CENSUS: Hawai‘i Has Highest Median Housing Values in US

The U.S. Census Bureau released income, poverty, health insurance, housing and other data from its American Community Survey (ACS) for 2017 on Sept. 13, 2018.

The Census Bureau releases one-year data for communities with populations of 65,000 or more. About 1.7% of Hawai‘i’s population was surveyed in 2017.

The Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism released highlights and compiled Hawai‘i data by geography and selected populations. Also included are 89 rankings tables and a table summarizing Hawai‘i’s rank across those 89 indicators.

HAWAI‘I HIGHLIGHTS

In 2017, the median household income for Hawai‘i was $77,765, the fourth highest among the 50 states and District of Columbia. It was a 2.4% increase from 2016 in real terms, but the increase was not statistically significant.

Hawai‘i’s median family income was $91,460. This was a statistically significant increase of 3.0% from 2016 in real terms. Hawai‘i’s median family income was the sixth highest in the United States.

The percent of people in poverty in Hawai‘i was 9.5%, which was not statistically different than the
previous year. Hawai‘i ranked the third lowest in the nation for percent of people in poverty in 2017.

In 2017, the percent of families in poverty was 7.4%. This was a statistically significant increase from
the 6.0% of Hawai‘i families in poverty in 2016.

PERCENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION WHO ARE WHITE ALONE; Hawai‘i ranks #51 at 25%

The percent of the civilian population with no health insurance coverage was 3.8%, which ranks Hawai‘i the second lowest in the nation for the civilian uninsured rate. The 2017 rate was not
statistically different than in 2016.

Hawai‘i has had the highest median housing values in the nation since 2007. In 2017, Hawai‘i’s median housing value was $617,400. Compared to 2016, there was a statistically significant increase of 4.3% in real terms.

In 2017, the median monthly housing costs for owners with mortgages was $2,337, which was not
statistically different from 2016 after adjusting for inflation. Among the states, Hawai‘i had the third
highest median housing costs for owners with mortgages.

DOWNLOAD

Summary ACS 1‐Year Ranking Tables for the State of Hawaii, 2017

2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Ranking Tables

About the Survey

There were modifications to multiple health insurance tables, including a change to the classification of the age group for children; the category now includes age 18. For health insurance tables relating to employment and work experience, the working age population is now defined as ages 19 to 64. There were also modifications to tables relating to age and sex, foreign born population, grandparents, income and earnings, industry and marital history.

Two new tables on income and earnings were added. The tables provide estimates for the number of earners per family and the median earnings for the total population 16 years and over who worked full-time, year-round in the past 12 months. Additionally, there were new tables relating to group quarters, the citizen voting-age population, and health insurance.