American Samoa

Economy & income

Currency: US Dollar (USD, $) — US unincorporated territory, no local currency
~1 per USD (fixed, it IS the USD)
GDP per capita: ~$871M nominal total GDP (BEA, 2022; real GDP +1.8% in 2022) → roughly $17,000–18,500 per capita (derived, pop ~47–49k)
~$11,200 PPP per capita (CIA World Factbook, 2016 est., dated)
Average salary: ~$1,900 gross/mo (wage.is, 2026)
median HOUSEHOLD income $28,352/yr ≈ ~$2,360/mo per household (US Census 2020, 2019 income)
Median salary: n/a for individuals — Census reports household not personal medians
median household income $28,352/yr (US Census 2020)
Samoan-householder median $27,680/yr
Minimum wage: Industry-specific federal minimums (not occupation-based)
~$6.26/hr for most industries (US DOL, eff. 30 Sep 2024) ≈ ~$1,085/mo at 40h/wk
ASG govt employees $7.25/hr
+$0.40/hr every 3 yrs (next rise 2027)
Cost of living: Medium–High for goods (import-dependent island; ocean freight inflates prices) against low incomes
poverty rate 54.6% of persons (US Census 2020, 2019 data)
Numbeo has NO dedicated American Samoa dataset — territory too small (flag)

Digital landscape

Population: 46.4 thousand (Jan 2025, DataReportal)
declining −1.6% YoY (−752 people)
Internet users: 37.2% (~17.3k users, Jan 2025)
+7.0% YoY
62.8% still offline
Social media users: 63.3% (~29.4k identities, Jan 2025)
52.2% female / 47.8% male
+4.8% YoY
Mobile connections: 53.8k cellular connections = 116% of population (100% 3G/4G/5G coverage)
Devices: mobile ~63.3% / desktop ~36.7% (StatCounter, Jun 2026)
tablet negligible
Ad spend: n/a — DataReportal publishes no ad-spend figures for American Samoa
market too small and typically folded into US digital ad buys
digital ad spend n/a
Top social platforms: Facebook — dominant — the community 'town square', bulk of the ~29.4k social identities

YouTube

Instagram

TikTok — fast-growing; short-video +~86% YoY per trade press

Facebook Messenger

X/Twitter — StatCounter web-referral share ~35% likely inflated vs real usage
Messengers: Facebook Messenger (dominant, tied to Facebook)
iMessage / FaceTime (heavy — ~98% of phones are iPhones)
WhatsApp (diaspora & Pacific contacts)
Viber (minor)
NOTE: NO mobile-money (M-Pesa-style) — USD economy on US banking rails

Ad regulations

Gambling & betting Banned

BANNED — all gambling illegal in American Samoa (no casinos, lottery, or sports betting); no gaming commission; bingo is exempt/permitted (American Samoa Code Annotated Title 46, Ch. 43)

Crypto Allowed

ALLOWED — no territorial crypto statute (the Fono has passed none); US federal overlay applies (FinCEN MSB registration/BSA, SEC for securities-tokens, CFTC, OFAC sanctions); ASG Dept. of Treasury issues territorial Money Services Business licenses; no sandbox; regulators have warned on scams (e.g. BG Wealth)

Adult Restricted

RESTRICTED — US federal obscenity law applies via the territory; deeply conservative Christian society (~98% Christian) makes adult creative culturally taboo though not device-blocked

Dating Allowed

ALLOWED — no specific restriction; mainstream apps function, but the pool is tiny, close-knit and conservative (community overlap is high)

Finance & loans Restricted

RESTRICTED — US federal consumer-finance rules apply; local banking is thin (Territorial Bank of American Samoa is the main bank after ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank exited in 2022); credit cards cannot be issued on-island — residents must apply off-island

Nutra & pharma Restricted

RESTRICTED — US FDA & FTC jurisdiction covers the territory; drug and supplement claims are federally regulated; no separate local approval regime

Regulators

No dedicated local advertising regulator
US FTC/FDA hold nominal jurisdiction
local oversight via American Samoa Government (ASG) Attorney General and Depts. of Commerce & Treasury

Notes

US unincorporated territory — US federal law generally applies but enforcement is remote and light
the conservative, church-centered fa'a Samoa culture is in practice the strongest content filter

Payments & behaviour

Payment methods: Cash (dominant, especially small vendors)
Visa / Mastercard debit & credit (hotels, larger retailers)
Paper checks (still widely used)
Bank transfer / ACH
NO mobile-money — M-Pesa-style wallets are absent (USD / US banking economy)
E-wallets: PayPal (online purchases)
Cash App / Venmo (US apps; diaspora remittances)
Apple Pay (large iOS base)
Zelle (via US banks)
Cash on delivery: Classic e-commerce COD is NOT established
local informal sales are cash-on-pickup
Does not fit the typical Tier-3 COD model
E-commerce: Very low — US retailers (Amazon, eBay, Walmart) ship but ocean freight is slow and costly
many route parcels via relatives in Hawaii/mainland
no local marketplaces of scale
Notes: USD economy on US banking rails
credit cards can't be issued on-island (must go off-island to obtain one)
inbound remittances from the diaspora (Hawaii, California, NZ) are economically significant

Audience & culture

Languages: Samoan (~90.9% speak it; primary language of home, culture & daily life)
English (co-official; ~45% of non-English speakers speak it 'very well'); 96.7% speak a non-English language at home (US Census 2020)
Religion: ~98.3% Christian (Protestant 59.5%, Catholic 19.7%, other Christian 19.2% — Pew)
strong Congregational Christian Church (CCCAS), Catholic, Methodist & LDS presence
Median age: 27.7 years (US Census 2020)
29.0 years (DataReportal, Jan 2025)
Key seasons: Flag Day (17 Apr — the biggest national holiday, week of festivities)
White Sunday / Lotu Tamaiti (Oct — children's day, major family event)
Christmas & New Year
US federal holidays (Thanksgiving, 4 July)
Back-to-school (Aug)
Cultural notes: fa'a Samoa (the Samoan way): church- and aiga (extended-family)-centered, communal, modest and conservative
Facebook is the de-facto community noticeboard
American football & rugby are culturally huge
dense diaspora ties and remittances shape spending
Where to find creators: Facebook (community & church pages/groups)
TikTok (fast-growing)
YouTube
Instagram
Diaspora Samoan creators (US/NZ)

Media landscape

Top media outlets

1 Samoa News (samoanews.com) English/Samoan — the main daily newspaper & news site; largest local outlet, Pago Pago
2 Talanei (talanei.com) English/Samoan — widely-read online news service / independent journalist network
3 KVZK-TV Samoan/English — government-run television (local news on Channel 2); est. 1964
4 KKHJ-FM 93.1 (Showers of Blessings) English/Samoan — leading commercial radio station
5 WVUV-FM / V103 Samoan/English — local commercial radio
6 RNZ Pacific (Radio New Zealand) English — regional broadcaster with strong American Samoa coverage (external but influential)

Top YouTube channels

1 The Katinas n/a (small) Samoan-American gospel/CCM group of brothers from Pago Pago — most notable AS music act; verified sub count not published
2 Heart of Worship Ministry American Samoa ~<5K local church worship channel
3 Sons of Samoa ~<20K Samoan music channel (diaspora/regional)
4 KVZK-TV n/a government TV; minimal/no dedicated YouTube presence
5 Samoa News n/a (small) outlet's video/social clips; not a major YouTube channel

Creators & public figures

Top creators

D

Drew Afualo ~8.1M TikTok (~1M Instagram)

TikTokSamoan-American commentary creator (calls out misogyny); strong Gen-Z/women reach — brand & podcast deals

Parris Goebel ~1.5M Instagram

InstagramSamoan (NZ) choreographer/dancer — worked with Rihanna, J.Lo, BLACKPINK; dance & Pacific-culture content

T

The Katinas ~n/a (niche)

YouTubeGospel/CCM group of brothers from Pago Pago; faith-music audience & touring

Beulah Koale ~150K Instagram

InstagramSamoan actor (Hawaii Five-0, 'Thank You for Your Service'); entertainment/culture — mostly diaspora

Celebrities

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ~382M Instagram

Actor/producer & ex-WWE; Samoan heritage — his Anoaʻi/Maivia family traces to American Samoa (grandfather High Chief Peter Maivia)

Tulsi Gabbard ~5M+ across X/Instagram

Politician; born in Leloaloa, Tutuila, American Samoa; US Director of National Intelligence 2025–2026 (resigned Jun 2026); ex-US Rep. (Hawaii)

Roman Reigns (Joe Anoaʻi) ~10M+ Instagram

WWE superstar; member of the Anoaʻi wrestling dynasty with American Samoa roots

Marcus Mariota ~500K Instagram

NFL quarterback (Washington Commanders); 2014 Heisman winner; Samoan heritage

Tua Tagovailoa ~1.5M Instagram

NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins); Samoan heritage

J

Jaiyah Saelua ~50K+ Instagram

Footballer for American Samoa's national team; first openly faʻafafine/transgender player in a FIFA World Cup qualifier (subject of film 'Next Goal Wins')

Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen ~n/a

US House Delegate for American Samoa (since 2015); the territory's non-voting member of Congress

Affiliate & traffic

Hot verticals: E-commerce / US dropship (to diaspora & on-island buyers)
Mobile apps & games (iOS-first)
Sweepstakes / US CPL (note: real-money gambling banned locally)
Remittances & fintech (diaspora-driven)
Nutra (US-FDA-compliant only)
Dating
Active networks: No AS-specific networks — traffic runs through US programs
CJ Affiliate / Rakuten / Impact (as US geo)
ClickBank
MaxBounty / CPAlead (where US territories are accepted)
Meta & Google ad platforms
Payouts: USD / US-territory → offers can pay US-level CPA/CPL WHEN American Samoa is accepted
BUT many US advertisers geo-fence to '50 states + DC' and EXCLUDE territories, so AS clicks/leads are frequently scrubbed or rejected
Treat as US-adjacent with high exclusion risk — Tier-3 volume, US-ish payout only if accepted
Competition: Negligible dedicated competition
not a standalone media-buying geo (~46k people and shrinking)
Seasonality: Follows the US retail calendar (Q4 holidays, back-to-school in Aug)
local spike around Flag Day (Apr)
Traffic sources: Meta / Facebook Ads
Google & YouTube
TikTok
Rarely targeted alone — usually bundled into 'US' or 'Pacific/ROW' buys

Good to know

Capital: Pago Pago
Major cities: Pago Pago
Tafuna (largest urban area)
Nuʻuuli
Leone
Faleniu
Fagatogo (legislative/commercial seat)
Time zones: UTC−11 (Samoa Standard Time, SST)
no DST
single time zone
NOTE: 24h behind independent Samoa (UTC+13) despite being neighbors
Android vs iOS: 98%

Android 2% iOS 98%
Phone brands: Apple / iPhone (~overwhelming, ~98% iOS)
Samsung (small)
Other Android (marginal)
Top e-commerce: Amazon (US ships in; slow/pricey freight)
eBay
Walmart.com
US retailers routed via Hawaii/mainland relatives
Facebook Marketplace (local buy/sell)
Peak activity: Evenings ~7–11pm SST and Sundays after church; remember SST = UTC−11 (very late relative to US mainland/advertiser clocks)
Creative taboos: Respect Christianity/church and faʻa Samoa
keep creative modest (avoid overt sexual/adult content)
gambling is banned
don't disrespect the matai (chief) system, the aiga/family, or Samoan customs
Also worth knowing: NOT a typical Tier-3: USD, US banking, iOS-dominant, no mobile-money or COD — behaves like a tiny isolated US micro-market, so US-style compliance and creatives apply.
Biggest affiliate risk is US advertisers geo-fencing to '50 states + DC' and EXCLUDING territories — AS traffic is frequently scrubbed/rejected.
Population is small (~46k) and declining with a large overseas diaspora, so remittance/fintech and diaspora-targeted plays often beat on-island volume.