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American Samoa

American Samoa is a group of 5 islands and 2 atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States, and its residents are U.S. nationals who may become naturalized U.S. citizens. American Samoa has a landmass of 224 square kilometers, with a July 2018 estimated population of 50,826 (CIA, 2019).

Pago Pago, the capital, is located on the island of Tutuila. 92.6% of the population of American Samoa is native Pacific Islander, 3.6% is Asian, 2.7% is mixed, and 1.2% is other (CIA, 2019). 96.1% of the population speaks languages other than English.

American Samoa has one hospital, the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, a 128-bed general acute-care hospital, and five primary health centers. The American Samoa Department of Health is responsible for public health, communicable disease control, and local health dispensaries.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the median household income for American Samoans is $26,352. 7.3% of the civilian labor force is unemployed, and 53.4% of American Samoans completed high school.

For additional resources and information, see Pacific Territories, Commonwealth, and Freely Associated States.

Data Sources
CIA World Fact Book: American Samoa; U.S. Census 2020; U.S. Affiliated Pacific Basin Jurisdictions: Legal, Geographic and Demographic Information


Last Reviewed: 3/21/2018