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Across most of America, the African American and Hispanic communities comprise "most of the minority". We're not totally sure that's a term, but it's an accurate reflection of the state of race in America.
Asians are a "minority of the minority", generally. But not everywhere.
There are now over 17 million people who identify as Asian living in America, making up 5.6% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Asian population in Hawaii is 534,056 - at 36.7% of the total population of Hawaii.
And, unlike African Americans that fall under one group in the Census, Asian Americans have many sub-groups -- Chinese, Filipino, and Indian being the three largest sub-groups.
So, what how does the Asian population stratify across Hawaii? Which cities and towns in Hawaii have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
Here are the cities in Hawaii with the largest Asian population in 2023:
Which city in Hawaii had the largest Asian population? Ewa Villages took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Hawaii for 2023. 67.63% of Ewa Villages identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Hawaii ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.
And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in Hawaii or the most diverse places in Hawaii.
The 10 Most Asian Cities In Hawaii For 2023
/10
Population: 6,657
% Asian: 67.63%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,502
Percent Change Since 2010: 34.07%
More on Ewa Villages: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 39,927
% Asian: 66.56%
# Of Asian Residents: 26,577
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.54%
More on Waipahu: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,989
% Asian: 56.62%
# Of Asian Residents: 6,222
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.28%
More on Waipio: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 14,390
% Asian: 55.3%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,958
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.31%
More on Royal Kunia: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 27,938
% Asian: 54.6%
# Of Asian Residents: 15,254
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.61%
More on Kahului: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 45,941
% Asian: 54.25%
# Of Asian Residents: 24,924
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.29%
More on Pearl City: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 14,990
% Asian: 52.88%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,926
Percent Change Since 2010: 16.25%
More on Halawa: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 21,657
% Asian: 52.63%
# Of Asian Residents: 11,398
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.54%
More on Mililani Mauka: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 351,554
% Asian: 51.88%
# Of Asian Residents: 182,378
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.67%
More on Urban Honolulu: Real Estate | Data
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/10
Population: 14,614
% Asian: 50.79%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,422
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.07%
More on Ewa Beach: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Hawaii With The Largest Asian Population For 2023
We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Hawaii.
That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 51 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 67.6% to 4.2%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Asian population with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Ewa Villages took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Nanakuli was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Hawaii ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
Summary: Asian Populations Across Hawaii
If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Hawaii according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Hawaii:
- Nanakuli
- Schofield Barracks
- Hickam Housing
For more Hawaii reading, check out:
Table: Asian Population By City In Hawaii
| Rank | City | % Asian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ewa Villages | 67.63% |
| 2 | Waipahu | 66.56% |
| 3 | Waipio | 56.62% |
| 4 | Royal Kunia | 55.3% |
| 5 | Kahului | 54.6% |
| 6 | Pearl City | 54.25% |
| 7 | Halawa | 52.88% |
| 8 | Mililani Mauka | 52.63% |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu | 51.88% |
| 10 | Ewa Beach | 50.79% |
| 11 | Waimalu | 48.16% |
| 12 | Waikele | 47.62% |
| 13 | East Honolulu | 47.0% |
| 14 | West Loch Estate | 46.82% |
| 15 | Ewa Gentry | 46.72% |
| 16 | Aiea | 46.14% |
| 17 | Mililani Town | 45.49% |
| 18 | Waipio Acres | 44.48% |
| 19 | Wahiawa | 42.52% |
| 20 | Lihue | 42.06% |
| 21 | Kaneohe | 39.4% |
| 22 | Waihee-Waiehu | 36.38% |
| 23 | Lahaina | 34.77% |
| 24 | Ocean Pointe | 33.83% |
| 25 | Wailuku | 33.06% |
| 26 | Ahuimanu | 31.14% |
| 27 | Hilo | 31.06% |
| 28 | Pukalani | 30.68% |
| 29 | Makakilo | 29.95% |
| 30 | Kapaa | 29.81% |
| 31 | Kapolei | 28.46% |
| 32 | Waimea Cdp (Hawaii County) | 25.52% |
| 33 | Kihei | 23.28% |
| 34 | Kula | 23.24% |
| 35 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 22.27% |
| 36 | Kailua Cdp (Honolulu County) | 19.92% |
| 37 | Kailua Cdp (Hawaii County) | 19.29% |
| 38 | Waikoloa Village | 18.66% |
| 39 | Makawao | 16.09% |
| 40 | Napili-Honokowai | 15.87% |
| 41 | Laie | 15.1% |
| 42 | Wailua Homesteads | 14.26% |
| 43 | Waimanalo | 13.42% |
| 44 | Haiku-Pauwela | 10.87% |
| 45 | Makaha | 9.98% |
| 46 | Wailea | 9.75% |
| 47 | Maili | 9.15% |
| 48 | Waianae | 8.73% |
| 49 | Hickam Housing | 7.79% |
| 50 | Schofield Barracks | 5.54% |
| 51 | Nanakuli | 4.16% |