Korean American Population By State is a data visualization of the Korean American population in the United States from 2015 to 2021, created by The East-West Center in Washington’s (EWCW) Asia Matters for America initiative as an interactive tool to visually demonstrate changes over time in the Korean American population nationally as well as by state. This resource utilizes the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data.
Facts, Data, and Research about Koreans and Korean Americans
Korean Americans: By the Numbers is a comprehensive resource guide with key insights and perspectives pertaining to Korean Americans, created by AAPI Data as a part of an ongoing series of resource guides highlighting data-informed insights of particular AANHPI communities. This resource looks at the Korean American Electorate, Korean Americans in Elected Offices, the 2024 Election, and Korean American Policy Perspectives. Published on October 10, 2024, this resource draws on disaggregated findings from AAPI Data’s surveys and publications.
Koreans in the U.S. Fact Sheet is a fact sheet providing an overview of population, immigration, demographic, and economic data about Koreans in the United States. Published on April 29, 2021 and updated on May 1, 2025, this resource was originally published by the Pew Research Center using the U.S. Census Bureau’s decennial census and American Community Survey and Pew Research Center’s 2022-23 survey of Asian American adults.
History of Koreans and Korean Americans in the United States
First Koreans in the United States
While Korean immigration to the U.S. began in 1903, the first group of ethnic Koreans arrived in 1883. Ten governmental representatives from the Joseon Kingdom were invited to visit America following the Korea-U.S. Treaty of Peace, Amity and Trade in 1882. They arrived in San Francisco on September 2, 1883, and were welcomed by a U.S. government delegation before traveling to Washington, D.C. This historic mission lasted until May 1884.
Korean Immigration Begins
Korean Americans have been present in the United States continuously since January 13, 1903, when 102 pioneers from Korea arrived in Hawaii to work in the growing sugar production industry.
First Wave of Korean Immigration: 1903-1949
In 1903, Koreans arrived in Hawaii to work on pineapple and sugar plantations, with over 7,000 Koreans coming by 1905 to escape famines and political turbulence in Korea. About half of these workers eventually moved to the mainland, establishing businesses such as laundry and nail salons, while the rest returned to Korea. From 1905 to 1924, around 2,000 more Korean immigrants, including picture brides, moved to Hawaii and California. Mass immigration ended abruptly in 1924 with the Oriental Exclusion Act.
First Korean Congress: 1919
The First Korean Congress convened in Philadelphia from April 14 to 16, 1919 at the Little Theatre on Delancey Street as a response to the March 1st Movement—a nationwide Korean protest against Japanese colonial rule. Organized by Korean-American physician and activist Dr. Philip Jaisohn, the First Korean Congress aimed to garner international support for Korean independence and to promote democratic ideals modeled after the United States.
Second Wave of Korean Immigration: 1950-1964
After Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945 and the division into South and North in 1948, about 15,000 Koreans moved to America during the Korean War (1950-1953). The McCarran and Walter Act of 1952 nullified the 1924 Asian immigration ban, making Asians eligible for citizenship. Post-war immigrants included Korean wives of American soldiers, war orphans adopted by American families, students, professionals, and academics, who successfully integrated into American society.
Third Wave of Korean Immigration: 1965-Present
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act revoked the national quota system, leading to a steady increase in Korean immigrants. Massive numbers of Koreans, mainly white-collar workers, voluntarily moved to America from the 1960s through the early 1980s. Their children, known as the second generation, comprise the major component of the current Korean American community.
Sa-I-Gu: 1992
UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center provides educational resources, narratives, and historical insights about the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings, focusing on their impact on the Korean American community and fostering understanding of race relations and social justice
Korean and Korean American Studies Programs at Institutions of Higher Education
Arizona State University Korean Program
Auburn University Korea Center – King Sejong Institute
Baylor University Korean Language Program
Binghamton University, SUNY Center for Korean Studies
California State University, Los Angeles Center for Korean American and Korean Studies
Columbia University The Center for Korean Research
George Mason University Korean Studies Center
Harvard University Korea Institute
Indiana University Bloomington Institute for Korean Studies
Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies US – Korea Institute
North Carolina State University Korean Language and Culture Program
Stanford University, Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center Korea Program
Stony Brook University, SUNY Center for Korean Studies
The George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies
The Ohio State University Institute for Korean Studies
University of Buffalo, New York Korean Studies Program
University of California, Berkeley Center for Korean Studies
University of California, Irvine Center for Critical Korean Studies
University of California, Los Angeles Center for Korean Studies
University of California, Riverside Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies
University of California, San Diego Transnational Korean Studies
University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Korean Studies
University of Michigan Nam Center for Korean Studies
University of Missouri Institute for Korean Studies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Korean Language and Culture Program
University of Pennsylvania James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies
University of Southern California Korean Studies Institute
University of Washington Center for Korean Studies
Research Organizations that Focus on Korean and Korean American Issues
Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Brookings Institution Center for Asia Policy Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security
Korea Economic Institute of America
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy