Hawaii County, Hawaii


Hawaii County is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no incorporated cities in Hawaii County. The Hilo Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Hawaii County. Hawaii County has a mayor–council form of government. Hawaii County is the largest county in the state in terms of geography.
The mayor of Hawaii County is Harry Kim, who took office in 2016. Legislative authority is vested in a nine-member Hawaii County Council.
Hawaii County is one of seven counties in the United States to share the same name as the state they are in.

Geography

Hawaii County has a total area of ; is land and is water. The county's land area comprises 62.7 percent of the state's land area. It is the highest percentage by any county in the United States.

Major Highways

Adjacent county

, the island had a resident population of 185,079. There were 64,382 households in the county. The population density was 17.7/km². There were 82,324 housing units at an average density of 8/km². The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White, 0.7% African American, 22.6% Asian, 12.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 29.2% from two or more races; 11.8% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. The largest ancestry groups were:
There were 64,382 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a woman whose husband did not live with her, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.24.
The age distribution was 26.1% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98 males.
41.3% of the people on Hawaii island are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion. 18.4% are Catholic; 3.7% are of another Christian faith; 5.1% are LDS; 0.1% in Hawaii, 5.0% are of an eastern faith; 0.1% are Muslim.

Government and infrastructure

County government

Executive authority is vested in the mayor of Hawaii County, who is elected for a four-year term. Since 2004, the election by the voters has been on a nonpartisan basis. In 2016, Harry Kim was elected mayor, succeeding Billy Kenoi, who had served a two-term limit. Legislative authority is vested in a nine-member County Council. Members of the County Council are elected on a nonpartisan basis to two-year terms from single-member districts. As of December 2016, Hawaii County Council has a female supermajority for the first time, with six women and three men.
Administrative districts were originally based on the traditional land divisions called Moku of Ancient Hawaii. Some more heavily populated districts have since been split into North and South districts to make them more comparable on a population basis.
The number following each district is the Tax Map Key number, used to locate state property information. They are assigned in a counter-clockwise order beginning on the eastern side of the island.
Nr.DistrictArea
mi²		Population
2000		mokuMap-
1Puna499.4531335PunaMap
2South Hilo394.3847386HiloMap
3North Hilo370.651720HiloMap
4Hāmākua580.506108HāmākuaMap
5North Kohala132.926038KohalaMap
6South Kohala351.7213131KohalaMap
7North Kona489.0128543KonaMap
8South Kona335.388589KonaMap
9Kaū922.225827KaūMap
Hawaiʻi County4028.021486776 moku-

County council districts do not directly match the property tax districts because of the variation in the population density of voters in urban areas to rural areas; Hilo & Kailua towns are densely populated areas, while other districts such as Kaū, Puna, Hāmākua, and North & South Kohala are more sparsely populated.
Several government functions are administered at the county level that are at the state or municipal level in other states. For example, the county has its own office of liquor control.

State government

previously operated the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hawaii County, on the Island of Hawaii. In 2009, the Hawaii Department of Public Safety announced that Kulani Correctional Facility would close.

Localities

Census-designated places

Top employers

According to the county's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:
#Employer# of Employees
1State of Hawaii8,115
2Hawaii County2,745
3United States Government1,364
4Hilton Waikoloa Village984
5Wal-Mart852
6KTA Super Stores800
7Mauna Kea Beach Hotel685
8The Fairmont Orchid577
9Four Seasons Resort Hualalai562
10Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel487

Education

Hawaii County has 10 sisters: