Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety—
Economy—
Housing—
Health83#541/3,144
Healthcare27#2,297/3,143
Environment—
Education86#426/3,144
Infrastructure68#1,007/3,144
Community60#1,250/3,144
Leisure & amenities—

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kalawao County, Hawaii ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New business applications · high48.8 /1k
100/100Hawaii 13.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census Bureau
Public transit commuters · high14.3%
100/100Hawaii 3.8%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Frequent mental distress · low13.7%
100/100Hawaii 16.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Depression · low14.2%
100/100Hawaii 17.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Access to exercise opportunities · high100.0%
99/100Hawaii 92.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Hawaii 3.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high2,361 mi
0/100Hawaii 2,391 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
Mental health providers · low0 /100k
1/100Hawaii 324 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Public libraries · low0.0 /10k
1/100Hawaii 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library Services
Severe housing problems · high0.0%
1/100Hawaii 26.1%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Natural hazard risk · high98.9
1/100Hawaii 93.22025Federal Emergency Management Agency
Primary care physicians · low0 /100k
1/100Hawaii 87 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Average commute timeWorsening
5.1 min (2015-2019) → 16.8 min (2020-2024)
+230%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Some collegeWorsening
67.1% (2016-2020) → 32.0% (2019-2023)
−35 pts3 yearsUS 66.9% → 67.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.7% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drought exposureWorsening
13% (2021) → 33% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+19 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
25.0 /1k (2020) → 48.8 /1k (2025)
+95%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
5.9% (2015-2019) → 20.8% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Kalawao County, Hawaii improved on 2 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 4 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved2

New businesses+95%25.0 /1k → 48.8 /1k
Real income+31%$46,955 → $61,694

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Kalawao County, Hawaii between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Broadband subscriptions	66.7%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+23 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Distance to an airport	41 mi2020	41 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
High school diploma or higher	90.3%2015-2019	80.6%2020-2024	−9.7 points	Within the margin of error	0%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,9552019	$61,6942024	+31%	Improved	48%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3122015-2019	0.2832020-2024	−0.029	Within the margin of error	88%
New business applications	25.0 /1k2020	48.8 /1k2025	+95%	Improved	90%
Rent as share of income	13.2%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3133 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3144 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Counties like Kalawao County, Hawaii five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kalawao County, Hawaii in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Kalawao County, Hawaii itself moved +0.3 points in standing on average over the same 13 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

67 residents (±25)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 men (−22.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

67 residents (±25)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

White19%†13
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino13%†9

Education

67 residents (±25)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

No high school diploma19%†13
High school or GED31%†21
Some college24%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

40 households (±24)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

Under $25k5.0%†2
$25k–50k30%†12
$50k–75k15%†6
$75k–100k45%†18
$100k–150k0.0%0
$150k–200k5.0%†2
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−15.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

40 households (±24)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

Own0.0%0
Rent100%†40

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

24 households (±24)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

Under $75013%†3
$750–1,00033%†8
$1,000–1,50050%†12

Age of homes

107 homes (±24)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

2010 or later2.8%†3
2000–20093.7%†4
1980–199912%†13

Size of homes

107 homes (±24)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

Studio3.7%†4
1 bedroom36%39
2 bedrooms43%46

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

49 workers (±30)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

Drive alone59%†29
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit14%†7
Walk20%†10
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.1%†3
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

46 workers (±29)

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Hawaii share

Under 15 min85%†39
15–29 min0.0%0
30–44 min0.0%0

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Kahului-Wailuku, HI

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes no business patterns for Kalawao County, Hawaii.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.2M on contracts performed in Kalawao County, Hawaii: $14,047 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $1.2M; −58% vs FY2025
Per resident: $14,047; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 55%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Park Service$1.2M100%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

809KFY2017
389KFY2018
511.3KFY2019
756.3KFY2020
566.6KFY2021
1.5MFY2022
16.4MFY2023
1.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$521.6K45%
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying · 2123$142K12%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$127K11%
Utility system construction · 2371$114K9.9%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$84.3K7.3%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$58.9K

Largest awards

REHABILITATE UNSAFE AND FAILING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR SETTLEMENT, KALAUPAPA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, KALA-217676$16.5M
TDX POWER SERVICES LLC· Kalawao County, HI· Construction & real property· Apr 5, 2023 – Jul 8, 2026· 140P2023C0070
ANNUAL BARGE SERVICE KALAUPAPA NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK, MOLOKAI, HAWAII$521.6K
YOUNG BROTHERS LLC· Kalawao County, HI· Transportation & logistics· Jul 14, 2026 – Jul 14, 2026· 140P8226C0016
KALA ANNUAL BARGE SERVICE$454.6K
YOUNG BROTHERS LLC· Kalawao County, HI· Transportation & logistics· Jul 14, 2025 – Dec 3, 2025· 140P8225P0017
KALA FY26 BULK GRAVEL

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Explore contracts in Kalawao County, Hawaii

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Kalawao County, Hawaii: $29,006 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.4M; +33% vs FY2025
Per resident: $29,006; US $12,975
Loan face value: $0; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$2.2M92%
15.945 · Cooperative Research and Training Programs – Resources of the National Park System$147.5K6.2%
96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$47.4K2.0%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$2,1480.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

SOUTHERN AIRWAYS EXPRESS LLC$2.2M92%
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
INTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC$107.4K4.5%
HONOLULU, HI
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII$40.1K1.7%
LIHUE, HI
AINA MOMONA$00.0%
HONOLULU, HI
VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE$0

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$2.2M92%
Department of Transportation
National Park Service$147.5K6.2%
Department of the Interior
Social Security Administration$47.4K2.0%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$2,1480.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

840.5KFY2021
1.7MFY2022
4.1MFY2023
2MFY2024
1.8MFY2025
2.4MFY2026

County aggregates

2.1%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Kalawao County, Hawaii

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Kalawao County, Hawaii compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Kalawao County, Hawaii
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kalawao County, Hawaii and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kalawao County, Hawaii	United States
FY2017	$9,299	$1,436
FY2018	$4,471	$1,552
FY2019	$5,877	$1,654
FY2020	$9,454	$1,880
FY2021	$6,995	$1,810
FY2022	$17,917	$1,917
FY2023	$199,963	$2,079
FY2024	$13,252	$2,047
FY2025	$33,200	$2,165
FY2026	$14,047 (partial year)	$1,925
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kalawao County, Hawaii and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kalawao County, Hawaii	United States
FY2017	$2,144	$93.28
FY2018	$0	$105
FY2019	$2,269	$128
FY2020	$0	$145
FY2021	-$1,750	$117
FY2022

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kalawao County, Hawaii and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kalawao County, Hawaii	United States
FY2021	$6,995	$5,748
FY2022	$19,786	$5,221
FY2023	$230,987	$5,364
FY2024	$18,247	$5,501
FY2025	$34,247	$5,732
FY2026

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Kalawao County, Hawaii
United States
Years with money loaded

Personal income per capitaChange since 2016, %

Table view

Personal income per capita, Kalawao County, Hawaii and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Kalawao County, Hawaii	United States
2014	−8.0%	−5.5%
2015

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Counties under 10,000 residents are not assessed: their money per resident swings too much from year to year.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/15005

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Kalawao County, Hawaii is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jill N. TokudaD-HI-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

The metro or micro area Kalawao County belongs to. A county is in at most one.

Kahului-Wailuku, HI75Outlying county

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Maui County, HI80

Similar counties

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-09
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/15005

Calendar years	Kalawao County, Hawaii	United States
2014	0.0/1k	8.5/1k
2015	0.0/1k	8.7/1k
2016	34.1/1k	9.1/1k
2017	0.0/1k	9.8/1k
2018	0.0/1k	10.7/1k
2019	80.5/1k	10.6/1k
2020	25.0/1k	13.1/1k
2021	74.1/1k	16.2/1k
2022	24.7/1k	15.1/1k
2023	0.0/1k	16.2/1k
2024	12.2/1k	15.4/1k
2025	48.8/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends