Asian Americans in the New York Metropolitan area make major and diverse contributions to the region’s economy while facing contrasting economic conditions, according to the findings of a new economic survey.

The survey entitled Economic Characteristics of Asian Americans in the New York Metropolitan Area is the most extensive analysis of economic traits of Asians in the New York area. It was released last week by the Asian American Federation of New York, a nonprofit leadership organization.

On one hand, Asians are well represented in such high-income professions as scientists, doctors, and computer specialists. Asians are more likely to hold jobs and slightly more apt to participate in the workforce than the general population. Asian-owned homes overall have a higher value than homes region-wide.

On the other hand, large portions of the Asian population hold essential but low-paying jobs, including those who work in clothing factories, restaurants and laundromats, or those who drive taxis. As a whole, Asians have lower earnings, family and per capita income, and home-ownership rates than the population across the region.

In addition, economic experiences vary widely among Asians, and some population segments have certain specific needs.

Funded by the Citigroup Foundation, AT&T Foundation and C.J. Huang Foundation, the report takes an unprecedented in-depth look at work, income and housing characteristics of the regional Asian population, based on an analysis of 2000 census data. The Federation’s Census Information Center, affiliated with the U.S. Census Bureau, prepared the report to inform local employment practices and policy-making that affects Asians – an under-examined and often overlooked population despite being one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the region.

“Our analysis demonstrates that Asian Americans are a vital part of the fabric of the New York area’s economy, filling a range of roles in apparel manufacturing, finance, food service, healthcare, personal services, science and technology,” said Cao K.O., executive director of the Asian American Federation. “Asian Americans contribute to the region’s economic competitiveness and add to the smooth operation of the economy.”

While many Asian Americans are doing well financially, Cao said that certain population groups need additional attention.

“Conditions meriting further investigation include severe poverty for Asian-American senior citizens and immigrants; large shares of Pakistani, Chinese, and Korean Americans in low-paying jobs; high unemployment for elderly Indian and Filipino Americans; and low work-force participation, in some cases with high unemployment, for Pakistani, Indian, and Japanese-American women,” Cao added.

The report indicates needs for greater economic opportunities for Asians, policies to stimulate Asian small-business growth, and efforts to identify and reduce barriers to Asian home-ownership.

Among the overall findings for Asians, related to Census 2000 data are as follows:

* Asians participated in the regional labor force at a rate of 64 percent – slightly exceeding 62 percent for the general population. Work-force participation means holding a job or actively seeking employment.

* The Asian unemployment rate was 5.7 percent, which is lower than 6.7 percent for the population in general.

* Asians had lower median earnings, median family income and per capita income but higher median household income than the general population. Higher household income for Asians apparently relates to their larger average household size, suggesting additional earners in many Asian homes.

* The overall Asian poverty rate of 14 percent surpassed 13 percent for the region in general. In addition, 21 percent of Asians age 75 or older were impoverished, compared with 12 percent of all regional residents in that age group. Also, 16 percent of all Asian immigrants and 20 percent of Asians who were not U.S. citizens lived in poverty.

* Asians were well-represented in such high-paying professions as scientists, physicians and surgeons, computer specialists, and accountants and auditors. The population was active in healthcare; professional, scientific and technical services; and financial and insurance sectors.

* Asians tended to be concentrated in low-paying manufacturing and service jobs. They were commonly employed as textile, apparel and furnishing workers; motor-vehicle operators; cooks and food-preparation workers; and personal and laundry-service workers. Those Asian workers in poverty were most likely to be textile, apparel and furnishing workers; cashiers; or cooks and food-preparation workers.

* Only 44 percent of Asian homeowners live in their homes, compared with 53 percent of the general population. Two-thirds of Asian homeowners lived in single-family houses, compares with three-quarters of all homeowners.

* For Asians who owned homes, median housing values were higher than for the entire homeowner population. More than 60 percent of Asians owning single-family houses lived in homes valued $200,000 or more, compared with just over half of all single-family homeowners. Asian homeowners also were more likely to have mortgages and tended to have higher mortgage payments than homeowners region-wide.

The report also took a closer look at the economic traits of the region’s six largest Asian ethnic groups. Key ethnic-specific findings, pertaining to 2000 census data, include the following:

* For Pakistanis, the median family income is $44,889 and, for Japanese, the median family income is $84,876.

* Poverty rates varied from about 4 percent for Filipinos to roughly 21 percent for Pakistanis.

* In general, Filipinos, Japanese, and Indians had a higher economic status than Asians as a whole. Meanwhile, Chinese, Koreans, and Pakistanis fared worse economically than the overall Asian population.

* Each ethnic group had certain occupational characteristics. Filipinos had a strong presence among registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and other healthcare workers. Indians were well-represented among doctors and computer specialists. Many Japanese were top executives. The apparel-manufacturing and food-services industries were disproportionately dependent on Chinese workers. Driving motor vehicles – other than buses and trucks – was the most common occupation for Pakistanis. Koreans were most apt to be engaged in sales or personal and laundry services.

* Koreans and Pakistanis were more likely to be self-employed than members of both the other largest Asian groups and the population in general,

* Pakistani, Indian and Japanese women were less apt to participate in the workforce, or – for the first two population segments – hold jobs, than men of their ethnic group.

* Proportions of Japanese, Koreans and Pakistanis who owned their homes ranged from one-fourth to one-third, while home-ownership rates for the other largest Asian ethnic groups were closer or equal to the 53 percent rate for the general population.