Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii
Template:Short description Template:DMCA Template:DMCA Script error: No such module "Template wrapper".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Hawaiʻi County (Template:Langx; officially known as the County of Hawaiʻi) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coextensive with the Island of Hawaiʻi, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. The 2020 Census population was 200,629.[1] The county seat is Hilo. There are no incorporated cities in Hawaiʻi County (see list of counties in Hawaii). The Hilo Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Hawaiʻi County. Hawaiʻi County has a mayor–council form of government. In terms of geography, Hawaiʻi County is the most expansive county in the state and the most southerly county in the United States.
The mayor of Hawaiʻi County is Kimo Alameda, who took office in 2024. Legislative authority is vested in the nine-member Hawaiʻi County Council.
Hawaiʻi County is one of seven counties in the United States to share the same name as the state they are in (the other six are Arkansas County, Idaho County, Iowa County, New York County, Oklahoma County, and Utah County).[2]
Geography
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Hawaiʻi County has a total area of 5,086.70 square miles (13,174.5 km2); 4,028.02 square miles (10,432.5 km2) is land and 1,058.69 square miles (2,742.0 km2) is water[3] (mostly all off the ocean shoreline but counted in the total area by the U.S. Census Bureau). The county's land area comprises 62.7 percent of the state's land area. It is the highest percentage by any county in the United States. (Delaware's Sussex County comes in second at 48.0 percent, while Rhode Island's Providence County is third at 39.55 percent.)
Major highways
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
- Template:Jct
Adjacent county
- Maui County - northwest
Demographics
Page Template:US Census population/styles.css has no content.
| Census | Pop. | Template:Sronly | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 46,843 | — | |
| 1910 | 55,382 | 18.2% | |
| 1920 | 64,895 | 17.2% | |
| 1930 | 73,325 | 13.0% | |
| 1940 | 73,276 | −0.1% | |
| 1950 | 68,350 | −6.7% | |
| 1960 | 61,332 | −10.3% | |
| 1970 | 63,468 | 3.5% | |
| 1980 | 92,053 | 45.0% | |
| 1990 | 120,317 | 30.7% | |
| 2000 | 148,677 | 23.6% | |
| 2010 | 185,079 | 24.5% | |
| 2020 | 200,629 | 8.4% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 210,043 | [4] Increase | 4.7% |
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | 2020[5] | 2010[6] | 2000[7] | 1990[8] | 1980[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 32.2% (64,688) |
31.2% (57,831) |
29.7% (44,223) |
36.9% (44,421) |
32% (29,501) |
| Black alone (NH) | 0.6% (1,159) |
0.5% (899) |
0.4% (602) |
0.5% (566) |
0.3% (258) |
| American Indian alone (NH) | 0.3% (649) |
0.3% (586) |
0.3% (476) |
0.5% (661) |
0.3% (286) |
| Asian alone (NH) | 19.1% (38,351) |
21.4% (39,588) |
25.8% (38,378) |
52.5% (63,185) |
58.1% (53,449) |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 13.1% (26,185) |
11.3% (20,970) |
10.6% (15,691) | ||
| Other race alone (NH) | 0.5% (1,000) |
0.2% (281) |
0.2% (265) |
0.3% (350) |
0.3% (298) |
| Multiracial (NH) | 23.1% (46,322) |
23.5% (43,541) |
23.5% (34,931) |
— | — |
| Hispanic/Latino (any race) | 11.1% (22,275) |
11.6% (21,383) |
9.5% (14,111) |
9.3% (11,134) |
9% (8,261) |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 200,629, 73,021 households, and 88,691 housing units.[10] Of the residents, 20.9% were under the age of 18 and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.3 years, with men being 43.6 and women being 45.[10] For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.9 males.[10] 40.5% of residents lived in urban areas and 59.5% lived in rural areas.[11]
The racial makeup of the county was 33.6% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 19.7% Asian, 14.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 29.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.1% of the population.[12]
There were 73,021 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10] There were 88,691 housing units, of which 17.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.5% were owner-occupied and 30.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.[10] The most commonly reported ancestries were Native Hawaiian (29.6%), Filipino (20.8%), Japanese (16.9%), German (13.1%), English (12.5%), and Irish (11.9%).[13]
2010 census
As of 2010[update], the island had a resident population of 185,079.[14] There were 64,382 households in the county. The population density was 17.7/km2 (46/mi2). There were 82,324 housing units at an average density of 8/km2 (21/mi2). The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White, 29.2% from two or more races, 22.6% Asian, 12.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and 0.7% African American; 11.8% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. The largest ancestry groups were:
Page Template:Div col/styles.css has no content.
- 9.8% Japanese
- 9.6% German
- 8.6% Filipino
- 8.5% Native Hawaiian
- 8.3% Portuguese
- 6.9% Irish
- 5.7% English
- 5.1% Puerto Rican
- 3.2% Mexican
- 2.5% French
- 2.2% Italian
- 1.9% Spanish
- 1.7% Scottish
- 1.5% Scotch-Irish
- 1.5% Swedish
- 1.1% Polish
- 1.1% Dutch
- 1.0% Norwegian
There were 64,382 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a woman whose husband did not live with her, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.24.
The age distribution was 26.1% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98 males.
41.3% of the people on Hawaii island are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion. 18.4% are Catholic; 3.7% are of another Christian faith; 5.1% are LDS; 5.0% are of an Eastern faith; 0.1% are Muslim.[citation needed]
Government and infrastructure
Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot
County government
Page Module:Message box/ambox.css has no content.
[[File:Template:Ambox globe current red|42px|link=|alt=]] | This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. The reason given is: Redistricted 2011 and expected to redistrict again late 2021. (September 2021) |
Executive authority is vested in the mayor of Hawaiʻi County, who is elected for a four-year term. Since 2004, the election by the voters has been on a nonpartisan basis. In 2024, Kimo Alameda was elected mayor, defeating Mitch Roth in the general election.[15] Legislative authority is vested in a nine-member County Council. Members of the County Council are elected on a nonpartisan basis to two-year terms from single-member districts.[16] As of December 2016, Hawaiʻi County Council has a female supermajority for the first time, with six women and three men.[17]
Administrative districts were originally based on the traditional land divisions called Moku of Ancient Hawaii. Some more heavily populated districts have since been split into North and South districts to make them more comparable on a population basis.
The number following each district is the Tax Map Key (TMK) number, used to locate state property information. They are assigned in a counter-clockwise order beginning on the eastern side of the island.[18]
| Nr. | District | Area mi2 |
Population 2000 |
moku | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puna | 499.45 | 31,335 | Puna | 
|
| 2 | South Hilo | 394.38 | 47,386 | Hilo | |
| 3 | North Hilo | 370.65 | 1,720 | Hilo | |
| 4 | Hāmākua | 580.50 | 6,108 | Hāmākua | |
| 5 | North Kohala | 132.92 | 6,038 | Kohala | |
| 6 | South Kohala | 351.72 | 13,131 | Kohala | |
| 7 | North Kona | 489.01 | 28,543 | Kona | |
| 8 | South Kona | 335.38 | 8,589 | Kona | |
| 9 | Kaʻū | 922.22 | 5,827 | Kaʻū | |
| Hawaiʻi County | 4028.02 | 148,677 | 6 moku |
County council districts do not directly match the property tax districts because of the variation in the population density of voters in urban areas to rural areas; Hilo & Kailua (Kailua-Kona) towns are densely populated areas, while other districts such as Kaʻū, Puna, Hāmākua, and North & South Kohala are more sparsely populated.[19]
Several government functions are administered at the county level that are at the state or municipal level in other states. For example, the county has its own office of liquor control.[20]
Template:U.S. GovHead Template:U.S. GovRow Template:U.S. GovRow Template:U.S. GovRow Template:U.S. GovRow Template:U.S. GovFoot
State government
Hawaii Department of Public Safety previously operated the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hawaiʻi County, on the Island of Hawaii.[21] In 2009, the Hawaii Department of Public Safety announced that Kulani Correctional Facility would close.[22]
Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Localities
Census-designated places
Page Template:Div col/styles.css has no content.
- ʻĀinaloa
- Black Sands
- Captain Cook
- Discovery Harbour
- Eden Roc
- Fern Acres
- Fern Forest
- Halaʻula
- Hawaiian Acres
- Hawaiian Beaches
- Hawaiian Ocean View
- Hawaiian Paradise Park
- Hāwī
- Hilo
- Hōlualoa
- Honalo
- Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo
- Honokaʻa
- Honomū
- Kahaluʻu-Keauhou
- Kailua
- Kaiminani
- Kalapana
- Kaloko
- Kamāʻili
- Kapaʻau
- Keaʻau
- Kealakekua
- Kukuihaele
- Kurtistown
- Laupāhoehoe
- Leilani Estates
- Mountain View
- Nāʻālehu
- Nānāwale Estates
- Orchidlands Estates
- Paʻauilo
- Pāhala
- Pāhoa
- Pāpaʻikou
- Paukaʻa
- Pepeʻekeo
- Puakō
- Royal Hawaiian Estates
- Seaview
- Tiki Gardens
- Volcano
- Volcano Golf Course
- Waikoloa Beach Resort
- Waikoloa Village
- Waimea (Kamuela)
- Wainaku
- Waiʻōhinu
Other communities
Page Template:Div col/styles.css has no content.
National protected areas
- Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
- Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
- Kona Forest National Wildlife Refuge
- Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
- Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site
State protected areas
- Puʻuwaʻawaʻa State Forest Reserve. 37,600 acres state park overseen by the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).[23]
- Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Forest Bird Sanctuary.[24]
- Upper Waiākea Forest Reserve. 53,214 acre reserve designated October 13, 1913.[25]
- 180 acre Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.[26]
Economy
Top employers
According to the county's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[27] the top employers in the county are the following:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State of Hawaii | 16,700 |
| 2 | Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi Campus | 3,380 |
| 3 | Hawaiʻi County | 2,800 |
| 4 | United States Government | 1,300 |
| 5 | Mauna Kea Beach Hotel | 1,100 |
| 6 | Four Seasons Resort Hualalai | 1,003 |
| 7 | KTA Super Stores | 900 |
| 8 | Hilton Waikoloa Village | 850 |
| 9 | The Fairmont Orchid | 560 |
| 10 | Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort | 259 |
Education
The Hawaii State Department of Education operates public schools in Hawaiʻi County.[28]
Sister cities
Hawaiʻi County's sister cities, counties and islands are:[29]
Page Template:Div col/styles.css has no content.
- Template:Flagicon Cabugao, Philippines (2017)
- Template:Flagicon Gokseong County, South Korea (2011)
- Template:Flagicon Hatsukaichi, Japan (2024)
- Template:Flagicon Hualien County, Taiwan (1971)
- Template:Flagicon Kumejima Island, Japan (2011)
- Template:Flagicon Nago, Japan (1986)
- Template:Flagicon Ormoc, Philippines (2011)
- Template:Flagicon Izu Ōshima Island, Japan (1962)
- Template:Flagicon Réunion Island, France (2012)
- Template:Flagicon La Serena, Chile (1994)
- Template:Flagicon Shibukawa, Japan (1997) [originally Ikaho]
- Template:Flagicon Sumoto, Japan (2000)
- Template:Flagicon Yurihama, Japan (1996) [originally Hawai-cho]
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."HAWAII: 2020 Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kane, Joseph Nathan; Aiken, Charles Curry (2005). The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and Population Data, 1950-2000. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5036-1.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE (2020)". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE (2010)". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hawaii: 2000 (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 12–13.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hawaii: 1990. U.S. Census Bureau. p. 7.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.General Social and Economic Characteristics: Hawaii (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 18.
- ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census". census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hawaii County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Office of the Mayor". official web site. County of Hawaii. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hawaiʻi County Council". official web site. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lauer, Nancy Cook. "Poindexter tabbed to be council chairwoman; Will lead first female super majority council in county's history". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ Hawaiʻi County: 2000[permanent dead link]
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hawaii County Council". official web site. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Office of Liquor Control". Hawaiʻi County web site. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
- ^ "Kulani Correctional Facility." Hawaii Department of Public Safety. Retrieved on September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Closure of Kulani Saves $2.8M Annually; Facility to Help At-Risk Youth." Hawaii Department of Public Safety. July 2009. Retrieved on September 30, 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Reserve". Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Forestry Program. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Bird Sanctuary". Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Forestry Program. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Upper Waiākea Forest Reserve". Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Forestry Program. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park". Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Forestry Program. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sako, Deanna. "Annual Comprehensive Financial Report 2021". records.hawaiicounty.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Geography Division (December 21, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Hawaii County, HI (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."County of Hawaiʻi Official Sister Cities". County of Hawaii. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
External links
Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.
Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 404: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
- Official Hawaiʻi County website
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Economic background from the Revision of the Hawaii County General Plan
- Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons
Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.
