California Center for Population Research

Using data from Census 2000, this report provides demographic and socio-economic information about Asians and Pacific Islanders in same-sex couples in California. In this report, the category “API couples” means couples where both members are Asian or Pacific Islander; “inter-ethnic couples” means couples where only one member is Asian or Pacific Islander; and “non-API couples” indicates couples where neither member is Asian or Pacific Islander.

ASIANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN SAME-SEX COUPLES IN CALIFORNIA

In California, more than 13,000 Asian/Pacific Islanders identified themselves as living with a same-sex partner in Census 2000. They constitute over one-third of the 38,200 Asian/Pacific Islanders in same-sex couples identified in the U.S., more than in any other state.

Over seven percent of the individuals in same-sex couples in California are Asian/Pacific Islander and nearly one out of ten of California's same-sex couples include at least one API individual (due to inter-ethnic couples).

San Francisco County has the highest rate of API same-sex couples (API householder) (2.2 per 1,000 households), while Los Angeles County has the largest number of API same-sex couples (1,929).

Twenty-eight percent of California API same-sex partners report Filipino heritage. Sizable proportions of API same-sex partners are also of Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Asian Indian, Cambodian, and Taiwanese origin.

In California, API same-sex couples are more likely to live in counties with high percentages of Asian/Pacific Islanders in the population than in counties with high percentages of samesex couples in the population.

The demographic and socio-economic profile of Asian/Pacific Islanders in same-sex couples is more similar to Asian/Pacific Islanders in different-sex couples than it is to non-APIs in same-sex couples. They differ little from Asian/Pacific Islanders in different-sex couples in terms of citizenship, military service, income, education, rates of public assistance, and rates of employment.

Compared with non-APIs in same-sex couples in California, Asian/Pacific Islanders are less likely to be employed (67% v. 71%) and to be U.S. citizens (73% v. 86%). In addition, they have annual individual incomes that are more than $7,500 less than non-APIs in same-sex couples.