Immigration and Economic Conditions Among Older Asian Americans Yunju Nam Published online: 25 January 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 Abstract This study compares native-immigrant gaps in economic conditions among older Asian Americans to those in other racial groups. This study uses the American Community Survey data collected from 2006 to 2010. The sample consists of Asians, whites, blacks, and Hispanics, who are 65 years old or older (N = 2,205,148). The dependent variables are per capita income, poverty, asset income, homeownership, and vehicle ownership. This study employs linear and logit regressions. Analysis results show that older native Asian Americans’ economic statuses are comparable to or better than older native whites. Older immigrant Asian Americans’ economic situations are worse off than older immigrant whites but better off than their black and Hispanic counterparts. Regression analyses indicate that native-immigrant gaps among older Asian Americans are significantly larger than those among other racial groups. These findings suggest that the public per- ception of economically successful immigrant Asians is not consistent with the economic reality of older immigrant Asian Americans. Analysis results call for further research on native-immigrant gaps among older Asian Americans and policy interventions to enhance economic security among older minority groups, including older immigrant Asian Americans. Keywords Elderly  Wealth  Economic well-being  Race  Nativity Introduction With a growth rate of 46 % between 2000 and 2010, Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, larger than the second most rapidly growing group (43 % among Hispanics) (Asian Americans Advancing Justice 2011). Older Asian Americans also show rapid population growth. The percentage of Asian Americans among older adults (65 years old or older) increased from 1.4 % in 1990 to 2.3 % in 2000 and to 3.4 % in 2010. The proportion of Asian Americans among older adults is projected to become 8.5 % in 2050 (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics 2012; He et al. 2005). In contrast to rapid population growth among older Asian Americans, our knowledge of their economic and social needs remains limited. Lack of appropriate attention to this population may be at least partially explained by the public perception of Asian Americans as a ‘‘model minority.’’ The image of economically and socially suc- cessful Asian Americans often conceals the economic and social challenges Asian Americans face, such as discrimi- nation in the labor market and barriers to social programs and financial services (Bascara 2008; Hurh and Kim 1989; Sakamoto et al. 2009). The public perception of ‘‘problem- free’’ Asian Americans may be misleading. Common ‘‘success’’ measures used in economic and social research, such as household income and earnings, do not take into account ‘‘investment’’ or ‘‘sacrifice’’ paid by Asian Americans, such as the number of working hours and the number of household members working for pay. In addi- tion, the ‘‘model minority’’ stereotype sees Asian Ameri- cans as one group without considering diversity within this population, such as ethnicity and immigration status (Hurh and Kim 1989; Oh and Min 2011). Y. Nam (&) School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, 685 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260-1050, USA e-mail: yunjunam@buffalo.edu 123 Race Soc Probl (2014) 6:15–24 DOI 10.1007/s12552-014-9118-1