Demographics of Filipino Americans
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The demographics of Filipino Americans describe a heterogeneous group of people in the United States who trace their ancestry to the Philippines. As of the 2010 Census, there were 3.4 million
Filipino American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...
s, including
Multiracial American Multiracial Americans are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. the one-drop rule). In the 2010 Un ...
s who were part Filipino living in the US; in 2011 the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...
estimated the population at four million. Filipino Americans constitute the second-largest population of
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...
s, and the largest population of Overseas Filipinos. The first recorded visit from Filipinos in what is now the United States dates to October 1587, with the first very minute permanent settlement of Filipinos in present-day
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
in 1763. The 1910 United States Census recorded only 406 people of Filipino descent in the mainland U.S., including 109 in Louisiana and 17 in Washington state. Migration of significant numbers of Filipinos to the United States did not occur until the early 20th century, when the Philippines was an overseas territory of the United States. After World War II, and until 1965, migration of Filipinos to the United States was reduced limited to primarily military and medically connected immigration. Since 1965, due to changes in immigration policy, the population of Filipino Americans has expanded significantly. Filipino Americans can be found throughout the United States, especially in the
Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...
and metropolitan areas. In California, Filipinos were initially concentrated in its Central Valley, especially in Stockton, but later shifted to Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Other states with significant populations of Filipinos include: Hawaii, Illinois, Texas, and Washington. New Jersey and the New York Metropolitan area also has a significant population of Filipinos. There are smaller populations of Filipino Americans elsewhere. As a population, Filipino Americans are multilingual, with
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...
being the largest non-English language being spoken. A majority of Filipino Americans are
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, with smaller populations having other religious views. On average, Filipino Americans earn a higher average household income and achieve a higher level of education than the national average.


National population demographics

The Filipino American community is the second-largest
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...
group in the United States with a population of over 3.4 million as of the 2010 US Census, making up 19.7% of Asian Americans. Only
Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...
s have a larger population among Asian Americans. Not including multiracial Filipino Americans, the population of those responding as Filipino alone in the 2010 Census was 2,555,923, an increase of 38% in population from the 2000 Census. 69% of Filipino Americans were born outside of the United States. 77% of all Filipino Americans are
United States citizens Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
. Filipino Americans are the largest subgroup of Overseas Filipinos; as of 2011, there are 1,813,597 Philippines-born immigrants living in the United States (4.5% of all immigrants in the United States), of which 65% have become naturalized U.S. citizens. In 2014, there was an estimated 1.23 million
second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ea ...
generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...
Filipino Americans, who had a median age of 20, yet three percent were over the age of 64.
Life expectancy Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
for Filipino Americans is higher than the general population of the United States; however, survival rates of Filipino Americans diagnosed with
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
are lower than
European Americans European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent E ...
and
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
. In 2015, the United States Census Bureau
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...
estimated that there were over 3.8 million Filipinos in the United States. In 2018, the American Community Survey estimated the population of Filipinos in the United States to be over 4 million. In 2019, the American Community Survey estimated the population of Filipinos in the United States to be about 4.2 Million.
The
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
reported that the 2007 American Community Survey, identified approximately 3.1 million persons as "Filipino alone or in any combination". The census also found that about 80% of the Filipino American community are United States citizens. According to a study published in 2007, 11% of single-heritage Filipinos did not mark "Asian" as their race; this number was greater among multiracial Filipinos. Also in 2011, the U.S. State Department estimated the size of the Filipino American community at four million, or 1.5% of the United States population. There are no official records of Filipinos who hold dual citizenship; however, during the 2000 Census data indicated that Filipino Americans had the lowest percentage of non-citizens amongst Asian Americans, at 26%. Additionally, although historically there had been a larger number of Filipino American men than women, women represented 54% of the Filipino American adult population in the 2000 Census. Filipino Americans are the largest group of
Overseas Filipino An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to ...
s, and the majority were born outside of the United States; at the same time, more than 73% are United States Citizens. Among Asian Americans, Filipino Americans are the most integrated in American society, and are described by
University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
Professor Pei-te Lien as being "acculturated and economically incorporated". One in five is a
multiracial American Multiracial Americans are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. the one-drop rule). In the 2010 Un ...
. Multiple languages are spoken by Filipino Americans, and the majority are
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
. Filipino Americans had the second highest median family income amongst Asian Americans, and had a high level of educational achievement.
Interracial marriage Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa as miscegenation. In 1 ...
among Filipinos is common. They have the largest number of interracial marriages among Asian immigrant groups in California— only
Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese people, Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they ...
have a higher rate nationally. Compared to other Asian Americans, Filipino Americans are more likely to have a Hispanic spouse. Statistically, Filipino American women are more likely to marry outside of their ethnicity (38.9%) than Filipino American men (17.6%); other Asian American populations have lower rates of marrying outside of their race than both Filipino American men and women. Between 2008 and 2010, 48% of Filipino American marriages were with non-Asians. It is also noted that 21.8% of Filipino Americans are
multiracial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...
, second among Asian Americans. Depending on their parentage, multiracial Filipino Americans may refer to themselves as ''
Mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...
'', ''
Tsinoy Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin Chinese in the Philippines, Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mo ...
'', '' Blackapino'', and '' Mexipino''.


Historical settlement


Early immigration

The earliest recorded presence of Filipinos in what is now the United States is October 1587 when slaves, prisoners and mariners under Novohispanic command landed in
Morro Bay, California Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 census. The town ...
. The earliest permanent Filipino American residents arrived in the Americans in 1763, settling in
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
's
bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
country. They later created settlements in the
Mississippi River Delta The Mississippi River Delta is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, southeastern United States. The river delta is a area of land that stretches from Vermilion Bay on the west, to the Chandeleur Isl ...
such as
Saint Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
,
Manila Village Manila Village (locally spelt Manilla;Jack A. Reynolds. "Manila Village" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 329–330. frc, Cloque-Chênière, or ) was a settlement of Filipi ...
in
Barataria Bay Barataria Bay (french: Baie de Barataria), also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico, about 15 miles (24 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide, in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United Stat ...
, Louisiana, and four others in present-day Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes. These early settlements were composed of sailors compelled to serve in
press gangs Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of ...
who had escaped from duty aboard Spanish galleons. They were documented by ''
Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
'' journalist
Lafcadio Hearn , born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (; el, Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χέρν, Patríkios Lefkádios Chérn, Irish: Pádraig Lafcadio O'hEarain), was an Irish- Greek- Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture a ...
in 1883. These settlements were the first longstanding Asian American settlements in the United States. The last of these, Manila Village, survived until 1965 when it was destroyed by
Hurricane Betsy Hurricane Betsy was an intense and destructive tropical cyclone that brought widespread damage to areas of Florida and the central United States Gulf Coast in September 1965. The storm's erratic nature, coupled with its intensity and minim ...
. An additional 2,000 were documented in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
with their roots dating back to about 1806— the first being Augustin Feliciano from the Philippines's
Bicol Region Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...
. Others came later from:
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
,
Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...
,
Ilocos Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...
, Camarines, Zamboanga,
Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...
,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
,
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
,
Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
,
Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...
,
Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. ...
,
Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, coverin ...
, and Surigao.


American period

Significant immigration to the United States began in the 1900s after the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
when the Philippines became an overseas territory of the United States, and the population became United States nationals. Unlike other Asians who were unable to immigrate to the United States because of the immigration laws of the time, Filipinos, as U.S. nationals, were exempt. In December 1915, it was ruled that Filipinos were eligible for naturalization and could become citizens. Naturalization remained difficult, however, with documented cases of denied naturalization and de-naturalization occurring in the early 20th century. Filipinos, many agricultural laborers, settled primarily in the then
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
and California. Of the one hundred thirteen thousand Filipinos who immigrated during the early American period, about a third returned to the Philippines. A smaller group of immigrants were sent on a
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...
program established by the
Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...
, and were collectively known as "''
pensionados The Pensionado Act is Act Number 854 of the Philippine Commission, which passed on 26 August 1903. Passed by the United States Congress, it established a scholarship program for Filipinos to attend school in the United States. The program has ...
''"; the first batch of ''pensionados'' was sent in 1903 and the scholarship program continued until World War II. The students were chosen initially from wealthy and elite Filipino families, but were later from a more diverse background. Other Filipino students, outside the program, came to the United States for education; many did not return to the Philippines. During this wave of migration to the United States from the Philippines, men outnumbered women by a ratio of about 15:1. Nuclear families were rare, therefore, and an indication of privilege. This migration, known as the "''manong'' generation", was reduced to 50 persons a year after passage of the
Tydings–McDuffie Act The Tydings–McDuffie Act, officially the Philippine Independence Act (), is an Act of Congress that established the process for the Philippines, then an American territory, to become an independent country after a ten-year transition period. ...
(officially the Philippine Independence Act) which classified Filipinos as
aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
. This was offset by the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
's recruitment of Filipinos, that began in 1898 and authorized by President
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...
in 1901. They were exempt from this quota. Additionally, those Filipino sailors were eligible for naturalization after three years of service. By 1922, Filipinos made up 5.7% of the United States Navy's enlisted personnel. In 1930, there were twenty-five thousand Filipino Americans in the United States Navy, primarily rated as stewards, having largely displaced
African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
in that
rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, ...
.


Post independence

The War Brides Act of 1945, and subsequent Alien Fiancées and Fiancés Act of 1946, allowed veterans to return to the Philippines to bring back fiancées, wives, and children. In the years following the war, some sixteen thousand Filipinas entered the United States as war brides. That is not to say only women and children were beneficiaries of the acts, for it was recorded that a lone Filipino
groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man ...
immigrated during this period. These new immigrants formed a second generation of Filipino Americans that grew Filipino American communities, providing nuclear families. Immigration levels were impacted by the independence of the Philippines from the United States, that occurred on 4 July 1946. The quota of non-naval immigration increased slightly to 100 because of the passage of the Luce–Celler Act of 1946. Thus, Filipino American communities developed around United States Navy bases, whose impact can still be seen today. Filipino American communities were also settled near Army and Air Force bases.
After World War II, until 1965, half of all Filipino immigrants to the United States were wives of U.S. servicemembers. In 1946, the Filipino Naturalization Act allowed for naturalization, and citizenship for Filipinos who had arrived before March 1943. Beginning in 1948, due to the U.S. Education Exchange Act, Filipino nurses began to immigrate to the United States; 7,000 arrived that year.


Post 1965

Following the enactment of the
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart–Celler Act and more recently as the 1965 Immigration Act, is a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The ...
, until at least the 1990s, the Philippines became the largest source of Asian immigration, providing one-fourth of Asian immigrants to the United States. Filipinos were the largest number of Asians immigrants to the U.S. and the second-largest immigrant population after
Mexicans Mexicans ( es, mexicanos) are the citizens of the United Mexican States. The most spoken language by Mexicans is Spanish, but some may also speak languages from 68 different Indigenous linguistic groups and other languages brought to Mexi ...
. Into the 1990s, Filipino immigrants included many highly educated and higher skilled immigrants. A significant portion of them worked in the
medical field A medical specialty is a branch of medical practice that is focused on a defined group of patients, diseases, skills, or philosophy. Examples include those branches of medicine that deal exclusively with children (paediatrics), cancer (oncology), ...
filling medical personnel shortages in the U.S. in areas like
nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
. As a result of the shortage of nurses, the Philippines become the largest source of healthcare professionals who immigrated to the U.S. In the 1960s, nurses from the Philippines became the largest group of nurses immigrating to the U.S. surpassing those immigrating from Canada. By the 1970s, 9,158 Filipino nurses had immigrated to the U.S., making up 60% of its immigrant nurses. By 2000, one in ten Filipino Americans, or an estimated 100,000 immigrants, were employed as nurses. in 2020, the estimate of Filipino American nurses increased to over 150,000, or 4% of the all nurses in the United States. In 2020, 7% of those employed in the medical field were Filipino American. Another result of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was that family reunification based immigration added to the total number of Filipino immigrants resulting in two distinct economic groups within the Filipino American community. Like other immigrant groups, Filipino immigrants clustered together both out of a sense of community and in response to prejudice against them. This created the first Little Manilas in urban areas. As time passed, immigration policies changed, and prejudice diminished, leading to a decline in the presence of Little Manilas. Between 1965 and 1985, more than 400,000 Filipinos immigrated to the United States. In 1970, immigrants made up more than half (53%) of all Filipino Americans. In 1980, Filipino Americans were the largest group of Asian Americans in the entire US. Half a million of the Filipino American population were immigrants, making up 3.6% of all immigrants in the U.S. outnumbering United States-born Filipino Americans two to one. In the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s more than half a million Filipinos obtained legal permanent resident status in the U.S. during each decade. In 1992, the U.S. Navy ended the Philippines Enlistment Program because of the end of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement. It had allowed about thirty-five thousand Filipinos to join the U.S. Navy, many of whom immigrated to the U.S. Filipino Americans tended to settle in major metropolitan areas, and in the
West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
in a more dispersed fashion. They also intermarried more than other Asian Americans.


Population concentrations

The following is a list of states with significant Filipino American populations of over 70,000 in 2017. Filipino Americans are the largest group of Asian Americans in 10 of the 13 western states:
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, California, Hawaii,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
,
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
, Nevada,
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
, Washington,
Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...
; Filipino Americans are also the largest group of Asian Americans in
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...
. Filipino immigrants have dispersed across the United States, gravitating toward economic and
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...
opportunities, independent of geographic location. Among the 1,814,000 Philippines-born Filipino Americans, the states with the largest concentrations are California (44.8%), Hawaii (6.2%), New Jersey (4.8%), Texas (4.8%), and Illinois (4.7%). In 2008, 35% of Filipino immigrants in the United States lived in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City metropolitan areas; by 2011, the percentage of the total Filipino immigrant population in the U.S. in those metropolitan areas was 33%. In 2010, Filipino Americans constituted the largest Asian American group within five of the nation's twenty largest metropolitan areas:
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, Riverside,
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
,
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, and
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
.


California

Although Filipinos first arrived in California in the 16th century, the first documentation of a Filipino residing in California did not occur until 1781, when Antonio Miranda Rodriguez was counted in the census as a "chino". Initially part of the expedition that would establish
Pueblo de Los Ángeles El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (English: ''The town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels''), shortened to Pueblo de los Ángeles, was the Spanish civilian ''pueblo'' settled in 1781, which by the 20th century became the ...
, Rodriguez was not present when Pueblo de Los Ángeles was founded. Delayed in
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
due to illness in his family, he arrived in
Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
later. In 1910, there were only five Filipinos in California; ten years later, in 1920, 2,674 Filipinos lived there. In 1930, there were about 35,000 Filipino agricultural laborers in California's Central Valley where the majority of Filipinos in the United States resided. Filipino laborers tended to have better working conditions and earn more than their
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
or Japanese counterparts; in addition, they were described as " dandies and sharp dressers". Before World War II, Stockton had the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippine Islands, and during the harvest season, its Filipino population would swell to over 10,000. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
Filipinos in California were the target of
race riots An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's positio ...
, including the
Watsonville riots The Watsonville riots was a period of racial violence that took place in Watsonville, California, from January 19 to 23, 1930. Involving violent assaults on Filipino American farm workers by local residents opposed to immigration, the riots high ...
. By the end of World War II, the Filipino population in Stockton increased to over 15,000. In the late 1950s, Filipino Americans in California were concentrated around Stockton, the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
, and
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
with migrant laborers being a significant part of the population. By 1970, the Filipino population in Stockton was less than 5,000, and the once vibrant Filipino community of " Little Manila" had been largely demolished except for a few blocks by 1999, mostly due to construction of the " Crosstown Freeway". A population of Filipinos remains in the Central Valley region in the 21st century, however it is no longer a significant concentration. In 2019, it was estimated that Filipino Americans are the largest populations of Asian Americans in Stockton, and are about 28,000 people. In 1940, the Filipino population grew to 31,408 and continued to grow to 67,134 by 1960. It had nearly doubled to 135,248 by 1970, and by 1990 had grown to almost three quarters of a million people (733,941). Since at least 1990, Filipino Americans have been the largest group of
Asian Pacific American Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian ...
s in the state. In 1990, more than half (52%) of all Filipino Americans lived in California. In 2000, almost half of all Filipino Americans in the United States lived in California (49.4%), with
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
and
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
having the highest concentrations; additionally in 2000, California was home to nearly half (49%) of Filipino immigrants. In 2008, one out of every four Filipino Americans lived in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
, numbering over one million. The 2010 Census, confirmed that Filipino Americans had grown to become the largest Asian American population in the state totaling 1,474,707 persons; 43% of all Filipino Americans live in California. Of these persons, 1,195,580 were not multiracial Filipino Americans. As of 2011, California is home to 45% of all Filipino immigrants to the United States. In 2013, 22,797 Filipino immigrants seeking lawful permanent residence within the United States sought residence in the state of California, a change from 22,484 in 2012, 20,261 in 2011, and 24,082 in 2010. 20% of California's
registered nurses A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to ...
were Filipino in 2013; according to the
California Healthcare Foundation Based in Oakland, California, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that focuses on improving the health care system for the people of California, especially low-income Californians. The organiz ...
, Los Angeles County has the largest concentration of Filipino American nurses, who are 27% of nurses in the county. By 2021, the percentage of nurses in California who are Filipino American dropped down to 18%.


Greater Los Angeles

Filipino pensionados began arriving to the region in 1903, including
Ventura County Ventura County () is a County (United States), county in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, California ...
; others attended schools in Los Angeles County, including the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
, and
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...
. In the 1920s, the area now known as Little Tokyo was known as Little Manila, where the first concentration of Filipino immigrants in Los Angeles lived. In 1930, one in five Filipinos in the United States called Los Angeles County home. The number of Filipinos in the area expanded in the winter season to work temporary jobs. In 1937, the first Filipina American graduated from
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
. In 1940, there were 4,503 Filipinos living in the City of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. Little Manila extended to the Bunker Hill and
Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...
areas of Los Angeles, but was forced to relocate to the Temple-Beverly Corridor in the 1950s and 1960s; it has since been largely forgotten. In the 20th century, Filipino sailors with the United States Navy began to be stationed in Oxnard and
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporat ...
, developing military related Filipino enclaves; Long Beach community began in the 1940s, the Oxnard community saw significant growth after the 1960s. According to the 1970 United States Census, the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area had the third largest Filipino American population in the United States at that time (32,018). In the 1980s, there were 219,653 Filipinos in Los Angeles County. In 1985, Helen Agcaoili Summers Brown opened the Filipino American Reading Room and Library. In 1990, there were more Filipinos living in suburban Los Angeles (160,778), than in urban Los Angeles (135,336). In 1996 one in four of Asian Americans in Los Angeles was Filipino. In the last two decades of the 20th century Filipinos were the second-largest population of Asian Americans in the region, however one writer described the population as having a "residential invisibility", with other Asian American populations being more visible.
Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Co ...
is the metropolitan area home to the most Filipino Americans, with the population numbering around 606,657; Los Angeles County alone accounts for over 374,285 Filipinos, the most of any single county in the U.S. The Los Angeles region has the second-largest concentrated population of Filipinos in the world, surpassed only by
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
. Greater Los Angeles is also home to the largest number of Filipino immigrants (16% of the total Filipino immigrant population of the United States), as of 2011. Filipinos are the second-largest group of Asian Americans in the region; however, in 2010, Filipinos were the largest population of Asian Americans within the City of Los Angeles. In 2016, among those surveyed for a report entitled ''The Color of Wealth in Los Angeles'', Filipino Americans had the second-largest proportion of college graduates, with 76.2% having at least a bachelor's degree. The City of Los Angeles designated a section of Westlake as
Historic Filipinotown Historic Filipinotown (alternately known as HiFi ) is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles. It is one of the six Asian Pacific Islander neighborhoods (Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Historic Filipinotown, Little Bangladesh, Koreatown, and Thai Town ...
in 2002. It is now largely populated by
Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...
. Most Filipinos who resided in the area and the city in general have moved to the suburbs, particularly cities in the
San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...
, including
West Covina West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
and Rowland Heights. Due to West Covina's significant concentration of Filipino Americans, it was proposed a business district be designated a "Little Manila". In 2014, about a quarter of Historic Filipinotown's population was Filipino, however the population did not have a significant "visible cultural impact"; in 2007, Filipinos were 15% of the area's population. Within the City of Los Angeles, Eagle Rock has over 6,000 Filipinos calling the neighborhood home; additionally, as of 2000 the largest source of foreign-born individuals was the Philippines.
Panorama City Panorama City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. It has a generally young age range as well as the highest population density in the Valley. Ethnically, more than half of its population was born a ...
is another Los Angeles neighborhood with a noticeable Filipino population. In 2010, 32.4% of Asians in La Puente were foreign-born Filipino. Other significant concentrations of Filipino Americans in Los Angeles County are in Carson, where "
Larry Itliong Modesto "Larry" Dulay Itliong (October 25, 1913 – February 1977), also known as "Seven Fingers", was a Filipino-American labor organizer. He organized West Coast agricultural workers starting in the 1930s, and rose to national prominence in 1 ...
Day" was dedicated, Cerritos, and
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia *Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre * Glendale, Queensland, ...
. Orange County also has a sizable and growing Filipino population, whose population grew by 178% in the 1980s; by 2018 the population was estimated to be 89,000. The
Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the citie ...
also has a population of Filipinos, with an estimated 59,000 living in the region in 2003, a hundred years after the first Filipinos arrived in the area to attend Riverside High School; of those about 2,400 lived in
Coachella Valley , map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg , map_caption = Coachella Valley , location = California, United States , coordinates = , width = , boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacin ...
. By the early 2010s estimates were there were around 90,000 Filipinos living in the region—the largest group with Asian ancestry in the area.


San Francisco Bay Area

One of the earliest records of a Filipino settling in the San Francisco Bay Area occurred in the mid-19th century, when a Filipino immigrant and his
Miwok The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok languages in the Utian family. The word ...
wife settled in Lairds Landing on the
Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
coast; many
Coast Miwok Coast Miwok are an indigenous people that was the second-largest group of Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Poi ...
trace their lineage to this couple. Significant migration began in the early 20th century, including upper-class mestizo businessmen, mariners, and students (known as
pensionados The Pensionado Act is Act Number 854 of the Philippine Commission, which passed on 26 August 1903. Passed by the United States Congress, it established a scholarship program for Filipinos to attend school in the United States. The program has ...
). Another group of Filipinos who immigrated to the Bay Area was war brides, many of whom married African-American "
buffalo soldiers Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in ...
". Additionally, other immigrants came through the U.S. Military, some through the
Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...
, and others as
migrant workers A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers who work outsi ...
on their way to points inland; many of these Filipinos would settle down permanently in the Bay Area, establishing "Manilatown" on Kearny Street (next to
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...
). At its largest size, "Manilatown" was home to at least 10,000, the last of whom were evicted in August 1977 from the International Hotel. After 1965, Filipinos from the Philippines began immigrating to San Francisco, concentrating in the
South of Market South of Market (SoMa) is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, situated just south of Market Street. It contains several sub-neighborhoods including South Beach, Yerba Buena, and Rincon Hill. SoMa is home to many of the city's museum ...
neighbourhood. In 1970, the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area had the largest population of Filipinos of any metropolitan area in the
continental United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
—44,326. Two other nearby metropolitan areas also had a population of Filipinos greater than 5,000 in 1970, San Jose (6,768), and Salinas-Monterey (6,147). Due to a change in the ethnic make up of the Yerba Buena neighborhood, and with the construction of the Dimasalang House in 1979, four street names were changed to honor notable Filipinos. By 1990, 30% of the population in South of Market was Filipino American. The 2000 Census showed that the greater San Francisco Bay Area was home to approximately 320,000 residents of Filipino descent, with the largest concentration living in
Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together ...
. In the mid-2000s Filipino Americans were between one fifth and one fourth of the total population of Vallejo, having been drawn there by agriculture and
Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates t ...
. In 2007, there were about a hundred thousand Filipino Americans living in the
East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties ...
alone. By the time of the 2010 Census the greater San Francisco Bay Area was home to 463,458 Filipino Americans and multiracial Filipino Americans; Santa Clara county continued to have the largest concentration in the area. In 2011, 9% of all Filipino immigrants to the United States reside in the San Francisco metropolitan area, and an additional 3% resided in the San Jose metropolitan area.
Daly City Daly City () is the second most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with population of 104,901 according to the 2020 census. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing its ...
, in the San Francisco Bay Area, has the highest concentration of Filipino Americans of any municipality in the U.S.; Filipino Americans comprise 35% of the city's population. In 2016, although the number of Filipinos living within the City of San Francisco has been reduced, a heritage district was designated "SoMa Pilipinas".


San Diego County

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
has historically been a destination for Filipino immigrants and has contributed to the growth of its population. One of the earliest instances of a Filipino being in San Diego, occurred during the
Portolá expedition thumbnail, 250px, Point of San Francisco Bay Discovery The Portolá expedition ( es, Expedición de Portolá) was a Spanish voyage of exploration in 1769–1770 that was the first recorded European land entry and exploration of the interior of ...
in 1769, while California was still part of
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the A ...
. The first documentation of Filipinos arriving in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, as part of the United States, occurred in 1903 when Filipino students arrived at State Normal School; they were followed as early as 1908 by Filipino sailors serving in the United States Navy. Due to discriminatory housing policies of the time, the majority of Filipinos in San Diego lived downtown around Market Street, then known as "Skid Row". Prior to World War II, due to
anti-miscegenation laws Anti-miscegenation laws or miscegenation laws are laws that enforce racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by criminalizing interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of different races. Anti-mi ...
, multi-racial marriages with
Hispanic and Latino Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify a ...
women were common, particularly with Mexicans. In the 1940s and 1950s, Filipino Americans were the largest population of Asians within the City of San Diego, with a population around 500. After World War II, the majority of Filipino Americans in San Diego were associated with the U.S. Navy in one form or another. Even in the late 1970s and early 1980s more than half of Filipino babies born in the greater San Diego area were born at
Balboa Naval Hospital Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", or "The Pink Palace" (because the stucco of the first buildings that were constructed was pinkish in color), is a tech ...
. In the 1970s, the typical Filipino family consisted of a husband whose employment was connected to the military, and a wife who was a nurse. Many Filipino American veterans, after completing active duty, would move out of San Diego, to the suburbs of
Chula Vista Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fifteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 78th-largest city in the United States. The popu ...
and National City. In 1995, it was estimated that Filipinos made up between 35% and 45% of the population of National City. From a population of 799 in 1940, to 15,069 in 1970, by 1990 the Filipino American population in
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
increased to 95,945. In 2000, San Diego County had the second-largest Filipino American population of any county in the nation, with over 145,000 Filipinos, alone or in combination; by the 2010 Census the population had grown to 182,248. In 1990 and 2000, San Diego was the only metropolitan area in the U.S. where, at more than fifty percent, Filipinos constituted the largest Asian American nationality. As of 2011, 5% of all Filipino immigrants in the United States call San Diego County home; by 2012, there was an estimated 94,000 Filipino immigrants living in San Diego.
Alt URL
/ref> Filipinos concentrated in the South Bay, where they had been historically concentrated. In 2015, there were over 31,000 Filipino Americans in Chula Vista alone. Also, in 2015, it was documented that the county had the third largest concentration of Filipino Americans in the entire United States. By late 2016, the population in the county increased to almost 200 thousand. More affluent Filipino Americans moved into the suburbs of North County, particularly Mira Mesa (sometimes referred to as "Manila Mesa"). A portion of
California State Route 54 State Route 54 (SR 54) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that consists of two segments in San Diego County. The westernmost part of the highway is known as the South Bay Freeway, beginning at Interstate 5 (I-5) in Nation ...
in San Diego is officially named the "Filipino-American Highway", in recognition of the Filipino American community.


Hawaii

From 1909 to 1934, Hawaiian sugar plantations recruited Filipinos, later known as ''
sakadas Sakadas ( es, sacadas; krj, manga sakada; ilo, dagiti sakada; hil, mga sakada; roughly "imported ones") is a term for migrant workers in and from the Philippines, doing manual agricultural labor. Within the Philippines, sakadas work in province ...
''; by 1932 Filipinos made up the majority of laborers on Hawaiian sugar plantations. In 1920, Filipinos were the fifth largest population by race in Hawaii, with 21,031 people. By 1930, the population of Filipinos in Hawaii had nearly tripled to 63,052. As late as 1940, the population of Filipinos in the Territory of Hawaii outnumbered Filipinos in the continental United States. In 1970, the Honolulu metropolitan area alone had a population of 66,653 Filipinos, the largest Filipino population in any metropolitan area in the United States. According to the 2000 Census, the state of Hawaii had a Filipino population of over 275,000, with over 191,000 living on the island of
Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O ...
; of those, 102,000 were immigrants. Furthermore, Filipinos made up the third largest ethnicity among
Asian Pacific American Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian ...
s, while making up the majority of the populations of
Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest islan ...
and
Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...
counties. In June 2002, representatives from the Arroyo Administration and local leaders presided over the grand opening and dedication of the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu. In the 2010 census, Filipino Americans became the largest Asian ethnicity in Hawaii, partially due to the declining population of the state's Japanese Americans. In 2011, four percent of all Filipino immigrants in the U.S. resided in the Honolulu metro area, and were 43% of all immigrants in the Honolulu metro area as well. Filipino immigrants in Hawaii made up six per cent of all Filipino immigrants in the United States.


Illinois

Filipino migration to the Chicago area began in 1906 with the immigration of pensionados, consisting predominantly of men. A significant number of them married non-Filipinos, mainly Eastern or Southern European women. At one point, 300 of these early Chicago Filipinos worked for the
Pullman Company The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...
, and overall tended to be more educated than most men of their age. During the 1930s, they were predominately in the Near South Side until the 1965 immigration reforms. In 1930, there were 1,796 Filipinos living in Chicago. The population decreased to 1,740 in 1940 with men outnumbering women 25:1. In the 1960s, there were 3,587 Filipinos in Illinois, the population increased to 12,654 in 1970 and 43,889 in 1980, growing at a pace greater than the national average, and made up largely of professionals and their families. By the 1970s, Filipinas outnumbered Filipinos, with a total of 9,497 Filipinos in the Chicago Area; the total population of Filipinos in Illinois was 12,654, of which 57% were college graduates. In 1990, Filipinos were the largest population of Asian Americans in Illinois, with a population of 64,224. Outside the Chicago metropolitan area, there were fewer Filipinos. For instance in the state capital of
Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...
, there were only 171 in 2000. In 2000, 100,338 Filipino Americans lived in Illinois— 95,928 in the
Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hin ...
. In that same year, among ethnic groups in the Chicago metropolitan area, Filipinos had the highest proportion of foreign- born. By the 2010 Census, 139,090 Filipino Americans and multiracial Filipino Americans lived in Illinois, 131,388 lived within the Chicago metropolitan area. As of 2010, Filipinos were the second-largest population of Asian Americans in Illinois after
Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...
s. In 2011, five percent (84,800) of all Filipino immigrants in the United States lived in Illinois, the majority of whom (78,400) lived in the Chicago metropolitan area. Although not as concentrated as other Asian American groups, they are the fourth-largest ethnicity currently immigrating to the Chicago metro area. In 2011, the Chicago metropolitan area was home to four percent of all Filipino immigrants in the United States. A large concentration of Filipino Americans resides in the North and Northwest sides, often near hospitals.


Texas

The first Filipino known by name in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
was Francisco Flores, who came to Texas by way of Cuba in the nineteenth century. Flores lived initially in
Port Isabel Port Isabel may refer to: Places *Port Isabel, Texas, USA; a city in Cameron County *Port Isabel, Sonora, Mexico; a former port (1864-1879) at the mouth of the Colorado River * Port Isabel Independent School District, Cameron County, Texas, USA * P ...
later moving to Rockport.Alt URL
Following the annexation of the Philippines by the United States, Filipinos began migrating to Texas. Filipino employees of American officers who served in the Philippines, would move with those officers when they returned to the
Continental United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
, with many settling around
San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...
. Other Filipinos resettled in Texas after initially residing elsewhere in the United States. In 1910, there were six Filipinos living in Texas, by 1920 this number had increased to 30, and by 1930, the population had grown to 288. With the disbandment of the
Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos a ...
, many who remained in the military came to call
Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...
home, along with Filipina
war brides War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II. Among the largest and best documented exa ...
. After World War II, many Filipino professionals began immigrating to Texas; 2,000 Filipino nurses called
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
home. In 1950, about 4,000 Filipino Americans were in Texas; their number had increased to 75,226 by 2000. As more Filipino Americans came to Texas, the center of their population shifted to Houston, which today has one of the largest Filipino populations in the South. With Texas being part of the
Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's a ...
, it is often a popular destination for emigrating Filipino Protestants. In 2000, Texas was home to the seventh-largest population of Filipino immigrants. According to the 2010 Census, there were 137,713 Filipino Americans and multiracial Filipino Americans in Texas. In 2011, five percent (86,400) of all Filipino immigrants in the United States lived in Texas.


Washington

The first documented Filipino in Washington state was a worker at the
Port Blakely Lumber Mill Blakely Harbor is an inlet on the east shore of Bainbridge Island, Washington Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25 ...
in Port Blakely in 1888, but there were some earlier instances of Filipino seamen settling in the
Puget Sound region The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the Olympic Mountains. ...
. In 1910, the population of Filipinos in Washington was twelve times greater than in California. In 1920, there were almost a thousand (958) Filipinos in Washington. Pre-World War II, Washington had the second-largest population of Filipino Americans in the mainland United States—3,480 in 1930; this population had declined to 2,200 by 1940. A significant population of these early Filipinos were migratory workers, working in the canneries in
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected m ...
, and harvesting crops in Yakima Valley. In 1970, Filipino Americans were the fifth-largest minority population, with 11,462 persons, after African-Americans,
Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...
, Native Americans, and Japanese Americans; they were 0.3% of the total population of Washington at the time; 87.2% lived in urban areas, and 7,668 Filipinos lived in the Seattle–Tacoma–Everett metropolitan area. In 1990, Filipinos were the largest population of Asian Pacific Americans in Washington. As of the 2010 Census, the state was home to the fifth largest Filipino American population in the nation. 60% of Filipino Americans living in Washington have arrived since 1965.


New Jersey

Filipinos are the third largest group of Asian Americans in New Jersey after Indian and Chinese Americans. In 2010, there were 110,650 single-race Filipino Americans living in New Jersey. In 2011, New Jersey was home to five percent (86,600) of the United States' Filipino immigrants. By 2013, an estimated 134,647 single- and multi-racial Filipino Americans lived in New Jersey.
Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Hudson County, Middlesex County, and Passaic County (all in
Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...
and
Central New Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. Geographic area and descriptions While the State of New Jersey is often divided into North and ...
) have the state's largest Filipino populations, and are home to over half the Filipinos residing in New Jersey. In Bergen County in particular, Bergenfield, along with
Paramus Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...
, Hackensack, New Milford, Dumont, Fair Lawn, and
Teaneck Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...
have become growing hubs for Filipino Americans. Taken as a whole, these municipalities are home to a significant proportion of Bergen County's Philippine population. A census-estimated 20,859 single-race Filipino Americans resided in Bergen County as of 2013, an increase from the 19,155 counted in 2010. Bergenfield has become known as Bergen County's Little Manila and hosts its annual Filipino American Festival. Within Bergen County, there are Filipino American organizations based in Paramus, Fair Lawn, and Bergenfield. In Hudson County,
Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. This is an increase from 11,677 in 1990. In the 1970s, to acknowledge the Filipinos immigrating to Jersey City, the city named a street Manila Avenue.


New York

In 1970, there were 14,279 Filipinos in
New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...
. In 2004, 84% of Filipinos in New York had obtained a college education, compared to 43% of all Filipino Americans in the United States. In 2010, there were 104,287 single-race Filipino Americans living in New York State. In 2011, five percent (84,400) of all Filipino immigrants in the United States lived in New York. By 2013, an estimated over 120,000+ single- and multi-racial Filipino Americans lived in New York State.


New York City metropolitan area

In the 1970s and 1980s, Filipinos in New York and New Jersey had a higher socioeconomic status than Filipinos elsewhere; more than half of Filipino immigrants to the metropolitan area were healthcare or other highly trained
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...
s, in contrast to established working-class Filipino American populations elsewhere. The high percentage of healthcare professionals continues; in 2013, 30% of Filipinos were nurses or other professionals in the healthcare industry. In 1970, the New York metropolitan area had the largest concentration of Filipinos (12,455) east of the Rocky Mountains, and the fifth largest population of Filipinos of all metropolitan areas in the United States. In 1990, more Filipinos lived in urban New York (60,376), than in suburban New York (44,203). In 2008, the New York tri-state metropolitan area was home to 215,000 Filipinos. In 2010, according to the 2010 United States Census, there were 217,349 Filipino Americans, including multiracial Filipino Americans, living in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, (NY-NJ-PA) metropolitan area. In 2011, eight percent of all Filipino immigrants in the United States lived in the New York City metropolitan region, and it had become a new destination for Filipino immigrants. In 2012, a Census-estimated 235,222 single-race and multiracial Filipino Americans lived in the broader New York-Newark-Bridgeport, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania
Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...
. By 2013 Census estimates, the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania MSA was estimated to be home to 224,266 Filipino Americans, 88.5% (about 200,000) of them single-race Filipinos. In 2013, 4,098 Filipinos legally immigrated to the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA core based statistical area; in 2012, this number was 4,879; 4,177 in 2011; 4,047 in 2010, 4,400 in 2009, and 5,985 in 2005. Little Manilas have emerged in the New York City metropolitan area, in
Woodside, Queens Woodside is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the western portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside, and on the east by Elmhurst, ...
; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Bergenfield, New Jersey. In 2017, one quarter of Filipino American adults in the metropolitan area work in the medical field.


=New York City

= Filipinos have resided in New York City since the 1920s. In 1960, there were only 2,744 Filipinos in New York City. In 1990, there were 43,229 Filipinos increasing to around 54,993 in 2000.
A profile of New York City's Filipino American population, based on an analysis of 1990 and 2000 U.S. census data, showed that Filipino New Yorkers surpassed non-Filipino New Yorkers as a whole in terms of income. New York City was home to an estimated 82,313 Filipinos in 2011, representing a 7.7% increase from the estimated 77,191 in 2008.
Median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...
of Filipinos in New York City was $81,929 in 2013; 68% held a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
or higher. The 2010 census reported the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
of
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
was home to the largest concentration of Filipinos within New York City— about 38,000 individuals. In 2011, an estimated 56% of New York City's Filipino population, or about 46,000, lived in Queens. In 2014, Filipinos remained the fourth-largest population of Asian Americans in New York City, behind Chinese, Indians, and
Koreans Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply r ...
. The annual Philippine Independence Day Parade is traditionally held on the first Sunday of June on
Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...
in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. In the 1920s, Filipinos settled near
Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
. Woodside, Queens, is known for its concentration of Filipinos. Of Woodside's 85,000 residents, about 13,000 (or 15%) are of Filipino background. Due to a significant concentration of Filipino businesses, the area has become known as Little Manila. Along the
IRT Flushing Line The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens. It is operated as part of the A Division. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, ...
(), known colloquially as the ''
Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe and int ...
'', the 69th Street station serves as the gateway to Queens' largest Little Manila, whose core spans
Roosevelt Avenue Roosevelt Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue are main thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. West of Queens Boulevard, the ro ...
between 63rd and 71st Streets. Filipinos are also concentrated in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens. There are also smaller Filipino communities in
Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springf ...
, and parts of
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. The Benigno Aquino Triangle is located on
Hillside Avenue Hillside may refer to the side of a hill. Places Australia * Hillside mine, a proposed mine on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia * Hillside, New South Wales *Hillside, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne Canada * Hillside, Nova Scotia United Ki ...
in
Hollis, Queens Hollis is a residential middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of Hispanics and South Asians residing in the ...
, to commemorate the slain Filipino political leader and to recognize the large Filipino American population in the area; it was built in 1986.


Nevada

Five Filipinos were documented in Nevada in 1920; the population increased to 47 in 1930. According to the Center of Immigration Studies, the Filipino population in Nevada grew 77.8% from 7,339 in 1990, to 33,046 in 2000. In 2000, Nevada was home to two percent (31,000) of all Filipino immigrants in the United States. Nevada's Filipino American population grew substantially from 2000 to 2010, with a 142% increase for a 3.6% share of the state's total population by 2010. More than half of Asian Americans in Nevada in 2010 were Filipino, and are Nevada's largest group of Asian Americans. In 2005, outside of
Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...
, the only other area in Nevada with a significant population of Filipinos was Washoe County. In 2012, about 124,000 Filipinos lived in Nevada, mostly in
Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...
; by 2015, it had risen to more than 138,000. The first known Filipinos to arrive in Clark County arrived from California during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. Filipinos arriving in the mid-20th century settled primarily around Fifth and Sixth Streets, and an enclave remains in this area. Beginning in 1995, five to six thousand Filipinos from Hawaii began to migrate to Las Vegas. In 2005, Filipinos were the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans in Las Vegas. In 2013, according to the American Community Survey, 2011–2013, there were an estimated 114,989 Filipinos (+/-5,293), including multiracial Filipinos, in Clark County; according to other sources, there were about 140,000 Filipinos living in Las Vegas. According to ''The Star-Ledger'' in 2014, more than 90,000 Philippine national, Filipino nationals resided in the Las Vegas area. By 2015, Filipino Americans are more than half of the population of Asian Americans in Las Vegas.


Florida

In 1910, there was a single Filipino living in Florida, this population increased to 11 in 1920, and 46 in 1930. 1990 United States Census, the 31,945 Filipinos were the state's largest population of Asian Pacific Americans. Florida is home to 122,691 Filipino Americans, according to the 2010 Census. As of 2013, Filipinos are the largest group of Asian Americans in Duval County, Florida, Duval County. The 2000 Census reported there were around 15,000 Filipino Americans living in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, though community leaders estimated the true number was closer to 25,000. Indeed, the 2010 Census found the community numbered at 25,033, about 20% of the state's Filipino Americans. Many of Jacksonville's Filipinos served in or otherwise had ties to, the United States Navy, which has two bases in Jacksonville. Two of Florida's other metropolitan areas also have substantial Filipino American communities: the Miami metropolitan area has 21,535, and the Tampa Bay Area has 18,724.


Virginia

The first year that Filipinos were documented in Virginia by the United States Census Bureau was in 1920, when 97 Filipinos were counted; by 1930, that population increased to 126. In 1970, there were 7,128 Filipinos living in Virginia, 5,449 of whom lived in the Hampton Roads, Norfolk-Portsmouth metropolitan area. By 1980, there were 18,901 Filipinos in Virginia, with significant concentrations in Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach. In the following decade, by 1990, the Filipino population in the Hampton Roads area increased by 116.8%, increasing to 19,977 in the area alone. In 1990, Filipinos were the largest population of Asian Pacific Americans in Virginia, followed by Korean Americans. In 2000, Virginia's Filipino population was 59,318. There were 90,493 Filipino Americans in Virginia as of 2010, 39,720 of whom lived in the Virginia part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Many Filipinos settled around the Hampton Roads region near the Oceana Naval Air Station because the U.S. Navy had recruited them in the Philippines. In 2007, Filipino Americans made up one-quarter of all foreign-born residents of the area.Alt URL
/ref> In 2011, there were between 17,000 and 22,000 Filipino Americans living in Virginia Beach. Filipino immigrants in that population represent one-fifth of all immigrants living in Virginia Beach. A larger population of Filipino Americans, 40,292, reside in the Virginia part of the Washington metropolitan area. In the Greater Richmond Region, they are the largest population of Asian Americans in Prince George County, Virginia, Prince George County.


Elsewhere

The first Filipino immigrated to Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis after the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
when Filipinos served at the United States Naval Academy. They dealt with Institutional racism#United States, institutional racism and later established organizations to support their community, including the Filipino-American Friendly Association. According to the 2010 Census, there were 56,909 Filipino Americans living in Maryland— the largest population of Asian Americans in Charles County, Maryland, Charles County. In the neighboring Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, there were 3,670 Filipino Americans in 2010, 12.78% of the District's Asian American population. Filipinos have been in Alaska since the 1700s and were the largest Asian American ethnicity in the state in 2000. In 2014, Filipinos made up 52% of Alaska's Asian American population. During the early 20th century, Alaska was the third-leading population center of Filipinos in the United States, after Hawaii and California; many worked seasonally in Salmon cannery, salmon canneries. The first efforts to recruit Filipinos to work in the canneries began in the 1910s. By 1920, there were 82 Filipinos in Alaska, only one of whom was a Filipina. In 1930, Filipinos, who were called "Alaskeros", made up 15% of the workers in the Alaskan fisheries. Filipinos were two-thirds of all Asians in Alaska in the 1930s. In many of the canneries, Filipinos were treated as "second class workers". According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 12,712 Filipino Americans in Alaska; By the 2010 U.S. Census that number had increased to 25,424 (alone or in combination), constituting 49% of Asian Americans in Alaska. In 2011, more than one in four (26%) immigrants in Alaska was Filipino. As of 2014, Filipino Americans are Anchorage's largest minority group. In Utah, the population of Filipino Americans doubled between 2000 and 2010, to 6,467, having the third-highest rate of growth by state of Filipinos in the nation. In the United States' insular areas in 1920, the Insular Government, Philippine Islands had the largest Filipino population of 10,207,696; Guam had 396; the Panama Canal Zone 10, the United States Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands seven; there was a single Filipino in Puerto Rico. In 1930, the Filipino population of Puerto Rico increased to six, in the Virgin Islands it decreased to four as it did in Guam to 364. The population in the Panama Canal Zone increased to 37. In 2000, there were 394 Filipinos in Puerto Rico. In 2010, of the 159,358 people on Guam, slightly more than one in four (26.3%) were Filipino; Filipinos are the largest demographic in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, making up 35% of its 53,833 people in 2010 and 2015. In American Samoa, there were 50 Filipinos in 1980, 415 in 1990, and 792 resident in 2000. In 2010 the population increased to 1,217, or 2.2% of the total population. In 2013, there remains a Filipino American population in the United States Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands; these Filipinos make up a few of the 6,648 persons counted as "Other races" in the 2010 Census.


U.S. metropolitan areas with large Filipino American populations (2010)


Little Manilas

In areas with sparse Filipino populations, they often form loose-knit social organizations aimed at maintaining a "sense of family", which is a key feature of Filipino culture. These organizations generally arrange social events, especially of a charitable nature, and keep members up-to-date with local events. They are often organized into regional associations, which are a small part of Filipino American life. Filipino Americans formed close-knit neighborhoods, notably in California and Hawaii. A few communities have " Little Manilas", civic and business districts tailored to the Filipino American community.


Language

Filipino Americans form a Languages of the Philippines, multilingual community but the two most spoken languages are English and Tagalog. In 2009,
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...
was the fourth largest language spoken in the United States with around 1.5 million speakers.


Religion

According to a Pew Research Center survey published in July 2012, the majority of Filipino American respondents are Catholic Church in the United States, Roman Catholic (65%), followed by Protestantism in the United States, Protestant (21%), Irreligion in the United States, unaffiliated (8%), and Buddhism in the United States, Buddhist (1%). There are also smaller populations of Filipino American Islam in the United States, Muslims—particularly those who originate from the Southern Philippines.


Socioeconomic status


Economics

The Filipino American community is largely middle class, middle and Upper middle class in the United States, upper middle class; in 2014, 18% of Filipino American households were in the top tenth of U.S. households in terms of income. As of 2019, the Pew Research Center revealed that Filipino Americans had one of the highest median annual household income among all Asians at $90,400. The median household income for all Asians was $85,800. The representation of Filipino Americans employed in health care is high. Other sectors of the economy where Filipino Americans have significant representation are in the public sector, and in the service sector. Compared to Asian American women of other ethnicities, and women in the United States in general, Filipina Americans are more likely to be part of the work force;
a large population, nearly one fifth (18%), of Filipina Americans worked as registered nurses. Among
Overseas Filipino An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to ...
s, Filipino Americans are the largest remitters of U.S. dollars to the Philippines. In 2005, their combined dollar remittances reached a record-high of almost $6.5 billion. In 2006, Filipino Americans sent more than $8 billion, which represents 57% of the total foreign remittances received by the Philippines. By 2012, this amount had reached $10.6 billion, but made up only 43% of total remittances. Filipino Americans own a variety of businesses, making up 10.5% of all Asian owned businesses in the United States in 2007. In 2002, according to the United States Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, there were over 125,000 Filipino-owned businesses; this increased by 30.4% to over 163,000 in 2007. By then, 25.4% of these businesses were in the retail industry, 23% were in the health care and social assistance industries, and they employed more than 142,000 people and generated almost $15.8 billion in revenue. Of those, just under three thousand (1.8% of all Filipino-owned businesses) were million dollar or more businesses. California had the largest number of Filipino-owned businesses, with the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA, Los Angeles metropolitan area having the largest number of any metropolitan area in the United States. In 2010, Filipino Americans' employment rate was 61.5%; the unemployment rate was 8.5%. In 1990 and 2000, the United States Census, decennial censuses found that, while lower than the national average, foreign-born Filipinos had a lower Poverty in the United States, poverty rate than those born in the United States; by 2007, the situation had reversed. In 2012, a smaller percentage of Filipino American adults lived in poverty than the national average (6.2% verse 12.8%). At the point of retirement, a notable percentage of Filipino Americans return to the Philippines. In 1990, the elderly Filipino American poverty rate was eight percent. In 1999 among Old age, elderly Filipino Americans, the poverty rate had dropped to 6.3%—lower than that of the total geriatric population (9.9%), and lowest among Asian Americans.


Education

The 1990 Census reports that Filipino Americans had the highest percentage of college educated individuals of any Asian American population. Filipino Americans have some of the highest educational attainment rates in the United States with 47.9% of all Filipino Americans over the age of 25 having a bachelor's degree in 2004, which correlates with rates observed in other Asian American subgroups. Filipino Americans of first- and second-generation descent were more likely to hold a bachelor's degree or higher than the national average for all Americans. In 2011, 61% of United States-born Filipino Americans had achieved an education level greater than a high school diploma. The post-1965 wave of Filipino professionals immigrating to the U.S. to make up the education, healthcare, and information technology employee shortages also accounts for the high educational attainment rates. Due to the strong American influence in the Philippine education system, first generation Filipino immigrants are also at advantage in gaining professional licensure in the United States. According to a study conducted by the American Medical Association, Philippine-trained physicians comprise the second-largest group of foreign-trained physicians in the United States (20,861 or 8.7% of all practicing international medical graduates in the U.S.). Other physicians, in order to immigrate from the Philippines, re-licensed as nurses. In addition, Filipino American dentists trained in the Philippines comprise the second-largest group of foreign-trained dentists in the United States. An article from the ''Journal of the American Dental Association'' asserts that 11% of all foreign-trained dentists licensed in the U.S. are from the Philippines; India is ranked first with 25.8% of all foreign dentists. The significant drop in the percentage of Filipino nurses from the 1980s to 2000 is because of the increase in the number of countries recruiting Filipino nurses (European Union, the Middle East, Japan), as well as the increase in the number of other countries sending nurses to the United States. Even with the significant drop, in 2005 Filipino American nurses made up 3.7% of the total United States nursing population, and were 40% of all foreign-trained nurses in the United States. American schools have also hired and sponsored the immigration of Filipino teachers and instructors. Some of these teachers were forced into labor outside the field of education, and mistreated by their recruiters.




See also

* Demographics of Asian Americans * History of Filipino Americans * List of Filipino Americans


References


Further reading

* * * Mabalon, Dawn Bohulano. ''Little Manila is in the heart: The making of the Filipina/o American community in Stockton, California'' ( Duke University Press, 2013)
excerpt
* Posadas, Barbara M., and Roland L. Guyotte. "Unintentional immigrants: Chicago's Filipino foreign students become settlers, 1900-1941." ''Journal of American Ethnic History'' (1990): 26–48
online
*


External links

* {{Overseas Filipinos Demographics of the United States Filipino American, Demographics