Highlights from Hawaii’s five-year census estimates

From the Hawaii Department of Business and Economic Development

The Census Bureau on Dec. 8 released five -year estimates based on its annual American Community Survey of 314 census tracts in Hawaii. Here is a brief summary of the Hawaii data:

• All 42 census tracts that had median household incomes of over $100,000 were on Oahu.  
• 63 census tracts had family incomes of more than $100,000. Two of these, Launiupoko and Kapalua, were on Maui; the rest were on Oahu.
• 36 census tracts had poverty rates of more than 20 percent. Of these, 25 were on Oahu, eight were on the Big Island, one was on Molokai and two were on Maui. Mayor Wright Housing on Oahu had the highest population poverty rate, 61.2 percent.
• 18 census tracts had family poverty rates exceeding 20 percent. Kalena Drive on Oahu ranked the highest with 60.4 percent of families below the poverty standard. Four tracts with the highest percentage below the poverty level were located on the Big Island and the rest were on Oahu.
• 32 census tracts had civilian unemployment rates of 10 percent or more. Kolekole Avenue on Oahu ranked the highest with 31.4 percent of the labor force unemployed. Almost all islands were included: six tracts from the Big Island, two from Maui and one each from Kauai and Molokai.
• Waialae-Iki on Oahu had the highest rate of educational attainment with 72.3 percent of residents 25 years or older having at least a bachelor’s degree. There were 36 census tracts with 50 percent of adults 25 years old or older holding bachelor’s degrees or higher; all were on Oahu.
• Ahana Street on Oahu had the highest foreign-born population; 62.7 percent of the population in that census tract was born in foreign countries. The Foster Botanical Garden census tract on Oahu was second with a foreign-born population of 58.9 percent. Third was the Kaheka and Makaloa Street census tract on Oahu with 58.8 percent.
• 73.1 percent of the people in Waiakamilo Road on Oahu spoke a language other than English at home, ranking the highest among all the census tracts in the state. Umi Street, also on Oahu, ranked second with 68.8 percent.
• 15 census tracts in Hawaii had owner-occupied homes with average values of more than $1 million during the five-year period. Many were in East Oahu: Portlock, Aina Haina-Hawaii Loa Ridge, Waialae Iki, Waialae-Kahala and Diamond Head. Wailea on Maui and Haena-Hanalei on Kauai were the only neighbor island census tracts with more than $1 million average median value for owner-occupied homes.