In 1978, the House passed Joint Resolution 1007, marking the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first official Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week began in 1979, under President Jimmy Carter’s administration. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush extended the weeklong observance to a monthlong one to take place during the month of May. In 2009, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month’s name was changed to Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
To honor and recognize the contributions of this large, diverse group of people – that range from people born in the continent of Asia and its surrounding territories and include Hawaii natives – the U.S. commemorates this month with festivities and celebrations that highlight the culture and traditions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, you can find information from our small business profiles on Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander businesses by state and metropolitan areas. Past Advocacy research also highlights pandemic impacts on Asian-owned businesses and credit market experiences of Asian-owned businesses from the links below.
- 2023 Small Business Profiles for the States, Territories, and Nation
- Small Business Profiles for Major Metropolitan Areas
- The Impacts of COVID-19 on Racial Disparities in Small Business Earnings
- The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Small Businesses
- Minority-Owned Employer Businesses and Their Credit Market Experiences in 2017
Some key figures on AAPI businesses:
- In 2020, Asian American Pacific Islander business owners owned over three million businesses in the U.S.
- In 2020, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander-owned businesses employed over five million workers in the U.S.
- In 2020, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander-owned businesses generated nearly a trillion dollars in revenue.