Today, there are over 22 million Asians living in the U.S., accounting for 7% of the entire U.S. population. Between 2000 and 2020, the Asian population doubled, mostly due to immigration of students and educated professionals, including many who work in technology. In fact, Asians are the fastest growing major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. according to the Pew Research Center, with the San Francisco Bay Area accounting for the largest Asian population of any urban area according to our latest research. So, not surprisingly, this region also has the largest Asian tech workforce.
Key findings on the Asian tech workforce:
- Asian tech professionals have a higher representation in the tech workforce than any other ethnic group
- San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have the highest number of Asian tech workers
- St. Louis, Nashville, and Salt Lake City have the lowest number of Asian tech workers
Despite the size of the Asian tech workforce in the U.S., companies still have a long way to go to achieve their diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) goals. For instance, when it comes to leadership positions, Asian representation is sorely lacking. One just needs to look at S&P companies – only 29 companies have leadership of Asian heritage, and of those, only four are women. Bottom line, diversity by itself does not guarantee inclusion. Company leadership needs to make a concerted effort to design their organizations for both inclusion and equity.
Want to know which regions you should consider for expansion in order to design an organization with meaningful diversity? Download our latest research: Best Cities for Diversity in the Tech Workforce.
