ABSTRACT
Although relatively small in number compared to the total American population, Asians are the fastest-growing ethnic minority in the United States. According to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau, there were 10,171,820 Asians living in the United States, which is about 3.6% of population. The figure rises to 11,859,446, or 4.2% of the total population, if persons of part-Asian ancestry are included. These numbers reflect a 48% to 72% increase for various subgroups from 1990 to 2000 in comparison to 13% of the general population (Barnes & Bennett, 2002). The growth in the Asian population will not only continue but exponentially increase, as by 2050 it is projected that the number of Asian Americans will increase 213% to 33.4 million, or 8% of U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2004).
