Multicultural Ministries

Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Ministries

Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) Populations

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPIs) are people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands,¹ even if they do not live in the Pacific Islands. According to the 2000 Census, those who identify only as NHOPI comprise 0.1 percent of the American population, or almost 400,000 individuals.  Until 2000, NHOPIs were grouped with Asian Americans in studies of race and ethnicity.  For this reason, there are no population growth projections for NHOPIs at this time.  NHOPIs live throughout the United States, but their populations are most concentrated in the western mainland states and Hawaii.²

Though historically grouped with Asian Americans for data collection, NHOPI was assigned as a distinct category for the 2000 Census.  NHOPIs generally experience poorer health than the American population as a whole: they are more at risk for developing and dying from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.  Factors contributing to poor health outcomes among NHOPIs include cultural barriers, limited access to health care, and poor nutrition and lifestyle.³

For more details about Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations, see US Census 2000 Brief: The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population