How Many Indians Live in America? Indian Population in USA by State, Income, Jobs & Visa Status

About 4.9 million people in the U.S. identify as Indian alone or in combination, based on Pew Research Center's analysis of 2021–2023 ACS/IPUMS data. The 2020 Census recorded about 4.4 million people as Asian Indian alone.

About 4.9 million people in the USA identify as Indian-origin (Pew, 2021–2023 ACS/IPUMS), and the 2020 Census recorded 4,397,737 as Asian Indian alone. These are two different definitions and are not interchangeable. No official 2025/2026 count exists yet, but the figure is rising: on the Census’s own consistent “Asian Indian alone” basis, the count grew more than 50% between the 2010 and 2020 Censuses. Confirm with the latest ACS release.

California typically has the largest total Indian-origin population, followed by Texas, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois. New Jersey has the highest Indian share relative to its state population — the highest concentration of any state.

The New York–New Jersey metro (including Edison and Jersey City) and the San Francisco Bay Area have the largest Indian populations, followed by Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, Washington DC, Seattle, Atlanta, and Houston.

Most Indians in the USA live in large job-market states and metros — California, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Washington, and Georgia — clustered around technology, healthcare, finance, universities, and established immigrant family networks. The New York/New Jersey area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the two biggest hubs.

Yes. In the U.S. Census, people with origins in India are classified under 'Asian' as 'Asian Indian.' This is different from Native Americans, who are recorded as 'American Indian or Alaska Native.'

'Asian Indian' is the Census race category. 'Indian immigrant' means someone born in India who moved to the U.S. 'Indian American' usually refers to people of Indian descent living in the U.S., including the U.S.-born. 'Indian-origin' or 'Indian alone or in combination' is the broadest, counting anyone identifying with Indian ancestry. These definitions produce different totals.

India produces a very large number of STEM graduates, English is widely used in Indian higher education, and the H-1B visa and U.S. tech hiring have long recruited Indian engineers. Over decades this built dense professional networks that keep drawing talent.

Indian students are one of the two largest international student groups in the U.S., numbering in the hundreds of thousands per year according to Open Doors/IIE. Many move to OPT and STEM-OPT work authorization after graduating.

Indian nationals receive the largest single-country share of H-1B approvals each year — often around 70% of the total — according to USCIS data. The exact number changes yearly; check the latest USCIS H-1B characteristics report.

Yes, on average. Pew Research Center reports Indian American households have among the highest median household incomes of any Asian-origin group in the U.S., linked to high educational attainment and heavy representation in professional fields.

There is no exact official U.S. count by Indian state of origin. In practice, Telugu communities (Andhra Pradesh/Telangana), Gujaratis, Punjabis, Tamils, and Malayalis are among the most visible groups, but the Census tracks ancestry and language rather than Indian state.

Through high-skilled work in tech, medicine, engineering, and finance; founding and leading companies; owning small businesses; paying university tuition as students; and — given high household incomes — significant tax and local spending. No single official 'Indian American tax contribution' figure is published.

It's a mix. There are large numbers of naturalized and U.S.-born citizens, a large population of green card holders (many stuck in the employment-based backlog), and hundreds of thousands of H-1B and F-1 visa holders. The balance shifts as immigrants naturalize over time.

Telugu communities are strong in Texas, California, New Jersey, and the DC area; Punjabis in California and New York/New Jersey; Gujaratis in New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, and Georgia; Tamils in California, Texas, and the Northeast; and Malayalis in Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. These are community patterns, not exact counts.

Yes. On the Census’s consistent “Asian Indian alone” measure, the population grew more than 50% between the 2010 and 2020 Censuses, reaching 4,397,737. Pew separately estimates about 4.9 million people of Indian origin using a broader definition. Because those definitions differ, they should not be combined into a single growth rate. The growth is driven by work visas, students, family immigration, and a growing U.S.-born generation.

If NRI is read as Indian citizens living in the US (rather than US citizens of Indian origin), the closest measure is the foreign-born Indian immigrant population — about 2.8 million per Migration Policy Institute analysis of ACS data — spanning H-1B and other visa holders, green card holders, and students. The broader Indian-origin community, including the US-born generation, is about 4.9 million.