Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Every year during the month of May, we celebrate the diverse cultures that weave together to shape the rich tapestry of our shared history. About 24 million or 7.2% represents the number of Asians in the U.S. in 2020; and about 1.6 million or 0.5% represents the number of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents in the U.S. in 2020. (1)  Today, the Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) communities are among the fastest growing populations in the United States. (2)

AANHPI in WA State

CAPAA partnered with Kaya Strategik to complete an AANHPI Community Demography Report based upon 2020 American Community Survey Data. Kaya Strategik found the AANHPI population group comprised the 2nd largest minority population at 949,560 in Washington State after the Hispanic/Latino population at 971,522. In addition the report found Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (alone or in combination) were the fastest growing minority population at a growth rate of 40.76%. (3)

Population data can be helpful at taking a snapshot of where our communities live. However, this data is aggregated or combined together (AA-NH/PI) as a single group which can mask distinct challenges experienced by a subgroup. The term “AANHPI” is an umbrella group comprising at least 50 different ethnic groups with over 100 languages spoken, so while together there is solidarity across coalition building, no one data point can accurately represent everyone. (4) At CAPAA, we believe it's important, and a policy priority to disaggregate data to understand the distinct ethnic subgroups, realities and complexities to avoid misrepresentation.

While we celebrate the rich diversity among AA-NH/PI ethnic groups, we also reflect on how our diverse communities have carried decades of resilience in the face of violence, racism, and resettlement.

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau. “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”. 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/fun-facts/aapi.html. 
2. U.S. Treasury Department Fact Sheet on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, for the AA and NHPI Economic Summit”. 2024, https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Fact-Sheet-AANHPI-Booklet.pdf.
3. WA State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. “2020 Census/ACS Community Demography Report”. https://capaa.wa.gov/population-data/2020-censusacs-community-demography-report.
4. National Health Institute. “Meeting the Unique Health Needs of AANHPI Communities: The Case for Cultural Humility”. 2025, https://nationalhealthcouncil.org/blog/meeting-the-unique-health-needs-of-aanhpi-communities-the-case-for-cultural-humility/.