This profile offers an overview of the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape the health of the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population in the United States. Considering the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander populations is fundamental to understanding and improving their health outcomes and reducing disparities. Factors such as education, income, and health insurance coverage, which are examples of non-medical drivers of health, can affect various health, function, and quality-of-life outcomes and contribute to disparities in health outcomes.
Visit Healthy People 2030 to learn more about non-medical drivers of health.
Data Collection and Reporting for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Populations
Specific health data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is often limited, and federal data collection and reporting practices have often combined Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander data. When possible, data for the Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations are reported separately. Practices that support the collection and reporting of data by more granular groups, such as the standards in the Office of Management and Budget’s revised Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, can help reveal the unique health status and needs within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, which include dozens of distinct ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages and dialects.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Population Information
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 2024 there were an estimated 581,100 non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone residing within the United States, representing about 0.2% of the total U.S. population. In 2024, the ten states with the largest population of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were Hawaii (27.8%), Alaska (2.7%), Nevada (1.8%), Utah (1.7%), Washington (1.4%), Oregon (0.9%), California (0.9%), Colorado (0.5%), Arkansas (0.6%), and Arizona (0.6%).
According to 2024 ACS estimates, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were most represented in the United States by the following sub-categories and their respective estimated populations:
- Polynesian: 366,669
- Micronesian: 198,734
- Native Hawaiian: 180,818
- Samoan: 123,994
- Guamanian or Chamorro: 83,961
According to 2024 ACS estimates, 38.5% 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 with 11.7% speaking English less than “less than very well.”
In 2019, of the 308,834,688 people in the United States who spoke a language other than English at home, 485,925 spoke a Pacific Island language, such as Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or other Austronesian language. 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 2024 ACS estimates, 87.4% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone age 25 years or older had high school diplomas or higher levels of education compared to 89.9% of the total U.S. population. 19.6% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 36.8% of the total U.S. population. 6.0% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders obtained graduate or professional degrees compared to 14.7% of the total U.S. population.
According to 2024 ACS estimates, the median non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander alone 12-month household income was $85,674, compared to $81,604 for U.S. households. 13.2% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander families experienced poverty, compared to 8.5% of U.S. families.
According to ACS estimates, in 2024, the unemployment rate for non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders was 6.2%, compared to 4.6% for the total U.S. population. 60.3% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone age 16 or older in the civilian labor force were employed compared to 60.6% of the total U.S. population.
According to 2024 ACS estimates, 59.4% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders alone had private health insurance, compared to 67.2% of the total U.S. population. 40.8% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had public health insurance, compared to 36.8% of the total U.S. population. 10.9% of non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had no health insurance coverage, compared to 8.2% of the total U.S. population.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023 life expectancy estimates for the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander population were not produced due to limited race and ethnicity data (the life expectancy for all races was 78.4 years). In 2023, the leading causes of death among non-Hispanic Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, diabetes, and stroke.
Suggested Map Citation: "Hispanic or Latino Origin by Race." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B03002, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2024.B03002?q=United+States&g=010XX00US,$0400000&y=2024. Accessed on 15 Sep 2025.
Date Last Reviewed: September 2025