Korean Americans poorer than average for Asian Americans as gap persists between immigrants and US-born

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As economic disparities between South Korea and the United States have narrowed, the number of Koreans emigrating to the U.S. has declined over the past two decades — and a notable income gap has emerged between immigrants and Korean Americans born in the U.S., a recent study shows.

According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center, the profile of Korean Americans has significantly changed in terms of regional distribution, income and educational attainment.

Among the estimated 1.84 million Korean Americans living in the U.S. as of 2023, 56 percent — about 1.03 million — were first-generation immigrants. That share has dropped about 15 percentage points from 72.6 percent in 2000, when there were 1.17 million Korean Americans, including 850,000 immigrants. Experts say this shift is largely due to a slowdown in new immigration from South Korea.

The study also revealed a considerable income gap between first-generation immigrants and their U.S.-born counterparts. Households led by Korean immigrants earned an average annual income of $88,400, which is $16,500 less than the $104,900 reported by Korean households headed by U.S.-born individuals. The poverty rate was also higher among immigrants at 11 percent, compared with 8 percent for U.S.-born Korean Americans.

Pew Research Center said the average annual income of Korean American households was $93,600, which is lower than the Asian American average of $105,600.

Educational attainment differed as well. Among Korean Americans aged 25 and older, 65 percent of those born in the U.S. held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 58 percent of immigrants. However, the study found that immigrants had a significantly higher marriage rate — 67 percent — compared to just 39 percent among U.S.-born Korean Americans.

Despite the group's growth, Korean Americans still account for less than 1 percent of the total U.S. population. Among Asian American communities — numbering around 24.8 million — Korean Americans were the fifth largest group, following those of Chinese, Indian, Filipino and Vietnamese descent.

The cities with the largest Korean populations were Los Angeles (320,000), New York (215,000), and Washington, D.C. (95,000). In terms of religion, Christianity was most prevalent at 59 percent, followed by those with no religious affiliation at 34 percent and Buddhism at just 3 percent.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.