Honolulu is Hawaiʻi's capital and the state's main hub for government, air transport, higher education and urban culture.
Hawaii
Geography levelState
Parent geographyUnited States
CapitalHonolulu
CapitalHonolulu
Major education and research anchorUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Latest population1.45M
Tracked indicators6
Observation period1778–2025
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park protects volcanic landscapes centered on Kīlauea and Mauna Loa together with native ecosystems and Native Hawaiian cultural landscapes.
Haleakalā National Park stretches from the volcanic summit landscape to the Kīpahulu coast and protects native ecosystems and Hawaiian cultural resources.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial preserves wartime history on Oʻahu and interprets the attack, its victims and the broader Pacific War.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu is Hawaiʻi's largest airport and a key hub for interisland, mainland and international travel.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is a major public research university in Honolulu and an important center for education, research and Asia-Pacific studies.
Total primary energy production17,8562024
Total energy consumption271,8192024
Population1.45M2024
Median household income$100,3892024
Median home value$839,1002024
Unemployment rate4.92%2024
Year-by-year change
| Year | Observed changes & events |
|---|---|
| 1778 | Captain Cook expedition lands on Kauaʻi — Captain James Cook's expedition landed near Waimea on Kauaʻi, marking a major transition into sustained recorded contact between the Hawaiian Islands and European exploration. |
| 1810 | Kamehameha unifies the Hawaiian Islands — Kamehameha's unification brought the major Hawaiian Islands under one kingdom, creating a foundation for later governance and external relations. |
| 1898 | Hawaiian Islands are annexed by the United States — The Newlands Resolution annexed the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, changing their political status and leading to the later territorial government. |
| 1916 | Hawaii National Park is established — Federal law created Hawaii National Park, protecting major volcanic landscapes on Hawaiʻi and Maui and establishing a long-term conservation framework. |
| 1941 | Attack on Pearl Harbor — The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor made Oʻahu a central site in Pacific War history and led to the United States entering World War II. |
| 1959 | Hawaiʻi becomes a state — Hawaiʻi entered the Union as a state, replacing territorial administration with a formal state-government system. |
| 1986 | Total primary energy production +2.1K · Total energy consumption −3.2K |
| 1987 | Total primary energy production +1.5K · Total energy consumption +4.1K |
| 1988 | Total primary energy production +1.6K · Total energy consumption +40.2K |
| 1989 | Total primary energy production +8.4K · Total energy consumption +20K |
| 1990 | Total primary energy production −975 · Total energy consumption +11.6K |
| 1991 | Total primary energy production −413 · Total energy consumption −26.3K |
| 1992 | Total primary energy production −563 · Total energy consumption +11K |
| 1993 | Total primary energy production +36 · Total energy consumption −24.4K |
| 1994 | Total primary energy production −3.2K · Total energy consumption +15.6K |
| 1995 | Total primary energy production −849 · Total energy consumption −2.3K |
| 1996 | Total primary energy production −640 · Total energy consumption −13.8K |
| 1997 | Total primary energy production −1.6K · Total energy consumption −9.6K |
| 1998 | Total primary energy production −846 · Total energy consumption −96 |
| 1999 | Total primary energy production +339 · Total energy consumption −3.8K |
| 2000 | Total primary energy production −1.6K · Total energy consumption +3.7K |
| 2001 | Total primary energy production −7.5K · Total energy consumption −2.7K |
| 2002 | Total primary energy production −942 · Total energy consumption +15.5K |
| 2003 | Total primary energy production +2.2K · Total energy consumption +15.6K |
| 2004 | Total primary energy production +193 · Total energy consumption +13.5K |
| 2005 | Total primary energy production −896 · Total energy consumption +9.9K |
| 2006 | Total primary energy production +505 · Total energy consumption +1.9K |
| 2007 | Total primary energy production +61 · Total energy consumption +9.5K |
| 2008 | Total primary energy production +851 · Total energy consumption −61.2K |
| 2009 | Total primary energy production +12 · Total energy consumption −610 |
| 2010 | Total primary energy production −719 · Total energy consumption +21.8K |
| 2011 | Total primary energy production +287 · Total energy consumption +3.9K |
| 2012 | Total primary energy production +186 · Total energy consumption −7K · Population +16.2K · Median household income +$376 · Median home value −$12.5K · Unemployment rate +0.34pp |
| 2013 | Total primary energy production +2.9K · Total energy consumption +2.8K · Population +13.6K · Median household income −$90 · Median home value −$13.9K · Unemployment rate +0.36pp |
| 2014 | Total primary energy production +345 · Total energy consumption −8.2K · Population +16.4K · Median household income +$799 · Median home value +$1.4K · Unemployment rate −0.39pp |
| 2015 | Total primary energy production +31 · Total energy consumption +3K · Population +13.6K · Median household income +$1.3K · Median home value +$10.8K · Unemployment rate −0.61pp |
| 2016 | Total primary energy production +1.7K · Total energy consumption +632 · Population +7.4K · Median household income +$2.5K · Median home value +$23.1K · Unemployment rate −0.57pp |
| 2017 | Total primary energy production −1.9K · Total energy consumption +6.4K · Population +8K · Median household income +$2.9K · Median home value +$25.5K · Unemployment rate −0.64pp |
| 2018 | Total primary energy production −183 · Total energy consumption −1.2K · Population +371 · Median household income +$3.2K · Median home value +$23.8K · Unemployment rate −0.35pp · Major Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse — A major lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapse at Kīlauea caused extensive impacts to communities, roads and natural landscapes on Hawaiʻi Island. |
| 2019 | Total primary energy production −532 · Total energy consumption +2.2K · Population +65 · Median household income +$3.2K · Median home value +$27.6K · Unemployment rate −0.26pp |
| 2020 | Total primary energy production +827 · Total energy consumption −77K · Population −2K · Median household income +$1.9K · Median home value +$21.1K · Unemployment rate +0.29pp |
| 2021 | Total primary energy production +1.5K · Total energy consumption +36.3K · Population +33.4K · Median household income +$4.8K · Median home value +$25.7K · Unemployment rate +0.62pp |
| 2022 | Total primary energy production +299 · Total energy consumption +14.5K · Population −2.9K · Median household income +$6.8K · Median home value +$102.7K · Unemployment rate −0.13pp |
| 2023 | Total primary energy production +562 · Total energy consumption +1.4K · Population −5K · Median household income +$3.5K · Median home value +$43.4K · Unemployment rate −0.02pp · Maui wildfires and the Lahaina fire — Major wildfires on Maui caused severe loss of life, housing and cultural assets, including catastrophic damage in Lahaina, and began a long recovery process. |
| 2024 | Total primary energy production +374 · Total energy consumption +64 · Population −400 · Median household income +$2.1K · Median home value +$30.9K · Unemployment rate −0.11pp |
| 2025 | Hawaiʻi enacts the Green Fee climate-resilience policy — Hawaiʻi enacted the Green Fee policy to direct additional visitor-accommodation and cruise-related tax revenue toward environmental stewardship, climate and hazard mitigation, and sustainable tourism. |
Analysis charts
EnergyTotal primary energy productionBillion Btu · 1985–2024
17,8562024
Start 14,573Long-run change +22.5%Low 2002High 1989
EnergyTotal energy consumptionBillion Btu · 1985–2024
271,8192024
Start 247,820Long-run change +9.7%Low 2020High 2007
PopulationPopulationpersons · 2011–2024
1.45M2024
Start 1.35MLong-run change +7.3%Low 2011High 2021
IncomeMedian household incomeUS dollars · 2011–2024
$100,3892024
Start $67,116Long-run change +49.6%Low 2011High 2024
HousingMedian home valueUS dollars · 2011–2024
$839,1002024
Start $529,500Long-run change +58.5%Low 2013High 2024
EmploymentUnemployment ratepercent · 2011–2024
4.92%2024
Start 6.37%Long-run change -22.8%Low 2019High 2013
Full report
Hawaiʻi is difficult to understand through a single statewide number. Population grows over the long run and then weakens, housing and household income keep rising, and unemployment follows a shock-and-recovery cycle. Honolulu, military and aviation networks, active volcanoes, public lands and Maui's recovery add the regional context that makes those trends meaningful.
Population weakens while housing and income keep rising
Hawaiʻi's population grows over the longer series but slips below its recent peak in the latest observations. Median home value and household income continue upward, so demographic direction and household-cost indicators are no longer moving together.
Statewide averages also hide island differences. Housing supply, job concentration, transportation costs and visitor demand vary substantially across Oʻahu, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi.
Housing is a central cost-of-living signal
Median home value first declines and then enters a long appreciation phase. Household income also rises, but the two series turn at different times and move at different speeds.
That gap matters in an island state where developable land is constrained and housing demand interacts with tourism, urban concentration and interisland differences.
The labor market shows a clear shock and recovery cycle
Unemployment improves after an early high, rises again during the pandemic disruption and then moves lower. The pattern highlights the sensitivity of a service- and visitor-oriented economy to major external shocks.
Recent labor improvement occurs even as population weakens, showing why employment conditions alone do not explain resident movement or household pressure.
Volcanoes, war history and disaster recovery shape the regional story
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes and Haleakalā connect conservation, tourism and Native Hawaiian cultural resources. Pearl Harbor and Honolulu's air-transport role show the islands' strategic position within the Pacific.
Kīlauea's eruption and the Maui wildfires illustrate persistent natural-hazard exposure. Recent climate-resilience policy increasingly links environmental stewardship, hazard mitigation and the visitor economy.
FAQ
What is the most important recent pattern in Hawaiʻi?
Population weakens in the latest observations while household income and home value continue higher and unemployment improves. The core indicators are moving in different directions.
Does higher household income explain higher home values?
Not by itself. The two measures move at different speeds, and island-specific land, supply and demand conditions also matter.
What should be considered beyond the economic indicators?
Honolulu and the air network, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes and Haleakalā, Pearl Harbor, the University of Hawaiʻi, and recent volcanic and wildfire disasters all provide essential regional context.
Hawaiʻi combines recent population weakness with rising income and housing values and a recovering labor market. Island geography, tourism, military and research functions, active volcanoes and wildfire risk make the state's regional structure unusually complex and make place-based context essential.