Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders Profile

(Map of the US with the states that have significant
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations according to the Census Bureau)

HI - UT - WA - NY - FL - TX - CA

Overview (Demographics): This racial group refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, there are roughly 1,112,000 Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders who reside within the United States. This group represents about 0.1 percent of the U.S. population. Out of that number, 280,538 Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders reside in Hawaii. Some other states that have a significant Native Hawaiian/Pacific islander population are: California, Washington, Texas, New York, Florida, and Utah. It is also significant to note that 30 percent of this group is under the age 18.

Educational Attainment: 84 percent of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have high school diplomas. 10 percent of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have a bachelor’s degree in comparison to 27 percent of Caucasians. 4 percent of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have obtained graduate degrees in comparison to 11 percent of Caucasian Americans. 42 percent of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders speak a language other than English at home.

Economics: Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander average family size is 4. The median household income for this group is $50,992.

Full Census Reports:

We the People: Pacific Islanders in the United States [PDF | 651KB]

The American Community Survey - Pacific Islanders: 2004 [PDF | 3.5MB]

Census Bureau, 2008. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 [PDF | 3MB]

Health: It is significant to note that in comparison to other ethnic groups, Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders have higher rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity. This group also has little access to cancer prevention and control programs. Some leading causes of death among Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders include: cancer, heart disease, unintentional injuries (accidents), stroke and diabetes. Some other health conditions and risk factors that are prevalent among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis.

Other Health Concerns: The infant mortality rate(deaths per 1,000 live births) for Native Hawaiians in 2002 was 9.6, higher than the rate for all Asian-American/Pacific Islander groups combined (4.8) and for all population(7.0).The tuberculosis rate(cases per 100,000) in 2007 was 21 times higher for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, with a case rate of 23.0, as compared to 1.1 for the White population.

Quick Facts

Cancer

• Asian/Pacific Islander men are 40% less likely to have prostate cancer as non-Hispanic white men.
• Asian/Pacific Islander women are 30% less likely to have breast cancer as non-Hispanic white women.
• Both Asian/Pacific Islander men and women have three times the incidence of liver & IBD cancer as the non-Hispanic white population.
• Asian/Pacific Islander men are twice as likely to die from stomach cancer as compared to the non-Hispanic white population, and Asian/Pacific Islander women are 2.6 times as likely to die from the same disease.
  Click here for more statistics on Asians/Pacific Islanders and Cancer.

Diabetes

• In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians have more than twice the rate of diabetes as Whites.
• Asians are 30% less likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes.
• In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians are more than 5.7 times as likely as Whites living in Hawaii to die from diabetes.
• Filipinos living in Hawaii have more than 3 times the death rate of Whites living in Hawaii.
  Click here for more statistics on Asians/Pacific Islanders and Diabetes.

Heart Disease

• Overall, Asian/Pacific Islander adults are less likely than white adults to have heart disease and they are less likely to die from heart disease.
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure as compared to Non-Hispanic Whites.
  Click here for more statistics on Asians/Pacific Islanders and Heart Disease.

HIV/AIDS

• While Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) represent 0.3% of the total population in the United States, the AIDS case rate for NHOPI was twice that of the White population in 2007.
• The total number or reported AIDS cases has declined over the past five years for the White population, however it has continued to increase in the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations.
  Click here for more statistics on Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and HIV/AIDS.

Immunization

• In 2006, Asian/Pacific Islander adults aged 65 years and older were 40% less likely to have ever received the pneumonia shot, compared to non-Hispanic white adults of the same age group.
• In 2006, Asian/Pacific Islander children aged 19 to 35 months reached the Healthy People goal for immunizations for Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b), hepatitis B, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), polio and chicken pox.
  Click here for more statistics on Asians/Pacific Islanders and Immunization.

Infant Mortality

• Among Asian/Pacific Islanders, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the fourth leading cause of infant mortality.
• The infant mortality rate for Asian/Pacific Islanders was 40% greater for mothers under 20 years old, as compared to mothers, ages 25-29 years old.
  Click here for more statistics on Asians/Pacific Islanders and Infant Mortality.

Stroke

• In general, Asians/Pacific Islander adults are less likely to die from a stroke.
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders are 30% more likely to be obese and to have high blood pressure, as compared to white adults.
  Click here for more statistics on Asians/Pacific Islanders and Stroke.