POVERTY AND THE UNITED-STATES ASIAN POPULATION

Data from the November 1989 CPS are used to examine poverty among Asia ns in the United States. The main findings are (1) Asian poverty is hi gher than white poverty and has increased substantially since 1980; (2 ) poverty in the Asian population is concentrated among Asian immigran ts, particularly among the most recent immigrants; and (3) there is su bstantial ethnic variation in poverty among Asian immigrants. Results from estimating a model of poverty suggest two distinct paths to pover ty, one for whites and another for Asians, with Asian poverty best pre dicted by immigration-related characteristics. Implications for povert y research are discussed.