Population	Income
Growth	Poverty
Age	Ethnicity
Education	Vulnerable Populations

This demographics section attempts to both define North Hawaii geographically and describe the population of North Hawaii population factors such as, growth, age, education, income, ethnicity and vulnerable populations.

North Hawaii can be defined by census tracts, or zip codes, or by school complex area or political districts.  The total population for each of these differs slightly

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One of the largest sources of demographic data for North Hawaii comes from the U.S. Census survey, which collects data every ten years.  In this report we most commonly define North Hawaii using the census tracts as noted in the above map.

When data, for example hospital data, is not available by census tract, the corresponding zip code data is used based on the North Hawaii hospital service area, which include zip codes, 96719(Hawi) 96755(Kapaau), 96727(Honokaa), 96743(Kamuela), 96738(Waikoloa) and 96776(Paauilo).

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Please note this definition of North Hawaii does differ from the Hawaii Outcomes Institute’s definition, which includes these zip codes plus 96717, a population of 5,049.  By U.S. Census tracts 2000, the Hawaii Outcomes Institute’s definition includes census tracts 221-North Hilo (1,720) and 201-Papaikou-Wailea (4,961), an additional population of 6,681.

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North Hawaii includes the districts of North Kohala, South Kohala and Hamakua as shown on the map to the right.

Hawaii Island United Way developed community profiles for each of the nine districts noted above.  See Report 2003.

Since education is a predictor of health, and increasing educational attainment is a community-selected priority, it is important to review how North Hawaii is divided into school complexes. 

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Many North Hawaii students travel significant distances to attend high school; there is no centrally located public high school in North Hawaii.  While students living in Kohala attend Kohala High School, some students in the Hamakua and South Kohala districts travel to the North Kona district to attend school in the Kealakehe school complex area.

North Hawaii is politically defined at these levels:

• A portion of County Council district 1 and all of district 9.
• A portion of Representative district 1 and a portion of Representative district 7.
• A portion of State Senate district 1 and a portion of State Senate district 3.
• All of North Hawaii is in U.S. Congressional District 2.

See www.hawaii.gov/elections/maps/2004/hawaiiisland.pdf for the political district map.

The table to the right compares the total population of North Hawaii based on different 2000 data sources.  The zip code definition of North Hawaii overlaps closely with the selected census tracts noted.

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On the other hand, total population is much smaller if counted by census designated places, which include these nine places.

Because of this difference, the data source for most of the data in this report is defined by the noted census tracts. For further detail on census designated places see www.hawaii.gov/dbedt.

Growth

Growth in North Hawaii and Hawaii County has deeply influenced the quality of life and health in North Hawaii.

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Over the past decade between 1990 and 2000, Hawaii County grew 24% and North Hawaii grew by 33% compared to the State population growth of 9%.  Higher relative growth continued between 2000 and 2006.

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Between 2000 and 2006, the number of Hawaii County residents has grown an estimated 15% compared to 6% State growth.

The rate of population growth impacts community quality of life.  It can also impact health through inadequate infrastructure to support growth such as roads:  schools, health care providers, and police work force as well as other service area work force shortages.

Note:  Population estimates for year 2000 varies slightly depending on the annual estimated population estimate updates.

Hawaii County also has outpaced the State in growth of visitors between 2000 and 2006. 

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Hawaii County experienced 26% growth of total visitors from 2000 - 2006, while the State as a whole experienced a 7.4% decrease.

Hawaii County growth of licensed drivers and registered vehicles again outpaced the State. 

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Between 2000 and 2006, the number of licensed drivers in Hawaii County grew by 17.3%, while the State grew by 12.7%.

Between 2000 and 2006, the number of registered vehicles in Hawaii County grew by 31.4%, while the State grew by 19.8%

One of the consequences of population growth and vehicle growth in Hawaii County is longer travel times to work.  The average Hawaii County travel time to work approached that of Honolulu in 2006.

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Many of the focus groups clearly stated concerns about the impact of rapid growth in North Hawaii and Hawaii County combined with inadequate infrastructure growth.  As North Hawaii and Hawaii County look toward their preferred future and improving health and quality of life, they will need to develop new policies and resources to address the current infrastructure gaps.

The 2000 census reveals that 26.6% of the North Hawaii population is younger than 18 years old, and 13.5% is older than 65 years old.  This leaves 59.9% of the population as “working age” that is between 18-64 years of age.  At the time of the 2000 U.S. Census, North Hawaii was quite similar to the rest of Hawaii County and the State in age distribution.

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The chart below reflects the demographic age difference within North Hawaii, with the highest senior population in Hamakua and highest youth population in South Kohala.

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North Kohala is defined by census tract 218, South Kohala by census tracts 217.01, 217.02 and Hamakua by census tracts 219 and 220.

The data below shows the percent population growth in each of three age categories.   While there has been an 3% growth in Hawaii County in the population less than 18 years of age, there has been a 21% growth in adults 19 – 64 years of age and a 13% increase in seniors over 65 years of age between years 2000 and 2006.

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Since we know that educational attainment is closely linked with health, it is useful to look at the percentage of the population 25 years and older who have less than a high school education. 

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The 2000 census data on educational attainment shows a large variation within North Hawaii for the indicator, for the population greater than 25 years old without a high school diploma. Waikoloa and Waimea have a lower percentage without a high school diploma, while North Kohala has 16.2% and Honokaa/Kukuihaele has more than 24.9% without a high school diploma.

Note: Absolute number is in parentheses over the denominator.

According to data released from the U.S. Census  Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey, Hawaii County now has 11.6% of its population 25 years and over without a high school diploma.  This estimate for Hawaii County as a whole suggests an improvement from the 2000 level of 15.4%. 

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In North Hawaii, efforts to increase educational attainment have included: The Kohala Center, the Educational Rotary Group, the North Hawaii Education for Resources Center, and Hawaii Resources for School Success.  In addition, there is a new focus on supporting students to have access to a “13th” year of school, and interest in improving career and technical educational opportunities.

We do not have educational level data of those who have moved to Hawaii County.

The indicator below is recommended by the Institute of Medicine as an important performance measure for education, but is difficult to measure accurately.  It is unclear why there appears to be such a difference between Honokaa and Kohala High Schools.  Caution is urged in interpretation as numbers are small.

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Increasing income is statistically associated with a positive effect on health, and lower perceived poor health status.

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Recent data from the American Community Survey 2006 shows that Hawaii County is slightly below the State average per capita income.

"Per capita income is
Average obtained by dividing aggregate income by total population of an area (U.S. Census, Feb. 2008).

According to the 2000 Census data, the average per capita (or per person) income within North Hawaii varies by census tract as noted below.

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There are several measures of income for North Hawaii and Hawaii County which show that relatively low income and relatively high disparities in income are an important issue for both North Hawaii and Hawaii County.

This data clearly dispels the popular myth that there is such wealth in North Hawaii that State and County resources are not needed.

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Note:  Hawaii County calculated income disparity is relatively higher than the State and mainland. As noted by Kawachi (1999, p.16), like other counties with relatively higher income disparity, Hawaii County has the highest overall death rate.

Please also note this data is relatively old and may underestimate the disparity, since it does not reflect the recent increase in sales of homes greater than one million dollars on the Big Island.

According to the American Community Survey, the Hawaii County median income in 2005 was $48,524. In other words, 50% of the Hawaii County households had incomes less than $48,524 and 50% of households made more than $48,524. Hawaii County median income for both 2005 and 2006 is substantially lower than the State median income.

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The influence of poverty on health is clear.  Poverty is unhealthy, especially for children.  According to the American Community Survey(2006)  Hawaii County has a higher proportion of its population below federal poverty level, 14.1% compared to the State, which has 9.3% of its population below federal poverty levels.

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For children under 18 years old in Hawaii County, the situation is worse.  Nearly 17.9% of Hawaii County children in 2006 lived in poverty compared to 11.4% for the State.

The situation is even worse in North Hawaii for children under six years of age.  According to the most recent U.S. Census data available, for North Hawaii, 2000, one out of five children who live in the census designated place of Kawaihae-Waikoloa lives in poverty.

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Three of the five census designated places in North Hawaii have 15% or more children under 6 years old living in poverty.

Hawaii County also has a higher percent of families with children under 18 years of age who live in single parent families, 31.2% in Hawaii County compared to 21.7% in Honolulu County.

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According to the Department of Health’s Hawaii Health Survey 2005, Hawaii County’s ethnic diversity reflects higher Hawaiian and Caucasian populations compared to the State.  On the other hand, Hawaii County has fewer Chinese, Filipino and Japanese.

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According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the State has 19.8% Native Hawaiians alone or in combination, while Hawaii County has 28.9% and Waimea-Puuanahulu has 38.3% Native Hawaiians alone or in combination.

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Note:  Different data sources have different definitions and calculations for Hawaiian population. 

These estimates of vulnerable populations for Hawaii County in 2006 come from the American Community Survey 2006.  Vulnerable populations tend to be relatively high users of emergency and acute health care services.

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Investing in prevention and improving systems of care for these populations can reduce unnecessary acute care utilization and the cost of care.