Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The manufacturing sector is the largest sector in the American Samoa economy followed closely by retail trade.

The Economic Census of Island Areas shows the diversity of industries among the U.S. islands’ economies. Some islands depend heavily on tourism-related industries while none are more reliant on manufacturing than America Samoa.

The 2022 Economic Census recently released detailed industry data on the unique economic characteristics of each U.S. territory. Conducted every five years (for years ending in ‘2’ and ‘7’), the Economic Census of Island Areas is the major source of statistics about the structure and functioning of the economies of each Island Area.

Key data included in the release: sales, value of shipments or revenue; employment characteristics; and geographic concentration of establishments by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

The Economic Census only includes businesses with paid employees.

Here are some highlights from the new data.

AMERICAN SAMOA

Manufacturing was the NAICS sector in American Samoa with the largest sales ($403.4 million), followed closely by Retail Trade ($393.5 million).

Establishments in Manufacturing reported payroll per employee of $13,584 in 2022. The average payroll per employee across All Sectors (NAICS 00) was $18,223.

Establishments in Manufacturing reported revenue per employee of $163,780 in 2022. The average revenue per employee across All Sectors (NAICS 00) was $160,009.

Establishments in the Manufacturing (NAICS 31•33) sector in American Samoa reported average revenue per establishment of $10.62 million in 2022. The average revenue per establishment across All Sectors (NAICS 00) was $2.43 million.

(See chart for more information) 

GUAM

The Construction sector, the third-largest employer in Guam, saw the largest increase in employment between 2017 and 2022.

Construction was also the third largest sector by sales ($1.46 billion).

Guam had 5,501 employees in the Construction sector, according to the 2017 Economic Census, and 6,774 employees in 2022, a 23.1% increase.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

The Retail Trade sector in the U.S. Virgin Islands had the most employees (5,287), followed closely by Accommodation and Food Services (5,140).

By sales, Retail Trade was also the largest ($1.52 billion) but Accommodation and Food Services ($536 million) was only fifth largest in 2022.

CNMI

The Economic Census of Island Areas also produces statistics by county-equivalent geographies. These statistics highlight the significance of Saipan to the economy of the CNMI. In 2022, 1,425 of the 1,523 establishments in CNMI were in the municipality of Saipan.