Vietnamese Americans: By the Numbers

AAPI Data Guide for a Fast-Growing Community

This resource guide is designed to provide key insights and perspectives pertaining to Vietnamese Americans. Drawing on disaggregated findings from AAPI Data’s surveys, data products, publications, and other sources, this resource is part of an ongoing series of resource guides that inspire data-informed insights of particular Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

Please check aapidata.com/resource-guides frequently for new resource guides like this one.

Last updated: August 6, 2025

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The Vietnamese American Electorate

Population Characteristics (National)

  • Vietnamese Americans are the fourth largest single-origin Asian group in the country (1,951,746), with about 1 million fewer residents than Filipino Americans, the next largest single-origin group, who numbered about 3 million in 2020. (AAPI Data’s AANHPI Community Counts Dashboard)

  • The 2020 Census counted 341,646 Vietnamese Americans who identify with more than one race, bringing the total who identify as Vietnamese American to approximately 2,293,392. (AAPI Data’s AANHPI Community Counts Dashboard)

Population Characteristics (State)

  • Vietnamese Americans tend to be highly concentrated in a handful of states, with over one third living in California (34%), another 14% in Texas, and 5% in Washington. (Source: AAPI Data’s AANHPI Community Counts Dashboard)

Table 1. Top 5 states of residence for Vietnamese Americans

(Source: AAPI Data’s AANHPI Community Counts Dashboard)

StatePopulation
California798,624
Texas324,854
Washington103,370
Florida101,075
Virginia76,590

Population Growth

  • The Vietnamese American population grew by 32% nationally between 2010 and 2020. (See Ethnicity alone/combination growth data in AAPI Data’s AANHPI Community Counts Dashboard)

  • The Vietnamese American population grew by 70% or more in five U.S. states between 2010 and 2020.

Table 2. U.S. States, by Vietnamese American Pop. Growth (2010-2020)

(Source: AAPI Data’s AANHPI Community Counts Dashboard)

StatePop. Growth (2010-2020)
Montana112%
Wyoming103%
North Dakota85%
West Virginia71%
Delaware71%

Eligible Voters

Table 3. Top U.S. States for Eligible Vietnamese American Voters

(Source: AAPI Data’s analysis of the 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year File)

StatePop. of Eligible Voters
California504,706
Texas196,003
Washington63,691
Florida57,679
Virginia45,408
  • When considering presidential battleground states, Vietnamese Americans are one of the four largest groups of eligible AAPI voters (11%), with Indian Americans at 21%, Chinese Americans at 15%, and Filipino Americans at 15%. (AAPI Data’s analysis of the 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year File)

Voter Turnout

  • Vietnamese Americans had one of the lowest levels of turnout among Asian American voters in 2020 at 55%. (AAPI Data analysis)
  • Vietnamese Americans had one of the lowest levels of turnout among Asian American voters in 2024 at 51%. (AAPI Data analysis)

Vietnamese Americans in Elected Offices

Congressional Representatives

The 2024 Election

Voter Intent & Method

  • 91% of Vietnamese American voters are planning to vote this November, according to the 2024 AAPI Voter Survey released in September. This is similar to the number of Vietnamese Americans who said they planned to vote in the 2020 election (92%). (2020 Asian American Voter Survey)
    • This number is also on par with the 92% of Vietnamese Americans who said they were planning to vote when asked in April/May 2024. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

  • Over half of Vietnamese American voters (54%) prefer to vote in-person at a polling place, more than a quarter prefer to vote by mail (28%), and 15% prefer to vote by dropping off their ballots at an election office, polling place or ballot box. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

Political Party Identification

  • 4 in 10 Vietnamese American voters (42%) identify as Democrat or lean Democrat (vs. 33% in 2020). (2024 and 2020 Asian American Voter Surveys)

  • One third of Vietnamese American voters (37%) identify as Republican or lean Republican (vs. 48% in 2020). (2024 and 2020 Asian American Voter Surveys)

  • Nearly 1 in 5 Vietnamese American voters (19%) identify as an independent (the same as in 2020). When excluding those who lean toward either the Democratic or Republican Party, about a quarter are pure independents (23%). (2024 and 2020 Asian American Voter Surveys)

Presidential Candidate Favorability

  • If the election were being held today, over three quarters of Vietnamese American voters (77%) indicated they would vote for Kamala Harris, according to the 2024 AAPI Voter Survey released in September.
    • This compares to the one-third of Vietnamese American voters (36%) who indicated they would vote for Joe Biden in April/May 2024 — a four percentage point difference from those who said the same in 2020 (40%). (2020 and 2024 Asian American Voter Survey)
  • 1 in 5 Vietnamese American voters (20%) indicated they would vote for Donald Trump, according to the 2024 AAPI Voter Survey released in September — which compares to 48% who indicated the same in 2020. (2020 Asian American Voter Survey)
    • This also compares to the 38% of Vietnamese American voters who indicated they would vote for Trump when asked in April/May 2024. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

Table 4. Favorability of Kamala Harris Among Vietnamese American Voters

(Sources: 2024 AAPI Voter Survey and AAPI Data | AP-NORC Survey — October 2023)

OpinionAs of Apr/May 2024As of Sep. 2024Percent Difference
Favorable (“somewhat” or “very”)45%63%18% (+)
Unfavorable (“somewhat” or “very”)45%32%13% (—)
Haven’t heard of / Don’t know enough about10%5%5% (—)

Policy Perspectives

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

  • Six in ten Vietnamese American voters (60%) rank abortion or reproductive rights as an issue that is extremely or very important in personally deciding how to vote in November. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

Climate Change

  • Almost half of Vietnamese American voters (46%) rank the environment and climate change as an issue that is extremely or very important in personally deciding how to vote in November. And a majority of Vietnamese American voters (62%) agree that Congress and the president should pass stronger legislation to reduce the effects of climate change. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

Gun Control

  • Seven in ten Vietnamese American voters (70%) rank gun control as an issue that is important  in personally deciding how to vote in November, including 44% who ranked it as extremely important. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

  • Seven in ten Vietnamese American voters (70%) agree we should have stricter gun laws in the United States — with 51% agreeing very strongly. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

Immigration

  • Three quarters of Vietnamese American voters (76%) rank immigration as an issue that is extremely or very important in personally deciding how to vote in November. (2024 Asian American Voter Survey)

Sources:

  • AAPI Data’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. (2023). American Community Survey (ACS), 2022 Five-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS). https://data.census.gov/

  • AAPI Data’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. (2022). American Community Survey (ACS), 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year File. https://data.census.gov/