According to a report released May 22 by the Washington DC-based Pew Research Center, Indian Americans have the highest level of education among Asian Americans: 72 percent hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. A large number of Indian immigrants already had a bachelor’s degree when they arrived in the U.S. the report noted. Collectively, about half of Asian Americans are graduates.
Indian Americans also had the highest level of income among Asian Americans. However, more than seven percent of Indian Americans live in poverty, said the report.
The average household income for Asian Americans overall was $73,000 in 2015, per the report. Indian American households had average income levels of $100,000. Filipino American households have the second-highest income levels at $80,000. Sri Lankan and Japanese American households vied for third place with average household incomes of $74,000.
Indian Americans are the second-highest population of Asians in the U.S., revealed the Pew report. More than two-thirds of Indian Americans are foreign born; they also have lower naturalization rates, compared with other Asian American minorities.
“Significant differences exist by income, education, and other characteristics among the nation’s largest 19 Asian origin groups,” wrote the report’s authors: Abby Budiman, Anthony Cilluffo and Neil Ruiz. “These differences have been central to debates about how much data governments, colleges, and other groups should collect about Asian origin groups, and whether it should be used to shape policies.”
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
