Today, 13 percent of American households have an annual income of $100,000 or more, compared with just four percent a decade ago, according to the U.S. Census 2000. Increasingly, a greater proportion of that total belongs to members of the diverse ethnic population.

For example, of the 38.3 million African-American households, more than 5 million report an income of $100,000 or more. That, perhaps surprisingly, is about the same percentage as for the overall U.S. population. Forty-three percent own their homes, and more than one million blacks hold advanced degrees. The African-American enrollment at elite universities is at a high of nine percent.

Hispanics represent our largest minority, now numbering about 42 million. Of those, 6 percent earn more than $100,000. Merrill Lynch estimates, however, that this relatively small segment of affluent Hispanics will spend $300 billion this year– representing almost two-thirds of overall Hispanic buying power. Hispanics make up between five and ten percent of elite enrollments; some 40,000 Hispanics are physicians.

America’s single most affluent consumer group is a minority: Asian-Americans, who now total about 13 million. The number of Asian-American families with incomes of more than $200,000 is about the same (156,000) as Hispanic and African-American families combined, according to Packaged Facts. This group represents between 10 and 25 percent of elite enrollments. Within this group, Asian Indians are the fastest-growing and wealthiest ethnicity, with a median household income of nearly double that of the national average ($46,326). Almost 40 percent of all Indians hold a professional degree.

A less familiar ethnic group, Russian-Americans, has arrived with a fury– about 4 million strong. They are twice as likely to have graduated from college as the overall American population, and 50 percent more likely to report an income of $75,000 or more.