Summary:
There were, as of April 1, 2000: 1,211,537 people in Hawaii.
There are always people missed, and always a few people double counted. Generally the people missed are poorer, and with unstable, or atypical addresses. It is safe to assume that a couple percent of people were missed.
Using the official numbers:
Of these 1,211,537 people, 113,539 or 9.4% were entirely Pacific Islanders, and 282,667 or 23.3% were all or part Pacific Islander. So, nearly a quarter of Hawaii has some Pacific Islander lineage, and nearly a tenth is of pure Islander lineage.
Of those 113,539 of pure Islander lineage, over two thirds (80,137) were (naturally) Hawaiian Natives. There were an additional 16,166 (pure) Samoans, and 1,663 pure Chamorro.
This leaves 15,573 residents who were pure Pacific Islander of some other variety. These people are 1.3% of the total population of Hawaii. Marshallese, along with a lot of other people, would fit into this category. I suspect that most, but not all of the Marshallese coming to Hawaii would be pure Pacific Islands extraction/race. Even those folks with family from other island nations Kiribati, FSM, etc... would be in this category. Probably only a FEW ri-Majol (and Micronesians in general) would be of mixed ethnicity upon arrival.
Another 13.9% of the population of Hawaii is PART Pacific Islander, but few of these people are probably from the RMI. Marshallese might out-marry once they get to Hawaii, but children born there are U.S. Citizens, regardless of the race/citizenship of the parents. A few Marshallese migrants might be in the part-Pacific Islander category, but probably not too many.
So, the migrants from the RMI, FSM and all Pacific Island nations, account for 1.3% of the population of Hawaii. The Marshallese are probably just a fraction of that 1.3%. Of these Marshallese in Hawaii, many of them work and would not be a particular burden on social services.
Hence, it is a little hard to believe that the Marshallese (or the folks from FSM) are an especially large burden on Hawaii as a whole. That said, there are probably areas where the poorer Pacific migrants have congregated. These areas may be feeling a large burden on their limited resources. These migrant communities may be a significant drain on the social services of a specific city or area.
Using 2000 Census data, these at-risk/high-stress areas of concentrated migrants could be identified. Some of them might be obvious, but they are not always.
Perhaps some (grant funded?) program that specifically targets the concentration of (RMI and/or FSM) migrants could be part of the Compact. All of Hawaii is not suffering from a scattering of needy Micronesians. Some communities/agencies probably are shouldering an undue burden, and assistance could/should be provided.
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Please note: when I say someone is "pure" this or that, I'm referring to their choice of a single racial caregory (Pacific Islander, or whatever). It is not a reference to quality, rights, or anything of the sort. It is simply a reference to the singularity of their choice of race on the Census form.
For information on the undercounts, in the Census 2000 rehearsals (trial runs) see:
Copies of Census 2000 forms, including the special forms used in Guam and American Samoa.
Feel free to contact me directly with specific demographic questions.
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David R. Huskins -
Manager, Data Services
The Center for Policy Studies
The University of Akron
225 South Main St.
Polsky Bldg. Room 285
Akron, Ohio 44325-1911
Phone (330) 972-8812
Fax (330) 972-2501
Majuro, Marshall Islands, Images and Resources