2019 Population Rank
2019 Growth Rate
Hawaii Square Miles
State Capital
Statehood Year
Red/Blue
Abbreviation
Based on the most recent estimates released by the US Census, we estimate the 2019 population of Hawaii at 1.42 million.
At the 2010 census the population of Hawaii was declared at a total of 1,360,301. Estimates of the population are produced in the years between censuses - and in 2015, this number had risen to 1,431,603.
This represents a 5.2% increase from the 1.36 million recorded during the 2010 Census.
There are eight major islands in Hawaii. Oahu is the largest, with a population of 953,207.
Next largest is Hawaii itself, holding 186,738 people, followed closely by Maui (144,444). The only other island with a sizeable population is Kauai (pop 66,921). The remaining islands are Molokai (7,345), Lanai (3,135), Niihau (170) and Kahoolawe (unpopulated).
Honolulu is the largest city and the largest county in Hawaii, home to an estimated 350,399 of Oahu's people in the city itself. The county of Honolulu contains nearly 1 million residents, however. There are no other cities with more than 50,000 people. The next largest city is Pearl City, which is home to 47,698 people.
Based on the most recent estimates, Hawaii is the 40th largest state in the union. Although small in terms of its population, Hawaii is big in terms of one area of census statistics – population density. In total, the islands make up 10,931 square miles (28,311 square kilometers) in surface area, which makes its density 222.9 people per square mile. This ranks it 13th in the US in population density.
The median age in Hawaii is approximately 38.5 years of age, and the state has a slight gender gap with 49.8% females and 50.2% males residing in the state.
In religious terms, Hawaii stands at 63% Christianity based faiths, 10% non-Christian based faiths, and 26% unaffiliated to any particular faith.
Hawaii was an independent nation prior to being annexed by the United States in 1898; it was made a territory in 1900. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii was admitted as a State and assumed its present boundaries, omitting certain small islands formerly included in the territory.
Census coverage has included the whole of Hawaii since 1900. The Hawaiian government conducted at least 9 censuses between 1850 and 1898.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Hawaii was:
Although Hawaii only became a US state in 1959, there are population statistics dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1900, the total number of citizens living on the islands was declared at 154,001 and just ten years later that had risen by 24.6% to 191,874.
The US census of 1960 was the first to include Hawaii in its statistics and by that point, the population had grown to 632,772, a 26.6% increase from the 1950 findings. From that stage, the numbers have continued to increase but the percentage increase decade by decade has slowed down. The 2010 figures represented a rise of 12.3% from the 2000 Census numbers.
Hawaii has a healthy gap between birth and death rates and, when figures in this respect were released in 2005, they showed a net gain of 48,111 new Hawaiians in the five years from 2000. Net migration is also a contributory factor and using those figures in 2005 once again, they showed a gain of 16,956 new citizens compared to the statistics from 2000.
Although the growth rate has slowed, it is projected that the population will continue to rise at a rate around 1% for the foreseeable future, with the population crossing the 1,500,000 mark by 2020 with Oahu growing at the slowest rate and the Big Island growing at the fastest.
Population Data via US Census
Year | Pop | % Change |
2020 | 1,412,687 | -0.28% |
2019 | 1,416,589 | -0.27% |
2018 | 1,420,491 | -0.26% |
2017 | 1,424,203 | -0.27% |
2016 | 1,428,105 | 0.40% |
2015 | 1,422,484 | 0.54% |
2014 | 1,414,862 | 0.46% |
2013 | 1,408,453 | 0.97% |
2012 | 1,394,905 | 1.13% |
2011 | 1,379,252 | 1.12% |
2010 | 1,363,963 | 1.19% |
2000 | 1,211,537 | 0.90% |
1990 | 1,108,229 | 1.40% |
1980 | 964,691 | 2.30% |
1970 | 768,561 | 1.96% |
1960 | 632,772 | 2.39% |
1950 | 499,794 | 1.67% |
1940 | 423,330 | 1.40% |
1930 | 368,336 | 3.71% |
1920 | 255,912 | 2.92% |
1910 | 191,909 | 2.23% |
1900 | 154,001 | 0.00% |
When breaking down population growth by county, it is easy to evaluate the data of Hawaii, as there are few counties within this state. Based on a comparison of data from the 2010 Census and estimates taken five years later by the US Census Bureau, it is shown that all of Hawaii's counties have shown continued population growth.
Kauai saw the highest rate of growth during this period, with an increase of 6.73%. This is followed by Maui County, with a population increase of 6.23%, Hawaii County with a growth of 5.99%, and Honolulu County posting 4.43% growth from 2010 to 2015.
Race | Population | Percentage |
Asian | 540,556 | 38.02% |
White | 357,308 | 25.13% |
Two or More Races | 338,498 | 23.81% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 142,600 | 10.03% |
Black or African American | 25,884 | 1.82% |
Some Other Race | 14,056 | 0.99% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,756 | 0.19% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
All | 455,502 | 3.02 | 58.1 |
Married | 236,549 | 3.67 | 66.5 |
Non Family | 137,738 | 1.34 | 47.4 |
Female | 55,296 | 4.04 | 50.8 |
Male | 25,919 | 3.95 | 53.5 |
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
Less Than 9th Grade | 37,347 | 3.79% |
9th to 12th Grade | 45,113 | 4.58% |
High School Graduate | 273,162 | 27.75% |
Some College | 210,452 | 21.38% |
Associates Degree | 102,896 | 10.45% |
Bachelors Degree | 209,097 | 21.24% |
Graduate Degree | 106,253 | 10.79% |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 96.75%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 45.33%.
$40,239
Average Earnings
$45,249
Average Male
$34,939
Average Female
74.16% of Hawaii residents speak only English, while 25.84% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 22.16% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
Multiple | 331,303 | 37,081 | 11.19% |
Asian | 532,027 | 35,409 | 6.66% |
Islander | 139,062 | 31,303 | 22.51% |
White | 302,941 | 29,278 | 9.66% |
Hispanic | 140,348 | 19,850 | 14.14% |
Black | 23,024 | 2,535 | 11.01% |
Other | 12,873 | 1,459 | 11.33% |
Native | 2,604 | 644 | 24.73% |
10.35%
Overall Poverty Rate
9.48%
Male Poverty Rate
11.21%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Hawaii is Native, with 24.73% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Hawaii is Asian, with 6.66% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.60%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.23%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.56%.
49.8%
Overall Marriage Rate
50.5%
Male Marriage Rate
49.2%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
White | 41,921 | 15.26% |
Asian | 33,800 | 7.34% |
2 or More | 15,742 | 7.54% |
Hispanic | 7,839 | 9.34% |
Hawaiian | 7,414 | 7.26% |
Black | 5,919 | 38.14% |
Other | 1,496 | 14.83% |
Indian | 338 | 14.70% |
6.43%
Veteran Poverty Rate
24.14%
Veteran Disability Rate
65.1%
Labor Force Participation
58.6%
Employment Rate
4.9%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
81.94%
Native Born
18.06%
Foreign Born
7.60%
Non Citizen
81.94% of Hawaii residents were born in the United States, with 53.66% having been born in Hawaii. 7.60% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.