COMMUNITY PROFILE

BPSOS-Delaware Valley was established in 2001 to serve the Vietnamese immigrant and refugee community of the Delaware Valley region. With offices in both Philadelphia and Pennsauken, we serve the nearly 15,000 Vietnamese who reside in the region. The Vietnamese community is one of the fastest growing ethnic communities in the area and BPSOS-Delaware Valley continues to offer new and on-going services to meet the complex needs of our community.

Profile of Vietnamese Community of Philadelphia According to the 2000 census, there are between 11,000 to 13,000 Vietnamese living in Philadelphia County, with the densest populations in South Philadelphia where our office is located, West Philadelphia, and North and Northeast Philadelphia. There is also an emerging community of Vietnamese Americans in Upper Darby, PA.

According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey:

▪          While the poverty rate of the general population in this area was 8.1%, nearly 18% of Vietnamese families were impoverished.

▪          Of the population 25 years and older, over 30% of the Vietnamese community do not have high school education, compared to 13.3% of the general population.

▪          In addition, over 50% of the population still faces significant language barriers (ACS 2007)

▪ Significant percentage of community members who utilize our services have arrived in the United States less than 5 years ago and therefore face significant language barriers.

Profile of Vietnamese Community of Camden City There are over 3,000 Vietnamese individuals residing in Camden County. The following statistics gives a snapshot of the Vietnamese community in Camden City in particular:

▪         The Vietnamese population comprises of 80% of the Asian population in Camden City.

▪         The Camden City population is comprised of 55% men and 45% women; Camden County overall has about 48% women and 52% men.

▪         Almost 30% of the population is under the age of 18 (City and County).

▪         One-third of Vietnamese women are between ages 20 and 40.

▪         A quarter of the women (25.8%) fall between 40 and 59 years old.

▪         60% of Vietnamese women are between the ages of 20 and 59.

▪         10% of the Vietnamese community living in Camden City is over the age of 65, compared with 8% of Camden County’s overall population.

▪         80% of Vietnamese in Camden City speak English less than “very well;” 75% county-wide.

▪         85% of the households in Camden City are linguistically isolated, meaning that there is no one over the age of 14 who can speak English without difficulty (60% of the population lives in households like this). Throughout the County, only 68% of households are linguistically isolated, encompassing only 57% of the community.

▪         22% of households in Camden City have individuals over age 65, compared to only 16% of County households.

▪         47% of the county population is a high school graduate or higher, compared with only 37% of the city population

▪         57% of the city population does not have a high school diploma, compared to 41% of the county.

▪         Almost ¾ (73%) of the Vietnamese population in Camden City entered the US between 1990 and 2000. Less than ¼ (23%) of them have become naturalized citizens. One-fifth of the population (22%) entered between 1980 and 1989; only 42% have become naturalized. In comparison, 64% of the Camden County population who arrived between 1980 and 1989 have become naturalized.

▪         40% of Vietnamese households in Camden City and Pennsauken are below 150% of the federal poverty level – 54% of Vietnamese households are below 185%. In Camden City, this rises to 50% of household below 150% and 64% below 185%.