native hawaiians and other pacific islanders numbered 427,810 in 2008, or 0.1% of the population. additionally, nearly as many individuals identify as having partial native hawaiian ancestry, for a total of 829,949 people of full or part native hawaiian ancestry. this group constitutes the smallest minority in the united states. more than half identify as "full-blooded", but historically most native hawaiians on the island chain of hawaii are believed to have admixture with asian and european ancestries. but, the census takes reporting by individuals as to how they identify.