Hispanic/Latino Health

The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander” as persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes other designations such as “Native Hawaiian,” “Chamorro,” “Samoan,” and “Other Pacific Islander,” as well as other detailed Pacific Islander responses such as Palauan, Tahitian, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Saipanese, Yapese, etc.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) population estimates, in 2022 there were approximately 665,807 Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone residing within the United States, representing about 0.3% of the U.S. population. In 2023, the five states with the largest percentage of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were Hawaii (10.3%), Alaska (1.7%), Utah (1.2%), Nevada (0.9%), and Washington (0.8%).

According to ACS estimates, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were most represented in the United States by the following sub-categories and their respective estimated populations:

• Polynesian: 375,599
• Micronesian: 205,444
• Native Hawaiian: 185,466
• Samoan: 123,150
• Guamanian or Chamorro: 84,847 

According to 2022 ACS estimates, 40.3% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone age 5 years and older in the United States speak a language other than English at home. 11.8% report speaking English less than “very well.”

Of the 308,834,688 people in the United States who speak a language other than English, 485,925 spoke a Pacific Island language, such as Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or other Austronesian languages. This does not include Tagalog, the main language of the Philippines, which is also considered a Pacific language and is spoken by 1,763,585 people in the United States.

According to 2022 ACS estimates, 89.1% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone age 25 years or older had high school diplomas or higher levels of education compared to 94.2% of non-Hispanic whites. 19.6% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 39.5% of non-Hispanic whites. 6.0% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders obtained a graduate or professional degree compared to 15.5% of non-Hispanic whites.

According to 2022 ACS estimates, the median non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander alone 12-month household income was $74,058, compared to $80,404 for non-Hispanic white households. In 2022, 13.5% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander families experienced poverty, compared to 5.9% of non-Hispanic white families.

2022 estimates from the U.S. Department of Labor show the unemployment rate for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders was 4.0%, compared to 3.2% for non-Hispanic whites. According to 2022 ACS estimates, 59.8% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone age 16 or older in the labor force were employed compared to 59.1% of non-Hispanic whites.

According to 2022 ACS estimates, 60.3% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone had private health insurance, compared to 74.1% of non-Hispanic whites. 38.4% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had Medicaid or public health insurance, compared to 36.1% of non-Hispanic whites. 11.5% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had no health insurance coverage, compared to 5.3% of non-Hispanic whites.