FACT BRIEFDoes Clark County have the nation’s fastest-growing Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander population?
YES
According to 2021 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the fastest growth of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations was in Clark County, which, though relatively small, grew to 1%. Clark county includes Las Vegas, which some refer to as the “ninth island” due to its popularity among Native Hawaiians.
The greatest decline in NHPI residents was in Honolulu. Some attribute the migration to the high cost of living in Hawaii, where residents spend on average about 42% of their income on rent, the highest of any state.
Census estimates in 2011 reported approximately 296,400 Native Hawaiians living in Hawaii and about 221,600 in the continental U.S. A decade later, those numbers flipped, with about 309,800 Native Hawaiians in Hawaii and 370,000 in other states.
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Sources
US Census Clark County census data
KTNV Native Hawaiians flock to Las Vegas for affordable living
University of Nevada, Las Vegas How Las Vegas Became the 9th Island: Hawaiians and The California Hotel
Providence Business News Highest relative rent spending by state
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