A new article published by DUPRI Scholar Hannah Postel shows that the trajectory of Asian immigration to the United States has been uniquely and profoundly shaped by over a century of shifting federal policies. Writing in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, Postel details how a series of exclusion laws, beginning in 1875, kept the Asian population at less than 1% of the total U.S. population for nearly a hundred years.

The research identifies 1965 as a critical watershed moment. Following the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which abolished restrictive national quotas, the Asia-born population in the U.S. increased by approximately 2,700%. This growth has been so significant that by 2013, China and India overtook Mexico as the top sending countries for new immigrants to the United States.

Postel emphasizes that the contemporary Asian American community is characterized by "unprecedented diversity," with experiences shaped by different entry pathways such as professional skill-based visas, family reunification, and refugee resettlement. This diversity is reflected in the group’s socioeconomic outcomes, which can best be described as having a "high average and a large dispersion". While some groups, such as Indian immigrants, show very high levels of educational attainment and income, others, particularly those from refugee-origin backgrounds like the Vietnamese, face different economic challenges.

The article concludes by highlighting a significant gap in current social science research. Despite Asian Americans being the fastest-growing racial group in the country, Postel argues that a lack of long-term panel data continues to obscure the full picture of their socioeconomic mobility and the lasting impacts of historical exclusion.

Citation

Postel, Hannah M. 2026. "Asian Immigration to the United States in Historical Perspective." Journal of Economic Perspectives 40 (1): 191–214. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1257/jep.20251453