, level of education for Asian Americans in Houston is high especially in industries such as engineering, technology and medicine but result different across the different groups with some groups having lower income levels compared to others. Furthermore, a huge percent of the population are nonnative meaning that in Houston there is language multiplicity with many Asian language continued to be spoken at homes and Asian stores/communities.
Ethnic groups Vietnamese
In 2010, Harris County had 80,000 Vietnamese (2% of county) and Vietnamese Americans, making it the second largest Vietnamese American community in the United States after that of San Jose, California.Harkinson, Josh. "Tale of Two Cities." Houston Press. Thursday December 15, 2005. 2. Retrieved on March 17, 2012.
There were three main waves of Vietnamese immigration to Houston. The first came following the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975 with the fall of Saigon. Vietnamese immigrants arriving during this time were highly educated with direct ties to the United States military and were well educated on the city they were settling in. The next wave of immigrants were "boat people", a population of Chinese Vietnamese refugees who braved the open waters in small boats to flee Vietnam after the Vietnam War between 1978 and 1982. This wave of immigrants were not as highly educated and of high social standing as the first wave, but the number of immigrants arriving to Houston was significantly greater. The third wave of Vietnamese refugees arrived through the 1980s and 1990s. They were fewer than the previous waves and consisted of political prisoners and families of U.S. servicemen.
Chinese
According to the American Community Survey, as of 2013, Greater Houston (Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area) has 72,320 residents of Chinese origin.Collier, Kiah. "It's official: Air China to begin flights to Beijing." Houston Chronicle. January 15, 2013. Retrieved on April 21, 2013.
Chinese immigrants were the first significant settlement of Asian immigrants in Houston. The first 250 male Chinese immigrants came to work on constructing the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1870. Even though the population was increasing steadily, following the start of World War II the population of Chinese immigrants doubled as people were seeking out new economic opportunities.
South Asians
As of the 2010 U.S. census, if the Indian American and Pakistani American populations are combined, there are 50,045 of them in Harris County, together making up 17.9% of the Asians in Harris County and being the second largest Asian ethnic group in Harris County. The combined group was the largest Asian ethnic group in Fort Bend County, making up 31% of the Asians there, and the largest Asian ethnic group in Montgomery County.Klineberg and Wu, p. 12.
South Asian populations became larger around the 1980s.Chen and Harwell, p. 5. In 1983 Allison Cook of the Texas Monthly stated that "Some estimates put the number of Indians and Pakistanis in Houston as high as 25,000."Cook, Allison. "The Grand Tour." Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, January 1983. Vol. 11, No. 1. Start page p. 98. ISSN 0148-7736. Cited p. 109. In 1990 there were a combined 21,191 Indian and Pakistani descent people in Harris County, making up 19.3% of the county's Asians and at the time being the third largest Asian ethnic group. In 2000 there were 35,971 members of the combined group in Harris County, making up 18.6% of the county's Asians and now being the second largest Asian ethnic group in the county. From 2000 to 2010 the combined group in Harris County increased by 39%. In Fort Bend County in 2000 there were 13,000 people of Indian and Pakistani ancestry.LaRotta, p. 34.
Half a dozen Indian American and Pakistani American newspapers are offered in stores and restaurants. The publications include India Herald and the Voice of Asia. The city has Masala Radio, a South Asian radio station. Indian singers often make tour stops in Houston. The Bollywood 6 movie theater on Texas State Highway 6 plays Indian films. The Houston area has Indian dance schools, including the Abhinaya School of Performing Arts and the Shri Natraj School of Dance.Shilcut, Katharine. "Little India." Houston Press. Wednesday May 25, 2011. 4. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
As of 2000, of the Zoroastrian groups in Houston, Parsi were one of the two main Zoroastrian groups. As of that year the total number of Iranians of all religions in Houston is, on a 10 to 1 basis, larger than the total Parsi population.Rustomji, p. 249. As of 2000 the Zoroastrian Association of Houston (ZAH) is majority Parsi. Rustomji wrote that because of that and the historic tensions between the Parsi and Iranian groups, the Iranians in Houston did not become full members of the ZAH. Rustomji stated that Iranian Zoroastrians "attend religious functions sporadically and remain tentative about their ability to fully integrate, culturally and religiously, with Parsis."
Indians As of the 2010 census there were about 82,575 people in the Houston area of Indian origins.
Following the 1965 Immigration Act there was a significant influx of Indian immigrants to the United States of America and consequently to Houston. The passing of this act brought educated immigrants seeking higher education and opportunities in the U.S.