APPENDIX A: Statistical Summary

For post-secondary students, the annual data jumped around quite a bit. Each of the Areas having data for the whole period saw increases in post-secondary school enrollment, with CNMI seeing the largest increase over the period -- more than 30 percent -- but with Guam (20 percent) and American Samoa (14 percent) also seeing large increases. The Virgin Islands post-secondary school population changed little, while the number of Palau's college students more than doubled between 1992 and 1995.

ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

Labor force participation. About 2 in every 3 persons 16 years and over in the United States were in the labor force in 1995. The percentages were slightly higher in Palau (where the new foreign immigrants were mostly in the labor force), and somewhat lower in the Virgin Islands. The percentages in the labor force in Guam and the Marshall Islands were lower, but still above half, while less than half of American Samoa's and the Federated States of Micronesia's adults were in the labor force. In the CNMI, 85 percent of the adult population was in the labor force, up sharply even from the 82 percent seen in 1990, as a result of the high level of alien workers. For each of the areas, female labor force participation was lower than the males, and in the cases of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, much lower.

Private vs Public Sector Workers. In 1995, about 3 out of every 4 workers in the United States were private wage and salary workers. For the CNMI, however, more than 4 out of every 5 workers were in this category, showing the effects of the many immigrant workers. More than half the workers in the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Palau were private sector workers, but less than half of those in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands were in this category. Only 3 in every 10 workers in the Marshall Islands, in fact, were private sector employees.

Industry. The table shows only one industry -- manufacturing. For manufacturing, about 32 percent of those working in American Samoa were manufacturing (mostly in the tuna canneries) and about 22 percent of those in CNMI were in this category (many being garment workers). The other Areas did little manufacturing (even 1995 preliminary data are not yet available for Guam).

Occupation. The table also show only one occupation - professional workers. For professional workers, none of the Areas has as high a percent as the United States (once again, Guam's 1995 data are not yet available even in preliminary form). About 1 in every 5 workers in the Virgin Islands and CNMI were in this category, as were a slightly higher percentages of American Samoa and Palau workers. Only about 1 in every 10 FSM workers were Professionals, and only about 1 in every 25 in the Marshall Islands.

Median income. Median income is the point where half the households or families earns more and half earns less. None of the Areas had median household income as high as in the US, but most have seen increases in median income over the 1990s. (It is important to note that these data are not adjusted for inflation which would show a net loss in real terms for some areas). Income information for the 1995 censuses and surveys is actually income obtained in 1994 since a whole year's information is needed. The median household income for Guam was highest, at $30,000, and lowest for the Federated States of Micronesia at $4,500. Median family income was generally higher than median household income because families tend to have more wage earners.

Per capita income. Per capita income is obtained by dividing the aggregate income from all sources by the total number of people in a place. The per capita income in the United States in 1995 (based on 1994 income) was much higher than for any of the Areas. The highest per capita incomes were in the Virgin Islands and Guam; The Virgin Islands pulled slightly ahead of Guam in 1995, but this may be corrected when the data are finalized. The CNMI per capita income decreased slightly from just above $7,000 in 1990 to just below $7,000 in 1995 continuing a trend noted in the 1980's with the large increase in the alien worker population earning the low CNMI minimum wage. American Samoa's per capita income declined during the period as the economy slumped and Palau pulled ahead with a dramatic increase from $2,656 in 1990 to $3,508 in 1995, with the boom in tourism and fishing bringing people into the labor force and in spite of increasing use of low wage alien labor. The per capita income for the Federated States of Micronesia was less than $1,000 in 1994 (1993 income data).

Poverty status. Poverty levels use the US standards, even when they are not comparable to the insular areas' situations. Based on the US standards, about 1 in every 4 people on Guam was living below the poverty line compared to about 3 in 10 in the Virgin islands, and 1 in 3 in the CNMI. For the other Areas, Areas which live partly on subsistence which is not considered in poverty determinations, the levels were much higher -- about 5 in every 8 people in Palau were below poverty, 2 in 3 in American Samoa, and more than 9 in every 10 in the Federated States of Micronesia.

The following economic statistical data are from insular area sources:

Commercial bank deposits. In 1995, Guam had about $1.3 billion in commercial bank deposits, showing a decline of about $100 million from 1994 and more from the peak land boom year of 1991. The Virgin Islands also showed a declining trend from $1.4 billion in 1990 to $.9 billion in 1995 (Table 5). Between 1992 and 1995, only Palau had a strong increase in commercial bank deposits. The CNMI and the Marshall Islands showed no trend.

Commercial bank loans. Guam also had the largest amount of commercial bank loans, more than 2 billion dollars in 1995 (Table 6). Guam was the only insular area with more bank loans than deposits and with one billion dollars more in loans, Guam demonstrated its development on a financial and business center for the Western Pacific area. The CNMI also showed rapid growth in bank loans, while the Virgin Islands loan level fell and Palau and the Marshall Islands showed little trend. American Samoa did not report commercial bank loans in recent years.

Business gross receipts. In 1995, the Virgin Islands had almost $2 billion in business gross receipts, a slight decrease from 1994 and previous years (Table 7). Palau's gross receipts grew significantly over the five year period, reflecting rapid growth from a small base. For the other areas, data were incomplete or unavailable.

Business licenses. The issuance of business licenses in the insular areas varies substantially from year to year showing no clear trend and giving little insight into the economies. The Virgin Islands issued 16,776 business licenses in 1995, by far the largest increase -- more than 3,000 over 1994. The other insular areas shown gradual increases over the five year period.

Construction permits. Guam had $349 million in construction permits in 1995, a large decrease from the $614 million in 1994 and the lowest level in the period, reflecting completion of major projects and a slowdown in building that has probably ended (Table 9). The Virgin Islands had $146 million in 1995, also a large decrease from 1994 and continuation of downward trend. The CNMI saw a quadrupling of construction to $58 million between 1994 and 1995, while American Samoa and Palau showed little change.

Imports and exports. Table 10 shows the value of imports and exports of the insular areas. Guam did not report imports and exports for the period. In general, the insular ares tend to run trade deficits as imports of consumption goods exceed exports of local products. Export figures are not very useful in analyzing the economies as they tend to overstate exports by including re-exports and exports of goods with a high import component -- petroleum products in the Virgin Islands, canned tuna in the American Samoa, and sewn garments in the Northern Marianas. Of the Areas which report, the Virgin Islands had the highest imports (for a thriving tourist industry) and exports (primarily petroleum products) in 1995, as it did in previous years. Palau's imports increased the most over 5 years, due to rapid growth in tourism, while Palau's export data may be inaccurate. CNMI and FSM imports increased by about 50 percent between 1990 and 1994, reflecting tourism growth in the CNMI and Compact-financed consumption in the FSM. Imports into American Samoa and the Marshalls increased by about 1/3rd.

Only American Samoa saw a decline in the value of its exports, from $310 million to $271 million (about 13 percent), due to fluctuations in canned tuna shipments, while exports from the Virgin Islands increased slightly. Between 1990 and 1994, the CNMI saw a 50 percent increase in the value of its exports, due to a rapid increase in garment shipments to the United States (although the table appears to overstate exports. The freely association states saw the biggest percentage increases - about 400 percent for FSM, 500 percent for Palau, and 700 percent for the Marshalls -- all consisting primarily of fish, but this increase is from a very small base.

In 1995, all reporting Areas had net deficits, ranging from $264 million for the Virgin Islands to $24 million for Micronesia. The CNMI reported exports almost $400 million greater than its imports in 1994, the only reporting Area with a positive trade balance, but these data are suspect.

Consumer prices. Each Area determines its own base for change in consumer prices. Most Areas have used expenditures surveys to determine their market baskets, and these, in turn, are used to determine both the consumer price index, and changes in that index. In the long run, inflation rates tend to mirror those in the United States and other developed countries with economic links to the areas, such as Japan. In the short run inflation rates are more volatile and subject to greater influence from changes in the cost of transportation and energy. Guam did not report prices for 1994 and 1995 as the market basket used to measure the index had become dated and is being replaced following a consumer expenditure survey performed in 1995 with technical assistance from OIA.

Tourism. The visitor industry is the most important private source of income for most of the insular areas. Tables 12 through 15 show data for several aspects of the industry. Guam had more than one million visitors in 1995 for the second year and continuing a rapid increase that saw a 75 percent growth since 1990. Visitors to the CNMI also continued to increase, to more than 650,000 in 1995 as new hotel rooms became available, with a growth of 57 percent since 1990. Visitors to Palau topped 50,000 in 1995 and grew 62 percent since 1990. These three rapidly growing tourist destination are benefitting from a rebound in the Japanese economy and a steady growth in tourism from other Asian countries..

The Virgin Islands, with a more mature visitor industry, suffered a decline in 1995, primarily due to Hurricane Marilyn. Unfortunately, the decline has continued in 1996 with a severe fall in air visitors as airlines have reduced seat availability from the Mainland. Although about two-thirds of Virgin Islands visitors are cruise ship passengers, air visitors account for the majority of tourism revenues. Only about 6,000 visitors went to American Samoa during 1995, and about 5,000 to the Marshall Islands. Both areas continued a declining trend in contrast to the other US Pacific insular areas and other countries in the Pacific.

Only three areas reported tourist expenditures in 1995. Tourists spent about $821 million in the Virgin Islands, about $522 million in the CNMI, and $22 million in Palau (Table 13). All of these values were increased during the 1990s, but the Virgin Islands saw a decrease in 1995, again, showing the effect of hurricanes.

For 1995, only the Virgin Islands (8,980 persons), Guam (5,820), and Palau (1,005) reported numbers working in tourism (Table 14). The CNMI reported 3,375 working in tourism in 1994. All Areas saw increases in numbers of tourism workers, expect in the Virgin Islands in the last two years. However, employment reported in the tourism industry appeared to grow more slowly than did visitor arrivals and expenditures in the Western Pacific destinations. (Palau's 1991 and 1992 data appear to be in error.)

In 1995, Guam had the largest number of hotel rooms, at 7,140, followed by the Virgin Islands and the CNMI (Table 15). Between 1990 and 1995, the number of hotel rooms in Palau doubled, increasing from 341 to 699. After Palau, Guam experienced the largest increase in the number of hotel rooms during the 1990s -- 44 percent -- followed by the CNMI (34 percent).

Federal Expenditures. Tables 16 to 20 show Federal Expenditures in the Insular Areas (excluding the Freely Associated States, with Tables 16 through 19 showing expenditures in United States and Puerto Rico for comparison.

Table 16 shows expenditures in fiscal 1995. Federal funds amounting to about $817 million went to Guam, $468 million to the Virgin Islands, $126 million to the Northern Mariana Islands, and $52 million to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. More than half the funds going to American Samoa and the CNMI were in the form of grants to the local governments, somewhat less than half of the funds to the Virgin Islands were in this category, while a larger proportion of the funds to Guam were in the category of wages and salaries, due to the large military establishment there.

Table 17 shows the recent historical record of Federal Funding in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Insular Areas. The amounts going to the Insular Areas varied considerably from year to year. American Samoa showed substantial growth, while Guam increased to more than one billion dollars in 1994 before declining in 1995, and the CNMI peaked in 1991 with the height of Covenant funding and the Virgin Islands peaked in 1990.

Table 18 shows the proportion of Federal Funding in fiscal 1995 which was defense related. The Department of Defense accounted for more than 60 percent of Guam's Federal funds. The other areas all had smaller percentages for Defense funding than the United States as a whole, Per capita Federal defense expenditures were highest for Guam ($3,729 per person), and lowest for the CNMI (only $29 per person). Non-defense per capita expenses ranged from a high of $4,171 per person for the Virgin Islands, to $1,185 for the CNMI. (The CNMI figure would abe abut twice as high if only US citizens were included. Per capita federal expenditures in insular areas are much lower than in the United States as a whole due primarily to much lower disbursements of transfer payments to individuals, such as social security and related programs, in the insular areas.

Table 19 shows federal grants and other payments directly to insular governments during fiscal 1995 (excluding wages and payments to individuals). The Virgin Islands received the largest amount of these payments, at $217 million, followed by Guam ($162 million), American Samoa ($72 million) or the CNMI ($41 million). On a per capita basis, these grants were; Virgin Islands: $2,134, American Samoa: $1,553, Guam: $1,218, and CNMI: $951 (again per capita CNMI grants would be about twice as high if only US citizens were counted). This compares to per capita federal payments to all state and local governments of $874 in 1995. Not included in these payments are the "mirror" income taxes based on the Internal Revenue Code but paid directly to the insular governments.

Table 2- shows appropriations for the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) only for fiscal years 1991 through 1995. The amount of appropriations for the OIA decreased in each of the first 4 years of the decade, before rebounding very slightly in 1995. Most of the appropriations are in the form of direct support to the Insular Areas (90 percent in 1995), with a fairly small amount going to administration (10 percent in 1995).

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS

The Virgin Islands had almost 44,000 housing units in 1995, largest of the Insular Areas. The 44,000 units represented an 11 percent increase from 1990. Guam had about 36,500 units in 1995, up slightly from 1990. The Northern Mariana Islands showed the largest percentage increase in units, increasing from about 8,000 units in 1990 to almost 15,000 in 1995, an increase of 82 percent during the first 5 years of the decade. American Samoa increased by about 1,500 units (about 22 percent), while Palau's housing inventory appeared to decrease slightly, a probably error subject to correction.

Units in structure. Most islanders live in one family houses, detached from other units. The exception to this general rule is the Virgin Islands, where less than 44 percent of the population lived in these detached units, down from 52 percent in 1990, partly as a result of the hurricanes destroying many single family units. Most of the other areas are also experiencing booms in apartment building. The percentage living in detached units on Guam decreased from 73 percent to 60 percent during the first five years of the decade, in American Samoa from 94 percent to 84 percent, and in Palau from 91 percent to 75 percent. It was in the CNMI, however, where the decline is most pronounced -- in 1990, 82 percent of the population lived in single family detached units, but only 53 percent of the 1995 population lived in these units.

Construction. Type of materials for walls and roof has been asked in the last few Pacific Islands censuses. The percentage of units with outside concrete walls increased for each of the areas having 1990 and 1995 data, with Guam having more than 9 in every 10 units with concrete walls by 1995. Similarly, larger percentages of units had poured concrete roofs in 1995 than in 1990 for each of the areas having these data.

Rooms. Houses in the areas tend to be smaller than those in the United States. The average unit in most of the Insular Areas had about 4 rooms, one less than in the United States, but the CNMI and the Federated States of Micronesia housing units had only about 3 rooms, on average. Also, the size of the units tended to decrease in the Areas over the first 5 years of the 1990s, partly attributable to the trend towards apartment living.

Plumbing facilities. Most of the Areas saw large increases in the numbers of units with complete plumbing during the 1990s. Palau, for example, increased from 33 percent of the units having complete plumbing in 1990 (hot and cold water, a tub or shower, and a flush toilet) to 45 percent in 1995. Similarly, American Samoa and CNMI showed large increases during the 5 years; Guam showed an enormous increase, but this situation is partly explained by definitional problems in the 1990 census. The percentage of Virgin Islands units with complete plumbing decreased between 1990 and 1995, presumably partly as a result of the hurricanes.

The areas tended to show increases in use of hot and cold running water during the period. About 1 in every 5 Palau units in 1995 had hot and cold water, compared to only about 1 in 8 in 1990. Guam and the CNMI also showed comparatively large increases in hot and cold water use (and, consequently, more impact on the electrical systems needed to heat the water). The installation and use of flush toilets also increased rapidly in the 1990s. The percentage of Palau's units with a flush toilet went from 46 percent in 1990 to 62 percent in 1995, and in CNMI, from 83 percent to 91 percent.

Source of water. While the percentage of US units obtaining water from a public systems has remained relatively constant, most of the areas increased access to public systems. The one exception to this rule was the Virgin Islands, which saw access to the public system decrease from 81 percent to 49 percent between 1990 and 1995, indicating some problem with the data, even taking the effect of hurricanes into account. The percentage in the CNMI using the public system also decreased, but only slightly during the period. But the percentage of Palau's units increased from 87 to 92 percent, and of American Samoa's units, from 63 to 74 percent.

Public sewer. Similarly, increasing numbers of units were connected to public sewers during the 1990s, with Palau showing the largest increase, from 30 to 41 percent.

Tenure. About 65 percent of the housing units in the United States are "owner" occupied, that is, owned outright or with a mortgage; this definition is often problematic in the Pacific areas where land is communal, and families may build units of simple construction, units which would be considered temporary in other cultural situations. Nonetheless, some comparisons can be made. The percentage of owner-occupied units in the Virgin Islands and Guam increased significantly between 1990 and 1995 to over 50 percent. The percentage for CNMI, however, decreased from 43 percent to 34 percent, probably as a result of the large numbers of apartments being built. The percentage for American Samoa increased slightly, and for Palau decreased slightly, but the very large percentage owner occupied is partly due to the building of units on communal land.

Kitchen facilities. A unit has complete kitchen facilities when cooking facilities (electric, kerosene, or gas stove, microwave oven and non-portable burners, or cookstove), refrigerator, and a sink with piped water are located in the same building as the living quarters being enumerated. CNMI, American Samoa, and Palau all experienced large increases in percentage of units with complete kitchens. Palau's increase was from 62 percent to 72 percent over the 5 years, the CNMI increased by 10 percentage points (to almost 4 in every 5 units), and American Samoa increased 5 percentage points. Only Guam saw a slight increase over the 5 years.

Electricity and appliances. Almost all units in the Insular Areas had electricity by 1995. At 94 percent, the CNMI's units with electricity was lowest of the 4 Areas with 1990 and 1995 data, but even here an increase was found. Palau increased from 88 percent to 99 percent of its units, and American Samoa increased from 94 to 98 percent of its units. It is useful to note that in 1994, only about half of the units in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands had electricity.

The percentage with refrigerator in Palau increased from 67 percent to 82 percent in the first 5 years of the decade, outpacing the increases for American Samoa (a 5 percentage point increase) and CNMI (1.5 percentage points). Increases of this sort imply increased demand on energy in the Area.

Similarly, units with air conditioners increased rapidly during the 1990s. The percentage of units on Guam with air conditioning increased from 69 to 81 percent, and in CNMI from 52 to 64 percent. The percentage increase was even more striking in Palau, where about 1 in every 8 units had air conditioning in 1990, but this changed to about 1 in 4 in 1995. Only about 1 in 10 units in American Samoa and the Virgin Islands was air conditioned, and only 1 in every 20 units in the Federated States of Micronesia. Also, access to a telephone increased sharply during the first part of the 1990s. While the percentage of units in Palau appeared to decrease (subject to revision) during the decade, the percentage of units in American Samoa increased from 37 to 68 percent, and in CNMI from 40 to 60 percent.

Vehicles. The percentage of units with a vehicle increased as well. In Guam, by 1995, more than 98 percent of the units had a car or other vehicle, compared to 95 percent in 1990. The CNMI increased from more than 81 percent to 87 percent, and American Samoa increase from 51 to 53 percent.

Rent. The median monthly rent in Guam (for those rented homes) was highest in 1995, at $708 more than $200 more than the median rent for the US, and considerably more than for any of the other Areas. The median rent in Guam increased by about $150 during the 5 year period between the 1990 census and the survey; rents in Palau and the Virgin Islands also increased considerably during the 5 years.

Value of house. The values of houses in the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the CNMI remained much higher than those in the US, partly because of increased costs in building in the Areas, and partly because of rising demand. The median value of houses in Guam jumped considerably during the first 5 years of the decade. Values of units in American Samoa and Palau remained low, showing the influence of traditional style housing.

CONCLUSIONS

The data presented in this appendix provide useful comparisons between the United States and its current and previous Insular Areas. While the series continues comparative data from previous State of the Islands reports, we hope that the direction set here will continue, and that we will be able to provide more comparative data in future years.

This first summary of preliminary data from the 1995 censuses and surveys, while illustrative, will be more useful in the 1997 State of the Islands report when the data have been edited and tabulated. With OIA financial and technical assistance, the insular areas have been able to obtain mid-decade statistical information for the first time. Unlike in the 1980s, when areas had to continue to use 1980 Census data for planning, in the late 1990s, relatively current data will be available for both public and private sector planning and policy formation. Since all of the areas continue to have formidable migration streams, these data will prove especially useful.