Hawaii, the only U.S. state composed entirely of islands, covers 6,423 square miles, with a 2020 estimated population of 1,455,271 people – 273,927 living in rural Hawaii (USDA-ERS). Honolulu, the capital, is located on the island of Oahu. The state's largest cities are Honolulu, Pearl City, Hilo, and Kailua. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 25.5% of the state's population is white, 2.2% is African-American, 37.6% is Asian, 0.4% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 10.1% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 10.7% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Hawaii Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Hawaii

Although most Hawaiians have some form of health insurance coverage, 3.7% of residents remain uninsured (Kaiser, 2020). According to the Economic Research Service, the average per capita income in 2020 was $58,655, with the rural per capita income at $48,320. The ERS reports, based on 2019 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Hawaii is 12.1%, compared with 8.3% in urban areas of the state. 7.6% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 8.1% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2015-2019 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Hawaii is 12.7%, while in urban Hawaii it is 11.4% (USDA-ERS, 2020).

Hawaii State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
Phone: 808.586.4122
Coordinates federal, state, and local efforts aimed at improving the health of Hawaii's rural and medically underserved populations.
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