Hawaiian
population adrift
across U.S.

The census indicates California
has the most Native Hawaiians
and Pacific Islanders

Census ranking for Pacific Islanders

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By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

Gerry and Cathy Ah Yo moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii four years ago to live in a central location closer to their children and grandchildren on the mainland.

As active members of the Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club, they understand why Las Vegas and a few other mainland cities have become "hot spots" for native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

"There is everything," Gerry Ah Yo said. "They move up here for everything from economic reasons, to jobs, to being near family because family came up here to go to college. Basically, things are very slow back home."

Nevada ranked eighth among statewide populations of Pacific Islanders, based on a Honolulu Star-Bulletin review of state-by-state race data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. California has the largest number of people who picked the Pacific Islander category in the Census 2000. Results show 116,961 Golden State residents identified themselves in that group, compared to 113,539 for the Aloha State.

For the first time ever, those with Hawaiian or Pacific Islander ancestry were able to select their own race category in a census and be separated from the Asian category. The new grouping includes native Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans, Tahitians, Fijians and others.

Other states with large Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations are Washington, 23,953; Utah, 15,145; Texas 14,434; New York, 8,818; Florida 8,625 and Nevada, 8,426. Vermont ranked at the bottom with just 141 people of Pacific Islander ancestry.

Nationwide, 398,845 people or about 0.1 percent of the country's population of 281,421,906 people chose only the new Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander category. Another 476,000 checked off that category and at least one other.

While this new census information is vital to federal tracking of Pacific Islanders, determining just where all native Hawaiians in each state are remains difficult, said Haunani Apoliona, who serves on a Native Hawaiian advisory committee to the census bureau.

Last year's census was the first time anyone could select more than one race category, making it difficult to compare with the 1990 census. The bureau plans to release detailed information on the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander category this summer.

One suggestion the advisory committee made to the bureau two weeks ago was that it conduct special studies on the different Pacific Island populations, said Apoliona, chairwoman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

"All I can say is that I'm sure the native Hawaiians are a higher percentage," she said. "But I can't give a guesstimate."

William P. Afeaki, director of the Utah State Office of Pacific Islander Affairs, said the 1990 census showed the Pacific Islander population in his state at 7,661. About 47 percent were Tongans, 23 percent Samoans and 17 percent Hawaiians. He doesn't expect it to change much for the 2000 Census.

Afeaki said the primary attraction for the group is the Latter-day Saints Church, but also that economic conditions there suit the Pacific Islanders' laid-back lifestyle. For example, some are landscape contractors and seem to enjoy working half a year and relaxing the other half, he said.

"This is obviously very challenging, but they seem to get by," Afeaki said. "This allows them to enjoy the warm months when they can get a lot more money and yet have complete control over their time."

California's top showing could be the result of decades of West Coast migration for Hawaiians. The 1950s were hard economic times in Hawaii and many Hawaiians moved to California for jobs, said Cherylann Lei Henderson, a Hawaiian who has lived in Los Angeles since 1963.

Most never returned and instead set up their own roots throughout California, especially in the Bay Area and in Southern California, she said. The census shows Los Angeles and San Diego counties as the Hawaiian hotspots.

"They have their family here, children and grandchildren. The little ones are born and raised here in Western ways. Different Hawaiian organizations try to provide different cultural events for the children so they don't lose their roots," she said.

Meanwhile, in Nevada's Clark County, it is easy to spot Hawaiians among the crowd, said Hawaii-native Dorinda Puanani Keola Burnet, who has lived on the mainland since 1986 and moved to Las Vegas since 1993.

"It is refreshing to see all the "Ikaikas" hanging from the rear view mirrors and Hawaiian print car seat covers," said Burnet, a county school bus driver.

Census ranking for Pacific Islanders Here is a ranking of states by the number of people who selected only the Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander category in the Census 2000. The county with the highest concentration of Pacific Islanders in each state is in parenthesis: 1. California 116,961 (Los Angeles) 2. Hawaii 113,539 (Honolulu) 3. Washington 23,953 (King) 4. Utah 15,145 (Salt Lake) 5. Texas 14,434 (Tarrant) 6. New York 8,818 (Kings) 7. Florida 8,625 (Broward) 8. Nevada 8,426 (Clark) 9. Oregon 7,976 (Multnomah) 10. Arizona 6,733 (Maricopa) 11. Colorado 4,621 (El Paso) 12. Illinois 4,610 (Cook) 13. Georgia 4,246 (Fulton) 14. North Carolina 3,983 (Cumberland) 15. Virginia 3,946 (Fairfax) 16. Pennsylvania 3,417 (Philadelphia) 17. New Jersey 3,329 (Essex) 18. Alaska 3,309 (Anchorage) 19. Missouri 3,178 (Jackson) 20. Ohio 2,749 (Franklin) 21. Michigan 2,692 (Wayne) 22. Massachusetts 2,499 (Middlesex) 23. Oklahoma 2,372 (Oklahoma) 24. Maryland 2,303 (Prince George’s) 25. Tennessee 2,205 (Davidson) 26. Indiana 2,005 (Marion) 27. Minnesota 1,979 (Hennepin) 28. Arkansas 1,668 (Washington) 29. Wisconsin 1,630 (Milwaukee) 30. South Carolina 1,628 (Richland) 31. New Mexico 1,503 (Bernalillo) 32. Kentucky 1,460 (Jefferson) 33. Alabama 1,409 (Jefferson) 34. Connecticut 1,366 (Fairfield) 35. Kansas 1,313 (Sedgwick) 36. Idaho 1,308 (Ada) 37. Louisiana 1,240 (Jefferson Parish) 38. Iowa 1,009 (Polk) 39. Nebraska 836 (Douglas) 40. Mississippi 667 (Harrison) 41. Rhode island 567 (Providence) 42. Montana 470 (Missoula) 43. West Virginia 400 (Kanawha) 44. Maine 382 (Cumberland) 45. New Hampshire 371 (Hillsborough) 46. District of Columbia 348 (Washington) 47. Wyoming 302 (Laramie) 48. Delaware 283 (New Castle) 49. South Dakota 261 (Minnehaha) 50. North Dakota 230 (Grand Forks) 51. Vermont 141 (Chittenden) Source: U.S. Census Bureau STAR-BULLETIN