State’s Asian population grows 77% in 10 years

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ Asian population increased 77 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to a new report from the U.S. Census.

Eight Arkansas counties — Benton, Craighead, Crawford, Faulkner, Pulaski, Saline, Sebastian and Washington — had at least 1,000 Asian residents in 2010, compared with only four counties — Benton, Pulaski, Sebastian and Washington — in 2000, according to “The Asian Population: 2010,” which was released Wednesday.

Pulaski County had the largest number of Asian residents of any county in both 2000 and 2010, with 9,232 counted in 2010.

However, among the counties with at least 1,000 Asian residents, Benton County experienced the most growth — a 269 percent increase in its Asian population in the 10-year period, according to the report. Benton County’s Asian population grew from 2,012 in 2000 to 7,428 in 2010, according to the census.

Indians have surpassed Vietnamese as the dominant Asian group in Arkansas.

More than one-third of the 9,100 Indians in Arkansas lived in Benton County, according to the 2010 Census.

In Benton County, the growth of Bentonville’s Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its suppliers has provided job opportunities for Indians, many of whom found positions in information technology, said Nirupama Raghavan of Rogers, a business consultant for Cognitive Technology Solutions, an information technology services firm.

Sebastian County had the second-largest number of Asian residents in 2000, but fell behind Benton County in 2010 with 5,826 Asian residents, according to the census.

Sebastian County has been home to people from Southeast Asia since about 1975. After the Vietnam War ended, Fort Chaffee became a processing center for refugees from Southeast Asia. The Army training camp processed more than 50,000 Southeast Asian refugees in the mid-1970s.

The three largest groups from Southeast Asia in Fort Smith are Vietnamese, Laotian and Thai, said Alex Nguyen, vice president of the Vietnamese Community Association of Fort Smith.

“A lot of people were able to find jobs here,” said Nguyen, who moved to Fort Smith in 1985 at age 10. “They stayed here.”

Family ties, cultural ties and economic opportunities are factors that contribute to where people move over time, said Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster.

“The economic opportunity is probably the more significant,” Pakko said.

He agreed with observations that Wal-Mart and its suppliers have contributed to the growth of the Asian population in Benton County, as it has fueled overall population growth in Benton County. Benton County’s population grew by 44 percent over the decade.

“It’s a vibrant economy, and that does attract people of all types,” Pakko said.

Asian is one of six race categories the census tracks: white, black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and “some other race,” according to the report. Under Office of Management and Budget guidelines for the census, Hispanic refers to an ethnicity, and someone who is Hispanic can be of any race.

In 2010, the United States was home to 17.3 million people who were Asian, and they composed 5.6 percent of the nation’s population, according to the report. The overall U.S. population grew by 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010, but the Asian population grew at a faster pace, by 46 percent, which was faster than all race groups in the country.

The Asian population grew faster over the decade in the South than in any other region, but more Asians live in the West than in any other region, according to the report. All states, except Hawaii, experienced at least a 30 percent increase in their Asian populations.