Socioeconomic indicators in the 2000 census point to a highly educated and financially successful Iranian-American Community

According to the 2000 census, Iranian-Americans have the highest percentage of graduate degrees among any of the ancestry groups surveyed by the census. A report compiled by the Iranian Studies Group at MIT also points to the financial success of Iranian-Americans and their strong role in the U.S. economy.

Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) February 28, 2004 --According to a report compiled by the Iranian Studies Group at MIT (ISG) , based on the recently released socioeconomic data of the 2000 census, Iranian-Americans are still among the most successful ancestry groups in the U.S.

Based on the ISG report, in the 2000 U.S. Census, 338,000 individuals reported their first or second ancestry as Iranian, with upper and lower bounds of this estimate within a 10% error margin. Initial studies by the ISG in a different report to be released in late March 2004 indicate that there may be more individuals with Iranian ancestry than indicated by the census.

In terms of educational attainment, the 2000 census data suggests that the Iranian ancestral group has educational attainments that greatly surpass the national average. In general, the percentage of Iranians over 25 years old who have obtained a bachelors degree or higher was 57.2% in comparison to 24.4% for the rest of the U.S. population. With more than 27% of Iranian-Americans over the age of 25 having a graduate degree or above, Iranian-Americans are the most highly educated ethnic group in the United States.

According to the ISG report, the per capita average income for Iranian-Americans is 50% higher than that of the nation, while family average income is 38% higher. Compared to the 12% of Americans with per capita incomes of $100,000 or more, 26.2% of Iranian-Americans make the same amount. The average value of an Iranian-American home is 2.5 times that of the average home nationally. The percentage of Iranian-Americans living in homes valued more than $1 million is nearly 10 times that of the national average.

A look at the housing characteristics of the Iranian ancestral group living in the U.S. reveals that 34.9% of this group live in houses with 5 or more units (i.e. apartments), which is significantly higher than the U.S. average of 17%. In addition, the median residence value for those with Iranian ancestry is $268,000 in comparison to the U.S. average of $119,600. Moreover, 20.8% of Iranian-Americans live in houses valued at >$500,000 in comparison to only 3% of the U.S. population.

The report, which can be viewed on the Iranian Studies Group at MIT website (http://web.mit.edu/isg) also looks at family characteristics of Iranian-Americans.