Pakistani Americans () are citizens of the United States with ancestry from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-American diaspora compared to the U.S. population at large. In 2019, there were an estimated 554,202 self-identified Pakistani Americans, representing about 0.187% of the U.S. population, and about 2.50% of Asian Americans; more specifically, around 8% of South Asian Americans.
History in the United States
Immigrants from modern-day Pakistan (formerly northwestern British India) and the Mughal Empire had been immigrating to America as early as the eighteenth century, working in agriculture, logging, and mining in the western states of California, Oregon, and Washington. The passage of the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 allowed these immigrants to acquire U.S. citizenship through naturalization. Between 1947 and 1965, only 2,500 Pakistani immigrants entered the United States; most of them were students who chose to settle in the U.S. after graduating from American universities, according to reports from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. This marked the beginning of a distinct Pakistani community in America. However, after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the INS Act of 1965 into law, eliminating per-country immigration quotas and introducing immigration on the basis of professional experience and education, the number of Pakistanis immigrating to the U.S. increased dramatically. As of the 1990 U.S. Census, the Pakistani-American population was 100,000. By 2005, that figured more than doubled to 210,000. In 2023, Monroe Township High School, in Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, launched the first high school cricket team.
Ethnic classification
The classification of Pakistani Americans by the U.S. Census Bureau has historically been subject to change. For the purposes of the 1970 U.S. Census, all South Asians were categorized as white. For the purposes of the 2020 U.S. Census, Pakistani Americans were categorized as Asian Americans.
Self Identity
In a study on the ethnic identification of South Asian Americans based on the 1990 U.S. Census, a sample of 299 Pakistanis living in the United States showed that, while 6.7% identified as white and 0.3% identified as black, a grand majority identified as Asian. Pakistan is also home to several transnational ethnic groups which can be classified as white if originating within the confides of neighbouring countries. Such examples are Pashtuns and Baloch, who are also native to Afghanistan and Iran, respectively.
Demographics
In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that there were 629,946 U.S. residents of Pakistani descent, an increase from 409,163 at the 2010 Census. Some studies estimate the Pakistani population to be much higher, and in 2005, the Embassy of Pakistan in the U.S. found that the population exceeded 700,000. Pakistan is the 12th highest ranked country of origin for immigration to the U.S.
Perhaps 50% of Pakistani Americans speak Punjabi, 30% speak Urdu, and the remainder speak languages such as Sindhi, Pashto, Baloch, Memoni, and Kashmiri. The most systematic study of the demography of Pakistanis in America lies within Dr. Adil Najam's book Portrait of a Giving Community, which estimates a population of 500,000.
Total population by state
All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia are ranked below based on the estimated population of residents of Pakistani descent according to the 2018 American Community Survey:
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Share of population by state
All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia are ranked below based on the estimated percentage of residents of Pakistani descent according to the 2018 American Community Survey: