Friday, October 28, 2011

Census 2010 updates: America's Pacific Islander community grew over 3-times-faster than nation

Much of the data from the 2010 Census is still be analyzed, packaged, and prepared for publication, but we're already seeing some interesting trends for America's Pacific Islander community. Here are a few:

Breaking the One-Million-Mark
America's Pacific Islander population in now in the seven-figures. In 2000, approximately 870,000 Pacific Islanders lived in the 50 states. In the 2010 Census, those numbers grew to over 1,200,000.

Significant Growth
From 2000 to 2010, the Pacific Islander population in the 50 States grew by more than 35 percent -- over three-and-a-half-times faster than the national growth rate of 9.7 percent. Of the Census's five minimum racial groups (White, African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander), only one race grew at a faster rate (Asians).

Still the Most Likely to be Multiracial
As was the case in the 2000 Census, Pacific Islanders were more likely than any of the basic racial groups to report belonging to more than one race. In fact, Pacific Islanders are the only one of the five groups whose multiracial population is larger than their single-race population.

By the numbers: 56 percent of Pacific Islanders reported being more than one race. This is slightly higher than it was in 2ooo, when about 54 percent of Pacific Islanders reported belonging to more than one race. Nationally, men and women belonging to more than one race comprise 2.9 percent of the population. (This is an increase from 2.4 percent in 2000.)

Rising Entrepreneurship
Along with a rising population, Pacific Islanders are becoming a larger part of the American business community. The most recently released U.S. Census Survey of Business Owners reports that between 2002 and 2007 (the most recent period studied), the number and revenue of Pacific Islander American businesses grew faster than the national average.

By the Numbers: Over five years, the number of Pacific Islander American businesses grew 31 percent (compared to the national rate of 18 percent). The increase in revenue for Pacific Islander businesses was even greater, rising over 51 percent in five years, compared to the national rate of 33 percent.

Further Reading:
  • 2010 Census Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf
  • Census Survey of Business Owners: http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/

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