Honolulu County, Hawaii


Honolulu County, officially known as the City and County of Honolulu and formerly as Oahu County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Hawaii, one of five counties in the state. The city-county includes both Urban Honolulu and the rest of the neighborhoods on the island of Oʻahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands except Midway Atoll.
The consolidated city-county was established in the city charter adopted in 1907 and accepted by the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii. As a municipal corporation and jurisdiction it manages aspects of government traditionally exercised by both municipalities and counties in the rest of the United States.
As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,016,508. Because of Hawaii's municipal structure, the United States Census Bureau divides Honolulu County into several census-designated places for statistical purposes.
The mayor of Honolulu County is Rick Blangiardi. The county motto is "Haaheo No O Honolulu ". About 70% of the state's population lives in Honolulu County. Only Nevada has a higher percentage of its population living in its most populous county. 43.0% of residents identify as Asian or Asian American, the highest of any U.S. county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. However, the majority of this area is the Pacific Ocean that surrounds the islands. At over from end to end, it is by a significant margin the widest county in the United States.

Adjacent counties

  • Maui County - southeast
  • Kauai County - northwest of population center

    National protected areas

  • James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge
  • Oʻahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge
  • Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
  • Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge
  • USS Arizona Memorial

    Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,016,508. Of the residents, 20.3% were under the age of 18 and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.3 males. 98.3% of residents lived in urban areas and 1.7% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 18.5% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 43.0% Asian, 10.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 24.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.1% of the population.
There were 336,412 households in the county, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 370,665 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.3% were owner-occupied and 43.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 953,207 people, 311,047 households, and 217,842 families residing in Honolulu County. The population density was. There were 315,988 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 43.9% Asian, 20.8% white, 9.5% Pacific Islander, 2.0% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% from other races, and 22.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 9.1% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
In the census of 2000, there were 286,450 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.46.
In the county, 23.80% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.1% was from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Honolulu County as the Urban Honolulu, HI Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the Urban Honolulu, HI Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 54th most populous metropolitan statistical area and the 61st most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

Economy

Top employers

According to the county's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the county are the following:
#Employer# of Employees
1State of Hawaii66,900
2United States Government34,700
3City and County of Honolulu18,600
4The Queen's Health Systems8,426
5Hawaii Pacific Health7,119
6Kaiser Foundation Health Plan4,382
7Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.3,649
8Kamehameha Schools3,357
9Oahu Transit Services Inc.2,063
10First Hawaiian Bank1,858

Other major companies headquartered in Honolulu CDP include Hawaiian Airlines, Aloha Air Cargo, and Bank of Hawaii.

Government

Local government

Honolulu County is administered under a mayor–council system of governance overseeing municipal services: civil defense, emergency medical, fire, parks and recreation, police, sanitation, transportation, and water, among others. For 2013, the county has an annual operating budget of US$2.16 billion.
The government of Honolulu County has three major divisions of municipal power:
  • The mayor of Honolulu is the principal executor of administrative authority. The mayor is elected on a non-partisan basis to a four-year term.
  • The Honolulu City Council is the unicameral legislative body. Its elected members are responsible for drafting and passing laws, as well as budgets for various departments. The council is independent of the mayor. The nine council members each represent an administrative district and are elected on a non-partisan basis to staggered four-year terms.
  • The Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu is charged with prosecuting criminal offenses committed within the county. The prosecuting attorney is elected on a non-partisan basis to a four-year term. The office is not charged with providing legal counsel to the other branches; that duty is a responsibility of the Department of Corporation Counsel, under mayoral jurisdiction.
Honolulu County is divided into 36 neighborhood boards. The office of neighborhood board member is an advisory position for public policy and civil investment. Members are elected to two-year terms.
The U.S. Census Bureau lists this government as a municipal government and not as a county government.

County districts

Honolulu County has nine districts, each of which elects a member of the city-county council. The boundaries of each district are revised every ten years in conjunction with the U.S. census.
The civic center is coextensive with what is known as the Capitol District in downtown Honolulu. The official seat of governance for the Honolulu County is located within the district at Honolulu Hale, established in the 1920s as a city hall structure and houses the chambers of the mayor of Honolulu and the Honolulu City Council. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mayor Frank Fasi developed the modern civic center as it is known today. He took controversial and aggressive measures to reclaim property, demolish massive concrete structures in the area, construct underground parking facilities and open a green campus above ground with manicured lawns and specially commissioned sculpted artwork. He also oversaw the construction of new government buildings, to house the departments that fell within mayoral jurisdiction. The most prominent of those new buildings were the Honolulu Municipal Building and Hale Makai, the headquarters of the Honolulu Police Department. Civic centers were also constructed off the Capitol District campus, including the Kapiolani Bandstand, Neal S. Blaisdell Center, and the Waikīkī Shell.