And the winner is . . .

It’s official. Asians and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing racial groups in Arizona. New 2010 Census data indicates that those of only Asian race increased by 91.6% between 2000 and 2010. Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders increased by 87.9% for the same period.

In comparison, the White population increased by 20.5%, the Black population by 63%, and the American Indian/Alaska Native population by 15.9%. Individuals of Hispanic or Latino origin increased by 46.3%.

As additional 2010 Census data becomes available, I will provide updates.

-Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director

New Census Numbers on Asian Americans in Maricopa County

While we wait for the Census 2010 data to become available, the U.S Census recently released new “American Community Survey” data for the period 2007 - 2009. The American Community Survey (ACS) continuously gathers detailed data on a sample of U.S. residents. Previously, some of this data was gathered through the “long form” of the decennial census, but is now gathered on an ongoing basis through the ACS.

The new ACS data for the period 2007 – 2009 estimates almost 4 million residents of Maricopa County. Among those identifying as “Asian alone”, there are 119,076 individuals, or almost exactly 3.0% of the total county population. For the sake of comparison, the “Asian alone” number for the 2000 Census was 66,445. Thus, there was a 79% increase in the number of individuals identifying themselves as “Asian alone” in Maricopa County. The county as a whole experienced a 28.6% population increase for the same time period.

The ACS provides detailed Asian subgroup data if the subgroup has an estimated population of 20,000 or more. Data regarding selected subgroups is provided in the table below.

American Community Survey – Maricopa County, 2007 - 2009

Individuals interested in reviewing the recent ACS data can access this data on the U.S. Census website at http://factfinder.census.gov.


-Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director