Hawaii has highest share of Asian eligible voters in US at 37%, study says: What it means after the middle years | Today’s news

According to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center, Hawaii has the highest proportion of Asian American eligible voters of any US state, with the community representing 37% of its electorate.

The findings underscore the growing importance of Asian Americans in the nation’s electoral landscape, particularly in states where they represent a substantial share of the electorate.

Based on an analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey, Pew found California ranked second, with Asian Americans making up 15% of its eligible voters. Nevada followed with 9%, while New Jersey and Washington each recorded an 8% share.

The numbers offer a snapshot of the demographic makeup of the U.S. electorate as political parties weigh in on the results of the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections.

Pew’s figures refer to eligible voters, defined as US citizens age 18 and older, rather than the general population. The Asian American category includes people who identify only as Asian and not Hispanic.

Hawaii lags behind in share of Asian American voters

Hawaii’s 37% share puts it well ahead of other states, more than double that of California, the second-ranked state.

The state’s demographic makeup is different from most of mainland America.

Asian Americans have a long-standing presence in Hawaii, with generations of families tracing their roots to migration from countries such as Japan, China and the Philippines.

Much of this migration was associated with plantation work and the development of the islands’ economy.

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Over time, these communities created deep-rooted family networks and subsequent generations of American citizens, contributing to the relatively high proportion of Asian Americans eligible to vote.

Hawaii’s position also reflects the state’s broader demographic profile, where Asian Americans make up a particularly significant portion of the population and electorate.

California, despite having one of the largest Asian American populations in the country, has a significantly lower proportion of Asian eligible voters at 15%. Nevada completes the top three with 9%, followed by New Jersey and Washington at 8%.

How Asian Americans are shaping the American electorate

The growing voting prominence of Asian Americans comes amid a broader expansion of the community’s voting power across the United States.

Pew’s analysis shows that Asian Americans made up 13.65 million eligible voters in 2026, an increase of about 2.25 million, or 20%, from 2022. This makes them one of the fastest growing racial groups in the US electorate.

However, population growth does not automatically translate into electoral power. Citizenship and age are two important factors in determining how much of a community can participate in elections.

According to Pew, approximately 60% of the Asian American population in the US was eligible to vote in 2024. That compares to 81% of white Americans, 74% of black Americans, and 52% of Hispanic Americans.

The relatively lower eligibility rate among Asian Americans can be partially explained by the community’s immigrant population. About 25% of Asian Americans were not citizens in 2024, compared to 21% of Hispanic Americans.

The composition of the Asian American electorate is also significant. Pew found that 65% of Asian eligible voters were naturalized citizens, while 35% were born in the US.

These differences help explain why states with large Asian American populations do not necessarily have equally large shares of Asian eligible voters.

White, Hispanic, and Black Voters: How the Numbers Compare

Pew’s analysis also highlights significant geographic differences in the distribution of other racial and ethnic groups among the U.S. electorate.

Maine has the largest proportion of white eligible voters, with the group accounting for 92% of its electorate. Vermont and West Virginia follow at 91%, while New Hampshire is at 89% and Iowa at 87%.

Among Hispanic eligible voters, New Mexico has the largest share at 43%. California is second at 33%, followed by Texas at 32%, Arizona at 25% and Florida at 23%.

The numbers highlight the significant electoral presence of Hispanic communities in several states, particularly in the US Southwest.

Meanwhile, the District of Columbia has the largest proportion of black eligible voters at 41%. Mississippi follows with 36%, while Georgia and Louisiana each have 31%. Maryland rounds out the top five at 30%.

Unlike Hawaii’s Asian electorate, however, black eligible voters do not constitute the largest racial or ethnic group in any state’s electorate, according to the analysis.

Asian American voters and the 2026 election

The demographic findings come at a time when Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters are drawing more attention from political parties and election strategists.

The survey, conducted by BSP Research and the African American Research Collaborative for the 2026 Election Voter Survey in partnership with several national organizations, points to a shift in voting preferences among Asian American voters.

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According to the poll, 64% of AAPI voters supported Democratic candidates in US House races, compared to 33% who supported Republicans. This represented a nine percent shift toward the Democrats compared to the partisan balance seen in the 2024 presidential election.

The survey also highlighted the importance of younger voters in the community. One in eight AAPI voters said they cast their first vote in the 2026 election. More than half of AAPI voters under the age of 40 said they voted for the first time in 2022 or later.

The findings suggest that Asian American voters are becoming an increasingly important electorate, especially in competitive congressional districts where relatively small shifts in voter preferences can affect election results.

The political environment was also shaped by concerns about anti-Asian hostility and immigration policies.

The September 2026 Stop AAPI Hate report found that 48% of South Asian adults surveyed experienced an incident related to hate because of their race, ethnicity or nationality in 2025.

The organization also documented a significant increase in anti-South Asian slurs online between 2023 and 2025.