Pakistan: Pakistani Population in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD Metropolitan Areas

Photo Credit: Canva
Photo Credit: Canva

Pakistani population in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metropolitan areas: The estimated number of Pakistani immigrants* living in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metro areas is 40,259 individuals.

The largest numbers of Pakistani immigrants are found in Fairfax County (11,630), Prince William County, VA (5,354) and Baltimore County, MD (4,406). Sixty-four percent of Pakistani immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared to 50 percent for all other foreign-born individuals.

Among Pakistani immigrants, 52 percent are male and 48 percent are female. Pakistani immigrants are more likely to be proficient in English, compared to all other foreign-born people. Specifically, 67 percent of Pakistani immigrants are proficient in English.

Pakistani population in the United States: The absolute number of foreign-born individuals from Pakistan in the United States has increased over time. However, as a percentage of the immigrant population, their numbers are relatively small and stable. The largest numbers of Pakistani immigrants in the United States are found in New York, NY- Newark City, NJ-Jersey City, NJ metropolitan area (81,794), the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro area (31,470), and the Washington, DC-Arlington, VA-Alexandria, VA metro area (30,088).

Before 1970, there were an estimated 1,085 Pakistani immigrants in the United States. A significant migration wave took place during the 1970s after the U.S. government lifted previously existing immigration restrictions and repealed country quotas. In 1980, there were approximately 32,600 foreign-born individuals from Pakistan constituting 0.2 percent of the total immigrant population. In 1990, this number increased to an estimated 93,216 individuals, and by 2010, there were approximately 298,650 Pakistani immigrants constituting one percent, of the total immigrant population. Today, the 401,017 Pakistani immigrants still constitute one percent of the total foreign-born population of the United States.

Education, Income and Housing: In terms of educational attainment, Pakistani immigrants who live in the DC and Baltimore metro areas are more likely to hold advanced degrees than all other foreign-born individuals combined. They are less likely to have no high school diploma (14 percent) in comparison to all other foreign-born individuals (20 percent). Furthermore, the foreign born from Pakistan in these two metro areas are more likely to have a Bachelor’s degree compared to the rest of the foreign-born and the native-born population. Specifically, 50 percent of the foreign-born Pakistani population over 25 years old in the DC and Baltimore metro areas have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. This is seven percentage points higher than all other foreign-born people in the DC and Baltimore metro areas with a Bachelor’s degree, and 3 percentage points higher than native-born U.S. citizens.

The median family income of Pakistani immigrants in the DC and Baltimore metro areas ($84,972) is significantly higher than the median earned income of all other foreign born in the metro area ($72,000). In the United States, foreign-born Pakistanis have a higher median personal earned income ($51,065) in comparison to all other foreign-born individuals ($49,023), but lower than native-born U.S. citizens ($65,363).

Interestingly, Pakistani immigrants are more likely to be homeowners (59 percent) in comparison to the rest of the foreign-born population (55 percent) but less likely in comparison to native-born U.S. citizens (65 percent) in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metro areas.

Employment and Occupation: The largest proportions of Pakistani immigrants in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metro areas are employed in sales and related occupations (18 percent), management, business, science, and arts occupations (12 percent), and transportation and material moving occupations (12 percent). Furthermore, Pakistani immigrants are slightly more likely to be employed in STEM occupations (15 percent) in comparison to all other foreign born (12 percent) and native-born U.S. citizens (11 percent) in the metro area.

Pakistani immigrants in the DC and Baltimore metro areas are slightly more likely to be self-employed compared to all other foreign-born and native-born individuals. Eight percent of Pakistani immigrants are self-employed and unincorporated, meaning they likely work as independent contractors as small business owners, and five percent of them are self-employed in their own incorporated business.

The median income for self-employed Pakistani immigrants is $36,917, which is lower than the median income for all other self-employed foreign-born individuals ($40,692).

 

* Please note that the terms “immigrant” and “foreign born” are used interchangeably throughout this fact sheet. Foreign born refers to individuals who are not a U.S. citizen at birth or who were born outside the U.S., Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories and whose parents are not U.S. citizens. The foreign born may include naturalized U.S. citizens, Legal Permanent  Residents, temporary residents, refugees and asylees, and others. Additionally, native born includes those who are U.S. citizens at birth, those born in the United States, Puerto Rico, or other U.S. territories, and those born abroad to a parent who is a U.S. citizen.