Key points
- There were 24.8 million Asian Americans in 2023, more than double the number in 2000, and about 7 million Canadians of Asian origin in 2021.
- A larger share of Asian Americans are in upper-income households than Americans overall, and the wider community’s buying power is estimated at $1.4 trillion.
- It is many communities rather than one. The practical way in is to start with the largest group among your own customers, in its own language and on its own platforms.
How large the market is
| Country | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 24.8 million Asian Americans in 2023, about 7% of the population | Up 109% from 11.9 million in 2000. Chinese Americans, at about 5.5 million, are among the largest origin groups. |
| Canada | About 7 million people of Asian ethnic or cultural origin in 2021, 19.3% of the population | South Asian (2.6 million), Chinese (1.7 million) and Filipino (more than 957,000) are the largest groups. |
The growth is concentrated. In the United States, the largest Asian American communities are in metro areas such as New York, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Houston. In Canada, Greater Toronto and Metro Vancouver lead. For a business in one of these regions, Asian customers can be a large share of the local market, not a niche.
Spending power
Pew Research Center found that in 2022, 27% of Asian Americans lived in upper-income households, compared with 17% of all Americans. Nielsen, citing Pew and the Selig Center for Economic Growth, puts the buying power of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community at $1.4 trillion. Census Bureau data show median income for Asian households rose 5.1% from 2023 to 2024, while the median for all U.S. households was flat.
Two more facts shape how this money is spent:
- Families decide together. Twenty-nine percent of Asian Americans live in multigenerational households, according to Census data cited by Nielsen. A purchase such as a procedure, a school, a home or a family trip often involves several generations.
- Income varies widely. Pew also reports large differences between origin groups and within them. Averages describe the market, not every customer.
Why it is often under-served
Seventy-four percent of Asian Americans ages five and older speak English proficiently, so many companies assume their general-market advertising already reaches them. Often it does not, for two reasons.
First, attention is spread across different platforms. Many Chinese Americans research on Xiaohongshu and talk on WeChat; other communities rely on their own apps, media and community groups. Ads placed only on mainstream channels miss part of the conversation.
Second, relevance matters. Nielsen’s 2025 research found that 53% of Asian Americans value brands more when they advertise in media that reflects their culture or ethnicity. Content that shows real people, speaks to how families make decisions and answers questions in the customer’s preferred language earns attention that translated advertising does not.
Many communities, not one
“Asian American” is a census category that spans more than twenty origin groups with different languages, histories and media habits. A plan that treats them as a single audience usually fits none of them well.
| Group | Points to plan for |
|---|---|
| Chinese American and Chinese Canadian | Mandarin and Cantonese; simplified and traditional characters; Xiaohongshu and WeChat play a central role |
| Korean American | Korean-language media and community channels alongside mainstream platforms |
| Vietnamese American | Vietnamese-language content and community networks, with Facebook widely used |
| South Asian and Filipino communities | The largest Asian groups in Canada; English is common, and culture and community ties shape choices |
Platform habits also vary by age and by how long someone has lived in North America, so check them against your own customers.
Where the opportunity is strongest
The market rewards businesses where trust, referrals and a considered decision matter, and where one customer is worth a lot. That includes healthcare and specialist clinics, medical aesthetics, education, travel, real estate and home services, financial and professional services, automotive, and senior care. In these categories, a satisfied customer often brings relatives and friends, which compounds the return on reaching the first one.
How to start
- Look at your own data: where your customers live, and which Asian communities are already among them.
- Pick one group to start with, usually the largest in your service area, rather than trying to reach everyone at once.
- Show up where that group researches and talks, in its preferred language.
- Build trust with real people and real experiences before you push offers.
- Answer inquiries quickly, in the same language, including evenings and weekends.
- Measure inquiries and bookings by community and channel, then expand to the next group.
How RedNexus approaches it
Our core is the Chinese community in the United States and Canada, the group where our team, platforms and results are strongest, and in many cities the largest Asian group a business can reach. Since 2022 we have worked with more than 50 businesses. For clients who want it, we extend campaigns to the wider Asian American market, including Korean and Vietnamese audiences. Read more in How to market to Chinese American and Chinese Canadian customers.
Common questions
How many Asian Americans are there?
About 24.8 million in 2023, roughly 7% of the U.S. population, according to Census Bureau estimates reported by Pew Research Center. In Canada, about 7 million people reported Asian ethnic or cultural origins in the 2021 Census.
What is the buying power of Asian Americans?
Nielsen, citing Pew and the Selig Center for Economic Growth, estimates the buying power of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community at $1.4 trillion.
Do we need to advertise in Asian languages if customers speak English?
Not always, but language is only part of it. Many Asian American consumers research on community platforms and respond to content that reflects their culture, so a general-market campaign alone often misses them.
Should we target all Asian communities at once?
Usually not. Start with the largest group among your current or potential customers, do it well, then expand.
Sources
- Pew Research Center, Asian Americans in the U.S. fact sheet, May 2025 (2023 data)
- Pew Research Center, The State of the Asian American Middle Class, May 2024
- Pew Research Center, Chinese in the U.S. fact sheet, May 2025
- U.S. Census Bureau, median household income, 2023 to 2024, September 2025
- Nielsen, investing in Asian American audiences, 2025
- Statistics Canada, Asian Heritage Month by the numbers (2021 Census)