Eastern District

Eastern District encompasses the eastern portion of Tutuila island plus Aunu'u, containing 34 villages and the territorial capital area with 23,030 residents (2010). This district hosts Pago Pago Harbor—one of the finest natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific—and the StarKist tuna cannery that dominates American Samoan economic life. The cannery processes over 100,000 tons of tuna annually, producing 500 million cans and generating 1 in 4 cans of shelf-stable tuna sold in the US. With 2,450 employees (25% of total workforce) representing 83.8% of private-sector jobs, Eastern District's economy exhibits extreme single-employer dependency. The harbor's geographic advantage—deep water sheltered by volcanic ridges—created path-dependent industrial concentration: once StarKist established operations, supporting infrastructure and labor pools accumulated. Yet the fishing fleet has contracted from 50+ vessels to 26, and global competition from Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia with lower labor costs threatens the cannery's viability. Federal fiscal year 2024 revenues fell short at $139.2 million amid these economic constraints. The five counties—Ituau, Ma'oputasi, Sa'ole, Sua, and Vaifanua—maintain traditional matai governance within villages even as industrial employment structures daily life. Eastern District's dense concentration contrasts with westward population migration toward Tafuna's urbanizing zone.