Some Sri Lankan-Americans Struggle Below Poverty Line
Sri Lankans at a protest rally in Los Angeles
_ Lankans Contribute to Phenomenal Growth in Asian Population
Hassina Leelarathna
Los Angeles, CA - Sri Lankans have contributed to a phenomenal explosion in the Asian population in the United States in the past decade, enjoying incomes that are higher than those of older established immigrant communities such as the Japanese and Chinese. But the American dream remains just that for a significant number of Sri Lankans and other Asian immigrants who are grappling with language barriers and struggling below the poverty line, a new study just released said.
According to data in a report titled "A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans in the United States, 2011," issued by the Asian Pacific American Legal Centre and the Asian American Justice Centre, South Asians, including Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Indians, saw the highest rates of growth within the Asian-American demographic segment. The Asian American population grew by 46% between 2000 and 2010, a rate that outstripped all other racial groups nationwide, including Latinos.
The report, which draws heavily on the 2010 US census, shows that the Sri Lankan population in the US grew by 85% between 2000 and 2010 and that it now numbers 45,381. Of this, 22,336 were identified as Sinhalese. The Tamil-speaking population in the US stands at 132,573 which may include some Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lankan community ranks number four by way of per capita, ahead of the older established Asian groups including Japanese and Chinese. The Taiwanese have the highest per capita, $38,312, followed by Indians, $36,533, Malaysians, $33,264, Sri Lankan $32,480, and Japanese $31,831. Per capita incomes of these five groups exceed that of non-Hispanic whites. Most impoverished among Asians are the Hmong Americans (a Laotian ethnic group) whose per capita income of $10,949 is lower than that of any racial group nationwide, even Latinos.
According to the report, home ownership rate in the Sri Lankan community is 61%, a number on par with Taiwanese (66%), Vietnamese (64%), Filipino (63%), Japanese (63%) , Laotian (63%), and Chinese 62%).
Despite the community’s overall remarkable economic achievements, a significant number of Sri Lankans -- 9% -- live below the poverty line. Of this number, 8% are in the 64+ age group (The official poverty line income for a family of four is $22,350 and the nation’s 2010 poverty rate of 15.1%.) However, only a very small percentage of Sri Lankans living in poverty, 1%, are receiving public assistance.
More than three out of four Sri Lankan Americans (76%) are foreign-born, the highest rate among Asian American ethnic groups. Roughly 7 in 10 Malaysian, Bangladeshi, Indian, and Taiwanese Americans were born abroad.
Many Sri Lankans are also facing language issues. While Sri Lankans ranked among the lowest with limited English proficiency (LEP), the number of LEP Sri Lankans has increased. In fact, Sri Lankans are the only Asian American group to have seen an increase in LEP since 2000 – from 18% in 2000 to 22% in 2007–2009. Among Asian American ethnic groups, over half of Vietnamese and nearly half of Bangladeshi Americans are LEP.
The report also notes that despite their origins in former U.S. and British Commonwealth territories, 8% of Filipino, 11% of Indian, 12% of Pakistani, and 12% of Sri Lankan American households experience
linguistic isolation due to limited English proficiency.
The data regarding education among Asian Americans contains some myth-busters. Asian Americans are shown to be less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to hold a high school degree. While 90% of Whites hold a high school degree or higher, 86% of Asian Americans have a high school degree or higher level of education, just slightly higher than African Americans (81%). However, 49% of Asian Americans hold a Bachelor's Degree or higher, as compared to 31% Whites and 18% African Americans.
The report estimated that in 2010 there were about one million undocumented immigrants from Asia in the US About 280,000 were from the Philippines, 200,000 from India, 170,000 from Korea and 130,000 from China. India's total was down from an estimate of over 275,000 in 2005.
Among the South Asian groups, Pakistanis had the highest rate of naturalization at 57 percent, while just 50 percent of Bangladeshi Americans, 47 percent of Indian Americans and 43 percent of Sri Lankan Americans were naturalized.
Hassina Leelarathna
Los Angeles, CA - Sri Lankans have contributed to a phenomenal explosion in the Asian population in the United States in the past decade, enjoying incomes that are higher than those of older established immigrant communities such as the Japanese and Chinese. But the American dream remains just that for a significant number of Sri Lankans and other Asian immigrants who are grappling with language barriers and struggling below the poverty line, a new study just released said.
According to data in a report titled "A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans in the United States, 2011," issued by the Asian Pacific American Legal Centre and the Asian American Justice Centre, South Asians, including Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Indians, saw the highest rates of growth within the Asian-American demographic segment. The Asian American population grew by 46% between 2000 and 2010, a rate that outstripped all other racial groups nationwide, including Latinos.
The report, which draws heavily on the 2010 US census, shows that the Sri Lankan population in the US grew by 85% between 2000 and 2010 and that it now numbers 45,381. Of this, 22,336 were identified as Sinhalese. The Tamil-speaking population in the US stands at 132,573 which may include some Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lankan community ranks number four by way of per capita, ahead of the older established Asian groups including Japanese and Chinese. The Taiwanese have the highest per capita, $38,312, followed by Indians, $36,533, Malaysians, $33,264, Sri Lankan $32,480, and Japanese $31,831. Per capita incomes of these five groups exceed that of non-Hispanic whites. Most impoverished among Asians are the Hmong Americans (a Laotian ethnic group) whose per capita income of $10,949 is lower than that of any racial group nationwide, even Latinos.
According to the report, home ownership rate in the Sri Lankan community is 61%, a number on par with Taiwanese (66%), Vietnamese (64%), Filipino (63%), Japanese (63%) , Laotian (63%), and Chinese 62%).
Despite the community’s overall remarkable economic achievements, a significant number of Sri Lankans -- 9% -- live below the poverty line. Of this number, 8% are in the 64+ age group (The official poverty line income for a family of four is $22,350 and the nation’s 2010 poverty rate of 15.1%.) However, only a very small percentage of Sri Lankans living in poverty, 1%, are receiving public assistance.
More than three out of four Sri Lankan Americans (76%) are foreign-born, the highest rate among Asian American ethnic groups. Roughly 7 in 10 Malaysian, Bangladeshi, Indian, and Taiwanese Americans were born abroad.
Many Sri Lankans are also facing language issues. While Sri Lankans ranked among the lowest with limited English proficiency (LEP), the number of LEP Sri Lankans has increased. In fact, Sri Lankans are the only Asian American group to have seen an increase in LEP since 2000 – from 18% in 2000 to 22% in 2007–2009. Among Asian American ethnic groups, over half of Vietnamese and nearly half of Bangladeshi Americans are LEP.
The report also notes that despite their origins in former U.S. and British Commonwealth territories, 8% of Filipino, 11% of Indian, 12% of Pakistani, and 12% of Sri Lankan American households experience
linguistic isolation due to limited English proficiency.
The data regarding education among Asian Americans contains some myth-busters. Asian Americans are shown to be less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to hold a high school degree. While 90% of Whites hold a high school degree or higher, 86% of Asian Americans have a high school degree or higher level of education, just slightly higher than African Americans (81%). However, 49% of Asian Americans hold a Bachelor's Degree or higher, as compared to 31% Whites and 18% African Americans.
The report estimated that in 2010 there were about one million undocumented immigrants from Asia in the US About 280,000 were from the Philippines, 200,000 from India, 170,000 from Korea and 130,000 from China. India's total was down from an estimate of over 275,000 in 2005.
Among the South Asian groups, Pakistanis had the highest rate of naturalization at 57 percent, while just 50 percent of Bangladeshi Americans, 47 percent of Indian Americans and 43 percent of Sri Lankan Americans were naturalized.