CENSUS SHOWS CHANGING RESIDENTIAL GEOGRAPHY OF LAO POPULATION
IN THE U.S.
By Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD (Originally written for Asian American Press Newspaper, St. Paul, MN).
Copyright 2001 by the Author.
2000 Census figures show the Lao ethnic origin population shifted away from California and to parts
of the Midwest, South, and the Pacific Northwest between 1990 and 2000. The enumerated Lao
population grew from 147,375 to 168,707 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2000 – a
12.6% increase. It should be noted that the census numbers are widely considered by Lao community
leaders to be an undercount of the actual population.
While California continued to possess by far the largest Lao population of any state in 2000 (55,456),
the number of Lao enumerated in the state actually decreased by more than 5,000 over the decade. In
2000, the second largest Lao population was counted in Texas (10,114). The next most sizable Lao
communities were tallied in Minnesota (9,940), Washington state (7,974) and North Carolina (5,313).
Among the nation’s regions, the most significant gains in Lao population occurred in parts of the
Upper Midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin), the South (North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and
Tennessee) as well as the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon). It is very likely that the
regional shift away from California to these states represents a form of secondary migration among
many persons of Lao origin.
Among metropolitan areas, 5 of the 10 cities with the largest Lao populations in the U.S. were located
in California. Out of the top 5 cities for Lao residents, Minneapolis-St. Paul was in fact the only metro
area not situated in California. In the rank-hierarchy of Midwestern cities with substantial Lao
communities, the Twin Cities were followed by Chicago, Milwaukee-Racine, Des Moines, IA and
Grand Rapids, MI.
Mark E. Pfeifer currently manages the Hmong Resource Centre at the Hmong Cultural Center. He may
be reached at 651-917-9937 or at hmongcultural@hotmail.com Detailed breakdowns of census
figures for the Lao and Hmong populations in the U.S. may be found at Pfeifer’s new website: www.
hmongstudies.org/
Lao Populations, States by Rank Order U.S. Census 2000
(Number in Parentheses is the 1990 figure)
1. California – 55,456 (60,627)
2. Texas – 10,114 (9,494)
3. Minnesota – 9,940 (6,247)
4. Washington – 7,974 (5,878)
5. North Carolina – 5,313 (1,791)
6. Illinois – 5,235 (4,274)
7. Georgia – 4,531 (3,524)
8. Wisconsin – 4,469 (3,389)
9. Oregon – 4,391 (3,241)
10. Tennessee – 4,214 (2,597)
11. Iowa – 4,079 (3,322)
12. Massachusetts – 3,797 (3,862)
13. Florida – 3,522 (2,049)
14. Kansas – 3,361 (2,188)
15. Michigan – 3,158 (2,540)
16. New York – 3,063 (2,975)
17. Rhode Island – 2,922 (2,241)
18. Arkansas – 2,879 (2,185)
19. Connecticut – 2,799 (2,647)
20. Ohio – 2,749 (2,260)
Top Metropolitan Areas Lao Population U.S. Census 2000
1. San Francisco--Oakland--San Jose, CA CMSA; California - 11,545
2. Sacramento--Yolo, CA CMSA; California - 9,814
3. Los Angeles--Riverside--Orange County, CA CMSA; California -7,626
4. Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI MSA - 7,576
5. San Diego, CA MSA; California - 7,002
6. Seattle--Tacoma--Bremerton, WA CMSA; Washington - 6,572
7. Dallas--Fort Worth, TX CMSA; Texas - 6,642
8. Fresno, CA MSA; California - 6,381
9. Portland--Salem, OR--WA CMSA - 4,502
10. Boston--Worcester--Lawrence, MA--NH--ME--CT CMSA - 3,857
11. Atlanta, GA MSA; Georgia - 3,596
12. Chicago--Gary--Kenosha, IL--IN--WI CMSA - 3,564
13. Nashville, TN MSA; Tennessee - 3,535
14. Stockton--Lodi, CA MSA; California - 3,054
15. Providence--Fall River--Warwick, RI--MA MSA Rhode Island - 2,939
Top Metropolitan Areas Lao Population Midwestern U.S. U.S. Census 2000
1. Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI MSA - 7,576
2. Chicago--Gary--Kenosha, IL--IN--WI CMSA - 3,564
3. Milwaukee--Racine, WI CMSA; Wisconsin - 2,362
4. Des Moines, IA MSA; Iowa - 1,829
5. Grand Rapids--Muskegon--Holland, MI MSA; Michigan - 1,402