In November 2019, researchers from PRRI and AAPI Data released a landmark report on Asian American and Pacific Islander workers in California. The survey of 2,684 Asian American and Pacific Islander residents in California explored experiences and perspectives of workers, many of whom are struggling with poverty.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing racial groups (and working-age population) in California and the nation. Between 2010 and 2017, most new immigrants to California came from Asia.

As with other racial and ethnic groups, the research tells the story of “two Californias” — one where some Asian American and Pacific Islander workers are financially stable and another in which Asian American and Pacific Islander workers report struggling economically. This brief highlights key findings relevant to Lao American workers in California from the full report.

Many Lao Americans arrived in the U.S. after the U.S. war in Southeast Asia, starting in 1965. Today, nearly 300,000 people of Lao descent live in the U.S., 31% of whom reside in California.

Sacramento has the largest Lao American population in the country, and 52% of Lao Americans in California live in the Central Valley (followed by 16% in the Bay Area).