Hawaii, the only U.S. state composed entirely of islands, covers 6,423 square miles, with a 2021 estimated population of 1,441,553 people – 276,360 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 25.3% of the state's population is White, 2.2% is African-American, 36.8% is Asian, 0.4% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 10.5% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 11.1% 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 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Hawaii is 11.6%, compared with 8.2% in urban areas of the state. 7.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 7.6% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2016-2020 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Hawaii is 6.1%, while in urban Hawaii it is 5.6% (USDA-ERS, 2021).

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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