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OHA: Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Census Information Center

In 2018 the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) became a Census Information Center (CIC). The CIC program was established in 1988, the U.S. Census Bureau entered into a partnership with the National Urban League to conduct a pilot project to make Census data and information available to minority communities.1 Within two years, there were 4 additional organizations serving minority and underserved communities.2 In 2000, the CIC network became an official Census Bureau program expanding to 59 organizations.3 CICs provide access to Census Bureau data products, including the American Community Survey (ACS), through a range of dissemination methods, provide feedback to the Census Bureau on various topics of interest and possible impact to Census data (e.g., differential privacy, race & ethnicity collection and reporting), as well as develop products appropriate for the communities they serve.

In Hawaiʻi, the first and only CIC from 2000 to 2018 was Papa Ola Lokahi (POL). POL served and fulfilled the role of a CIC with a focus on Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. As POL formulated its new strategic direction, it was determined that it was time to transition the CIC to another entity; however, given the focus on Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders POL sought an entity that would continue this focus. The OHA has produced an electronically accessible Native Hawaiian Data Book since 2010. The NHDB includes Census data for Native Hawaiians across topics by State and County levels. Additionally, several Trend Series sheets are produced that also include Census data. POL, US Census Bureau Census Information Center program, and OHA entered discussions to transfer the CIC. OHA entered into a MOA with the Census Bureau in 2018.

Since 2018, OHA in its CIC role has:

(1) Served on the State Planning Committee for the 2020 Census

(2) Supported CNHA NHPI Census 2020 Awareness Raising Campaign

(3) Leveraged our social media capacity to align and extend messaging developed by the CNHA NHPI Census 2020 Awareness Raising Campaign

(4) Provided feedback to the US Census Bureau post-Census regarding the impact of the Differential Privacy algorithm that would provide less detailed data for Native Hawaiians at lower level geographies (e.g., tract, block, and possibly some County level)

(5) Developed data tables for Pacific Islanders on available variables

Native Hawaiian Population in the State of Hawaiʻi (American Community Survey (ACS) US Census Bureau): 2005-2021

Race:  The US Census Bureau collects race data in accordance with guidelines provided by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and these data are based on self-identification. The racial categories included in the census questionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country and are not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically. In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include racial and national origin or sociocultural groups. People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture. (US Census Bureau)

View the full report here.

Native Hawaiian population data

Native Hawaiian Median Family Income in the State of Hawaiʻi: 2005‑2021

American Community Survey (ACS): Every year, the US Census Bureau contacts over 3.5 million households across the country to participate in the American Community Survey. The detailed socioeconomic information once collected by the Census questionnaire is now collected by the ACS. The survey is conducted annually to provide up-to-date information about the social and economic needs of communities, rather than once every 10 years.

Due to COVID-19, the US Census Bureau was compelled to make modifications to the 2020 American Community Survey (ACS). Adjustments were implemented to address nonresponse bias, weighting methodology, among other issues in the American Community Survey. Consequently, the Bureau does not recommend comparing their “experimental estimates” with standard ACS estimates or the decennial census.

Native Hawaiian income data

OHA continues to update the NHDB and Trend Series Sheets with the latest available Census and ACS data as they are released.

We welcome you to our new webpage and hope that the links provided here are helpful to you. If you have any questions, then please feel free to email us at: censusinfocenter@oha.org

1 U.S. Census Bureau (2021). Census Information Centers (CIC). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/about/partners/cic.html
2 U.S. Census Bureau (2021). Census Information Centers (CIC). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/about/partners/cic.html
3 U.S. Census Bureau (2021). Census Information Centers (CIC). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/about/partners/cic.html

 

http://www.ohadatabook.com/
https://www.oha.org/wp-content/uploads/Native-Hawaiian-Population-in-the-United-States-ACS-UCB-2005-2019.pdf
https://www.oha.org/wp-content/uploads/Native-Hawaiian-Population-in-the-State-of-Hawaii-ACS-UCB-2005-2019.pdf
https://www.census.gov/data.html

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