Taiwanese Americans

Population and History

The 2010 Census reported 196,691 Taiwanese Americans and 358,460 Taiwan-born residents living in the United States. These numbers, however, are underestimates: some immigrants from Taiwan identify themselves as ethnically Chinese; because many were born in China and moved to Taiwan before migrating to the United States, they are often included in the category of Chinese Americans or Chinese immigrants.

From 1980 to 2000, the Taiwan-born population in the United States quadrupled (changing from 81,300 to 326,215). However, the growth of this population over the past decade has drastically dropped; it increased by only 10 percent from 2000 to 2010. Possible explanations for this decline include Taiwan's better economic opportunities and its growing number of higher educational institutes in recent years. The majority of Taiwanese Americans were naturalized through employment-based routes.

Two ethnic groups compose the Taiwanese immigrant community: waishengren, post-1949 immigrants who were born in China and migrated to Taiwan before relocating to the United States, and benshengren, pre-1949 Chinese immigrants and their offspring who lived on the island for generations. The two ethnic groups differ in terms of spoken language, ethnic identity, and gender relations. In general, waishengren speak Mandarin Chinese, identify with China, and are more egalitarian. In comparison, benshengren speak Taiwanese or Hakka, identify with Taiwan, and are more patriarchal.

Most Taiwanese immigrants live in suburbs that are typically white areas and fairly spread out in various regions. No particular landscapes [Page 2044]or ethnic enclaves mark this community. Approximately half of this population lives in California. The San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara area had the highest share of this population in 2010. A great number of Taiwanese Americans reside in metropolitan areas such as Monterey Park, California; Flushing, New York; Houston, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois.

Migration through education signifies the major pattern of Taiwanese immigration. Most Taiwanese immigrants pursue advanced education in the United States and then find employment opportunities outside the United States. This trend is evident from the 1960s to the 1980s, when more than 80 percent of Taiwanese students who completed their graduate study did not return. Since the late 1980s, the number of businesspeople and working-class families has increased, adding diversity to this population. In recent decades, there has been a considerable proportion of Taiwanese transnational families, in which the mother and children migrate to the United States while the father remains in Taiwan to work. The purpose of such an arrangement is to pursue better education for the children.

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