Intermarriage and Integration of Asians in the United States and Canada

Sharon M. Lee, Portland State University
Monica Boyd, University of Toronto

We analyzed the 5 percent PUMS from the 2000 U.S. census and complete census data from the 2001 Canadian census to compare intermarriage and social integration of Asians in the United States and Canada. The majority of married Asians in both the U.S. and Canada are inmarried but the Asian intermarriage rate is higher in the U.S. Intermarriage is more likely among younger and more highly educated Asians in both countries. Japanese and Filipinos in both countries are more likely to intermarry, and in the U.S., Koreans are also more likely to intermarry. U.S. and Canadian-born Asians are two to five times more likely to be intermarried than foreign-born Asians, and native-born Asian women are more likely than native-born men to intermarry. The findings suggest that intermarriage among Asians in both the U.S. and Canada will increase, with important implications for future ethnic demographic trends and social integration of Asians.