Hilo, HI

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

205,769

US Senator

Brian Schatz

Democratic Party

US Senator

Mazie Hirono

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

44.3

0.454% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14.9%

2.65% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,639

1.84% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Hilo, HI is home to a population of 206k people, from which 94.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.9% of Hilo, HI residents were born outside of the country (22.5k people).

In 2024, there were 1.24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (61.6k people) in Hilo, HI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 49.9k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 41.6k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.1%

2024 Citizenship

94%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.1% of Hilo, HI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Hilo, HI was 94%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Hilo, HI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Hilo, HI

White (Non-Hispanic)
61.6k ± 492
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
49.9k ± 2.14k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
41.6k ± 1.77k

11.7%

Hispanic Population

24k people

11.7% of the people in Hilo, HI are hispanic (24k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Hilo, HI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Hawaii.

Most Common Origin

Philippines
114,478 ± 7,971 people
Japan
24,963 ± 3,845 people
China
21,479 ± 3,571 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Hawaii was Philippines, the natal country of 114,478 Hawaii residents, followed by Japan with 24,963 and China with 21,479.

Foreign-Born Population

10.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

22.5k people

11.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

24.2k people

As of 2024, 10.9% of Hilo, HI residents (22.5k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Hilo, HI was 11.9%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Hilo, HI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
5,714 ± 548
Gulf War (2001-)
1,799 ± 341
Gulf War (1990s)
1,536 ± 337

Hilo, HI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.18 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Hilo, HI.

Economy

The economy of Hilo, HI employs 88.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Hilo, HI were Accommodation & Food Services (10,858 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (10,714 people), and Retail Trade (10,428 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($93,681), Public Administration ($67,215), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($63,888).

Employment

Occupations

88.8k

2024 Value

± 2,476

0.0936%

1 Year growth

± 3.95%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Hilo, HI grew at a rate of 0.0936%, from 88.7k employees to 88.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Hilo, HI, are Management Occupations (9,667 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (8,918 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (8,580 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Hilo, HI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Hawaii.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Hawaii (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

88.8k

2024 Value

± 2,476

0.0936%

1 Year growth

± 3.95%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Hilo, HI grew at a rate of 0.0936%, from 88.7k employees to 88.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Hilo, HI, are Accommodation & Food Services (10,858 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (10,714 people), and Retail Trade (10,428 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Hilo, HI, though some of these residents may live in Hilo, HI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,194

Median earning men ± $1,630

$39,017

Median earning women ± $1,971

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($77,829), Public Administration ($76,852), and Manufacturing ($60,000).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($54,505), Construction ($51,736), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,303).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Hawaii.

Y-Axis

3.99%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 634k people employed in Hawaii. This represents a 3.99% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 22.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Hawaii.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

324
Other Services (except Public Administration)
308
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
290
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$489k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$480k
Accommodation and Food Services
$387k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Hilo, HI in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,844 male students and 3,125 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Hilo, HI are Two or More Races (394 and 36.3%), White (213 and 19.6%), Asian (207 and 19.1%), and Hispanic or Latino (181 and 16.7%).

The largest universities in Hilo, HI by number of degrees awarded are University of Hawaii at Hilo (653 and 58%), Hawaii Community College (451 and 40.1%), and Mauna Loa Helicopters (21 and 1.87%).

The most popular majors in Hilo-Kailua, HI are Liberal Arts & Sciences (132 and 11.7%), Pharmacy (74 and 6.58%), and Registered Nursing (68 and 6.04%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $7,344 for in-state students and $20,304 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Hilo, HI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 60.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 24.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 4,969 (37.1% men and 62.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 4,969 students enrolled in Hilo, HI, 37.1% men and 62.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Two or More Races with 1,743 records, of which 64.4% were women and 35.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
63 degrees awarded
General Psychology
47 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
40 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Hilo-Kailua, HI was General Business Administration & Management with 63 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Hilo-Kailua, HI according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Hawaii at Hilo
653 degrees awarded
Hawaii Community College
451 degrees awarded
Mauna Loa Helicopters
21 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Hawaii at Hilo with 653 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 485 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Hilo, HI, which is 0.758 times less than the 640 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Two or More Races students. These 394 degrees mean that there were 1.85 times more degrees awarded to Two or More Races students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 213 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($7,344) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($494) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,350) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Hilo, HI was $519,300 in 2024, which is 1.56 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $486,400 to $519,300, a 6.76% increase. The homeownership rate in Hilo, HI is 74%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Hilo, HI have an average commute time of 27.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Hilo, HI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$519,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,515

$54,795

Median Property Taxes

±$1,694

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Hilo, HI the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Hilo, HI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

74%

Homeownership

2024

73.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74% of the housing units in Hilo, HI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 73.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Hilo, HI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$78,639

Median Household Income

± $2,560

74.1k

Number of Households

± 2,276

In 2024, the median household income of the 74.1k households in Hilo, HI grew to $78,639 from the previous year's value of $77,215.

The following chart displays the households in Hilo, HI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Hilo, HI is from Hawaii.

0.436

2024 Wage GINI in Hawaii

0.433

2023 Wage GINI in Hawaii

In 2024, the income inequality in Hawaii was 0.436 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.688% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Hawaii was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Hawaii in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Hawaii across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (68.2%)
Carpooled (14.8%)
Worked At Home (12.1%)

In 2024, 68.2% of workers in Hilo, HI drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.8%) and those who worked at home (12.1%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

27.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Hilo, HI have a longer commute time (27.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.47% of the workforce in Hilo, HI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Hilo, HI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Hilo, HI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Hilo, HI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Hilo, HI (30.3k out of 203k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Hilo, HI is Two Or More, followed by White and Pacific Islander.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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