Hawaii County, Hawaii

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county 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.<ref name="QF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

GeographyEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Hawaiʻi County has a total area of Template:Convert; Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert is water<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (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 highwaysEdit

Adjacent countyEdit

Maui County - northwest

DemographicsEdit

Template:US Census population

Racial Composition
Race (NH = Non-Hispanic)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> !! % 2010<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> !! % 2000<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> !! Pop. 2020 !! Pop. 2010 !! Pop. 2000
White Alone (NH)	32.2%	31.2%	29.7%	64,688	57,831	44,223
Black Alone (NH)	0.6%	0.5%	0.4%	1,159	899	602
Native American Alone (NH)	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%	649	586	476
Asian Alone (NH)	19.1%	21.4%	25.8%	38,351	39,588	38,378
Pacific Islander Alone (NH)	13.1%	11.3%	10.6%	26,185	20,970	15,691
Other Race Alone (NH)	0.5%	0.2%	0.2%	1,000	281	265
Multiracial (NH)	23.1%	23.5%	23.5%	46,322	43,541	34,931
Hispanic (Any race)	11.1%	11.6%	9.5%	22,275	21,383	14,111

Template:As of, the island had a resident population of 185,079.<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There were 64,382 households in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 82,324 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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: Template:Div col

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

Template:Div col endThere 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.Template:Citation needed

Government and infrastructureEdit

County governmentEdit

Template:Update 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of December 2016, Hawaiʻi County Council has a female supermajority for the first time, with six women and three men.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>Hawaiʻi County: 2000 Template:Dead link</ref>

Nr.	District	Area mi²	Population 2000	moku
1	Puna	499.45	31,335	Puna	District subdivision of Hawaiʻi County
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	[[Kau, Hawaii\|KaTemplate:Okinaū]]	922.22	5,827	KaTemplate:Okinaū
	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 KaTemplate:Okinaū, Puna, Hāmākua, and North & South Kohala are more sparsely populated.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

State governmentEdit

Hawaii Department of Public Safety previously operated the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hawaiʻi County, on the Island of Hawaii.<ref>"Kulani Correctional Facility." Hawaii Department of Public Safety. Retrieved on September 30, 2010.</ref> In 2009, the Hawaii Department of Public Safety announced that Kulani Correctional Facility would close.<ref>"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.</ref>

Presidential election resultsEdit

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LocalitiesEdit

State protected areasEdit

Pu'u Wa'awa'a State Forest Reserve. 37,600 acres state park overseen by the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Bird Sanctuary.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Upper Waiākea Forest Reserve. 53,214 acre reserve designated October 13, 1913.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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180 acre Kealakekua Bay state historic park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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EconomyEdit

Top employersEdit

According to the county's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the top employers in the county are the following:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	State of Hawaii	16,700
2	Kamehameha Schools, Hawai'i Island	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

EducationEdit

The Hawaii Department of Education operates public schools in Hawaiʻi County.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} - Text list</ref>