Washington: Lao community profile

Live data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, with community indicators across population, income, education, language, health, and housing.

Lao population (state)

5,727

ACS 2022 B04006

State population

7,688,549

All residents

Counties with Lao residents

ACS B04006

National rank

Featured

Community partner state

Community at a glance

ACS 5-year estimates (2022). Where Lao-specific data is unavailable, Asian-alone is used as a proxy and labeled accordingly.

Asian median household income

$125,153

State median: $90,325

Bachelor's or higher (Asian)

27.8%

State college rate: 35.6%

Less than HS (Asian)

46.4%

Asian-alone proxy

Asian poverty rate

8.6%

State: 9.9%

Homeownership (Asian)

62.5%

Renters: 37.5%

Linguistic isolation (API speakers)

5.0%

Speak English less than 'very well'

Top counties by Lao population

Live from Census ACS B04006. Counties with at least one Lao-ancestry respondent.

County	Lao population	% of ancestry reported
King County	2,145	0.10%
Whatcom County	664	0.29%
Snohomish County	592	0.07%
Pierce County	559	0.06%
Spokane County	461	0.09%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2022), Table B04006.

Community context

Who, where, and how — in Washington.

Community-partnered narrative. Updates as partnerships evolve.

Washington was one of the original nine federal refugee resettlement states for Lao families fleeing in 1975 and the early 1980s. The South Seattle, Tacoma, and Kent corridors remain home to multigenerational households with strong temple-centered civic life.

Key community hubs

Seattle (South + Rainier Valley)TacomaKentRenton

Partner organizations

Lao Community Service Center of Washington
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Lao Buddhist temples (Wat Lao Dhammacakkaram and others)

Research focus areas

Refugee-origin community aging & elder isolation
Mental health continuity across generations
Cultural preservation in second/third generation

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