According to a recent report from the U.S. Census, 1.5 million Americans are of Arab decent, however that figure is in sharp contrast with another report from the Arab American Institute, an advocacy group based in Washington D.C., which states approximately 3.6 million Arab Americans live in the country. 

The figure from the U.S. Census report would mean that Arab Americans comprise less than one percent of the total U.S. population, which is estimated at over 300 million. 

Data from the U.S. Census shows that the Arab population in the United States is a relatively small, yet growing ancestry group, increasing from 850,000 people of Arab ancestry (0.35 percent of the total population) in 1990, to 1.2 million (0.42 percent of the total population) in 2000.  

The 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates show that an estimated 1.5 million people (0.5 percent of the total population) of Arab ancestry were living in the United States, representing a 76.0 percent increase since 1990. The number of Arab households has also grown over time, increasing from 268,000 in 1990 to 427,000 in 2000. 

Data from the 2006–2010 Arab Community Survey 5-year estimates reveal that there were 511,000 Arab households in the United States, representing a 91.0 percent increase since 1990.

While the Arab American population is a distinct ancestry group, it is also a heterogeneous one, comprised of many groups with different ethnic origins, stemming from the Middle East and North Africa. 

One fact that shows Arab Americans are clearly undercounted by the U.S. Census is that metro Detroit, alone, is home to 500,000 Arab Americans. This does not take into account other cities and states across the country that also have significant Arab American populations, which come close to metro Detroit’s, including San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and other locations.  It is disputed that California has more Arab Americans than Michigan. 

Census officials say that they’re working with experts and community leaders on how to make changes for the 2020 census. 

The American Community Survey includes an ancestry question that asks each individual his or her “ancestry or ethnic origin.” From the responses collected, the U.S. Census Bureau considers anyone who reported being Algerian, Bahraini, Egyptian, Emirati, Iraqi, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Libyan, Moroccan, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Tunisian, and Yemeni to be of Arab ancestry. 

The Census Bureau defines ancestry as the ethnic origin, descent, roots, heritage, or place of birth of the person, or of the person’s ancestors. Ancestry is a broad concept. The ancestry question was not intended to measure the degree of attachment to a particular group, but simply to establish the ethnic groups with which the respondent self-identifies.

The Census states that the median household income for all households in the United States in 2010 was $51,914, about $4,500 less than the median household income for Arab households, which was $56,433.  

Lebanese households had the highest median income, at $67,264, while Iraqi and Yemeni households had lower median incomes at $32,075 and $34,667.