Population
According to the 2005 American Community Survey, 378,000 (+/- 17,969) individuals reported their first or second generation ancestry as Iranian. However, many community members believe that these numbers represent an undercount of the Iranian American community's population because the Census question related to ethnicity as opposed to national origin, and because community members may have been reluctant to identify themselves as Iranian American because of the political animosity between Iran and the United States since 1979.
Ethnic Diversity
The Iranian American community, as well as the population of Iran, is ethnically diverse and includes Persians, Azaris, Kurds, Lors, Gilakis, Arabs, Baluchis, Armenians, Assyrians, and Turkmens.
Religious Diversity
The Iranian American community, as well as the population of Iran, is religiously diverse and includes people of Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Zorastrian, and Baha'I faiths.
Educational Attainment
As more specifically demonstrated by the charts below, the 2000 Census data indicates that the educational attainment of the Iranian American community is significantly higher than the national average.
Household Income
As more specifically demonstrated by the charts below, the 2000 Census figures indicate that the per capita average income of Iranian Americans is considerably higher than the total U.S. population.
