ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Unknown. The name may stem from Hawaii Loa, traditional discoverer of the islands, or from Hawaiki, the traditional Polynesian homeland.

NICKNAME : The Aloha State.

CAPITAL: Honolulu.

ENTERED UNION: 21 August 1959 (50th).

OFFICIAL SEAL: Same as coat of arms, with the words “State of Hawaii 1959” above and the state motto below.

FLAG: Eight horizontal stripes, alternately white, red, and blue, represent the major islands, with the British Union Jack (reflecting the years that the islands were under British protection) in the upper left-hand corner.

COAT OF ARMS: The heraldic shield of the Hawaiian kingdom is flanked by the figures of Kamehameha I, who united the islands, and Liberty, holding the Hawaiian flag. Below the shield is a phoenix surrounded by taro leaves, banana foliage, and sprays of maidenhair fern.

EMBLEM: Each of the eight major islands has its own emblem—Hawaii, lehua (ohia blossom); Kahoolawe, hinahina (beach heliotrope); Kauai, mokihana (fruit capsule of the Pelea anisata); Lanai, kaunaoa (Cuscuta sandwichiana); Maui, lokelani (pink cottage rose); Molokai, kukui (candlenut) blossom; Niihau, white pupa shell; and Oahu, ilima (Sida fallax).

MOTTO: Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i kapono (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness).

SONG: “Hawaii Ponoi.”

COLORS: Each of the eight major islands has its own color—Hawaii, red; Kahoolawe, gray; Kauai, purple; Lanai, yellow; Maui, pink; Molokai, green; Niihau, white; and Oahu, yellow.

FLOWER: Pua aloalo (yellow hibiscus).

TREE: Kukui (candlenut tree).

BIRD: Nene (Hawaiian goose).

LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Presidents’ Day, 3rd Monday in February; Kuhio Day, 26 March; Good Friday and Easter, March or April; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Kamehameha Day, 11 June; Independence Day, 4 July; Statehood Day, 3rd Friday in August; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Election Day, 1st Tuesday after 1st Monday in November; Veterans’ Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December.

TIME: 2 AM Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

The State of Hawaii is an island group situated in the northern Pacific Ocean, about 2,400 miles (3,900 kilometers) west-southwest of San Francisco. The smallest of the five states with a border on the Pacific, Hawaii ranks 47th in size among the 50 states. The 132 Hawaiian Islands have a total area of 6,470 square miles (16,758 square kilometers), including 6,425 square miles (16,641 square kilometers) of land and only 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) of inland water. The island chain extends over 1,576 miles (2,536 kilometers) north-south and 1,425 miles (2,293 kilometers) east-west. The four largest islands of the Hawaiian group are Hawaii, 4,035 square miles (10,451 square kilometers); Maui, 734 square miles (1,901 square kilometers); Oahu, 617 square miles (1,598 square kilometers); and Kauai, 558 square miles (1,445 square kilometers). The general coastline of the islands is 750 miles (1,207 kilometers).

2 Topography

The eight major and 124 minor islands that make up the State of Hawaii were formed by volcanic eruptions. Mauna Loa, on the island of Hawaii, is the world’s largest active volcano, at a height of 13,675 feet (4,168 meters). The highest peak in the state is Puu Wekiu on Hawaii at 13,796 feet (4,208 meters). The largest natural lake is Halulu on Niihau at 182 acres (74 hectares). The largest artificial lake, Waiia Reservoir on Kauai, covers 422 acres (171 hectares). The longest rivers are Kaukonahua Stream (33 miles/53 kilometers) in the north on Oahu, and Wailuku River (32 miles/51 kilometers) on Hawaii.

Hawaii Population Profile

Total population estimate in 2006:	1,285,498
Population change, 2000–06:	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino†:	8.0%
Population by race
One race:	79.0%
White:	24.9%
Black or African American:	2.0%
American Indian /Alaska Native:	0.3%
Asian:	42.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander:	8.5%
Some other race:	1.3%
Two or more races:	21.0%

Population by Age Group

Major Cities by Population
City	Population	% change 2000–05
Notes: †A person of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race. NA indicates that data are not available.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey and Population Estimates. www.census.gov/ (accessed March 2007).
Honolulu CDP	377,379	1.5

3 Climate

Hawaii has a tropical climate cooled by trade winds. Normal daily temperatures in Honolulu average 72°f (22°c) in February and 78°f (26°c) in August. The record high for the state

is 100°f (38°c), set at Pahala on 27 April 1931. The record low is 12°f (–11°c), set at Mauna Kea Observatory on 17 May 1979. Rainfall is extremely variable. Mt. Waialeale, on Kauai, is said to be the rainiest place on earth, with a mean annual total of 486 inches (1,234 centimeters). Upper mountain slopes and island interiors are the driest areas, averaging under 10 inches (25 centimeters). Snow falls at the summits of Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Haleakala—the highest mountains. The highest tidal wave (tsunami) in the state’s history reached 56 feet (17 meters).

4 Plants and Animals

Hawaii has about 2,200 species and subspecies of plants, more than half are endangered, threatened, or extinct. As of April 2006, a total of 317 species (44 animal and 273 plant species) were listed as endangered or threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The only land mammal native to the islands, the Hawaiian hoary bat, is now endangered. There are no indigenous snakes. Animal species listed as endangered or threatened. These include four species of sea turtle and the humpback whale, which migrates to Hawaiian waters in winter. Among threatened birds are several varieties of honeycreeper, short-tailed albatross, Hawaiian coot, and the Hawaiian goose, or nene (the state bird). Animals considered endangered by the state but not on the federal list include the Hawaiian storm petrel, Hawaiian owl, Maui ‘amakihi (Loxops virens wilsoni), and ‘i’iwi (Vestiaria coccinea).

Hawaii Population by Race

Census 2000 was the first national census in which the instructions to respondents said, “Mark one or more races.” This table shows the number of people who are of one, two, or three or more races. For those claiming two races, the number of people belonging to the various categories is listed. The U.S. government conducts a census of the population every ten years.

	Number	Percent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000: Redistricting Data. Press release issued by the Redistricting Data Office. Washington, D.C., March, 2001. A dash (—) indicates that the percent is less than 0.1.
Total population	1,211,537	100.0
One race	952,194	78.6
Two races	175,252	14.5
White and Black or African American	2,289	0.2
White and American Indian/Alaska Native	5,953	0.5
White and Asian	55,028	4.5
White and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	31,485	2.6
White and some other race.	7,728	0.6
Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native	645	0.1
Black or African American and Asian	1,936	0.2
Black or African American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1,330	0.1
Black or African American and some other race	532	—
American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian	1,473	0.1
American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1,259	0.1
American Indian/Alaska Native and some other race.	225	—
Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	57,647	4.8
Asian and some other race	5,671	0.5
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and some other race	2,051	0.2
Three or more races.	84,091	6.9

5 Environmental Protection

Environmental protection within the state is the responsibility of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Environmental Management Division of the Department of Health. Noise pollution requirements for the state are among the strictest in the United States, and air and water purity levels are well within federal standards.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the use of ethylene dibromide (EDB), a pesticide used in the state’s pineapple fields, after high levels of the chemical were found in wells on the island of Oahu in 1983. In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency’s database listed 87 hazardous waste sites in the state, 3 of which were on the National Priorities List as of 2006.

6 Population

In 2006, Hawaii ranked 42nd in population in the United States with an estimated total of 1,285,498 residents. The Census Bureau projects that the population will reach 1.38 million by 2015 and 1.43 million by 2025. Almost four-fifths of the population lives on Oahu. In 2004, Hawaii had a population density of about 196.6 persons per square mile (75.9 persons per square kilometer). In that same year, the median age was 38. In 2005, about 14% of all residents were 65 or older, while about 24% were 18 or younger. Honolulu is the largest city in the state. In 2005, it had an estimated population of 377,379.

7 Ethnic Groups

Hawaii has the nation’s highest percentage of Asian residents. In 2006, a total of 42% were of Asian descent, while 8.5% were Pacific Islanders or native Hawaiians, 2.0% were black, 0.3% were Native Americans or Alaskan natives, and 8.0% were Hispanic or Latino. In 2000, foreign-born residents numbered 212,229, or 17.5% of the total state population.

8 Languages

The Hawaiian legacy is apparent in the state’s English. Newcomers soon add to their vocabulary aloha (love, good-bye), haole (white foreigner), malihini (newcomer), mahimahi (dolphinfish), ukulele, muumuu, and other common native words. Most native-born residents of Hawaiian ancestry speak one of several varieties of Hawaiian pidgin, a common language with elements of Hawaiian, English, and other Asian and Pacific languages. In 2000, of all Hawaiians five years old or older, 73.4% spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home, and the number of speakers, include Tagalog (60,967), Japanese (56,225), and Chinese (29,363).

9 Religions

Congregationalist missionaries arrived in 1820 and Roman Catholics in 1827. Subsequent migration brought Mormons and Methodists. Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism arrived with the Chinese during the 1850s. In 2004, the largest religious group was the Catholic Church, with 234,588 adherents. The Latter-day Saints (Mormons) followed with 64,608 adherents in 2006. Other major groups (as of 2000) included the Assemblies of God with 21,754 members, and the Southern Baptist Convention with 20,901 adherents. In 2005, the United Church of Christ had 17,362 adherents. In 2000, the Jewish population was at about 7,000. There were 73 Buddhist, 1 Muslim, and 8 Hindu congregations reported in that same year. About 63.8% of the population were not counted as members of any religious organization.

10 Transportation

Hawaii has only two railroads: the nonprofit Hawaiian Railway Society, with 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) of track on Oahu, and the commercial-recreational Lahaina, Kaanapali & Pacific on Maui, with 6 miles (10 kilometers) of track. The islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai have public bus systems. In 2004, Hawaii had 843,876 licensed drivers, and 4,318 miles (6,951 kilometers) of roads and streets. In that same year, there were about 532,000 passenger cars registered, along with around 394,000 trucks, and some 4,000 buses.

Hawaii’s busiest port is Honolulu. Other major Hawaiian ports include Barbers Point, Oahu, and Kahului, Maui.

Most scheduled interisland passenger traffic and most trans-Pacific travel is by air. In 2005, the state had 31 airports and 17 heliports. The busiest air terminal is Honolulu International Airport, which had a total of 9,579,076 passengers in 2004.

11 History

The Western world learned of the Hawaiian islands in 1778, when an English navigator, Captain James Cook, sighted Oahu. At that time, each island was ruled by a hereditary chief under a caste system called kapu. Contact with European sailors and traders exposed the Polynesians to smallpox, venereal disease, liquor, firearms, and Western technology—and fatally weakened the kapu system. Within 40 years of Cook’s arrival, one of the island chiefs, Kamehameha (r.1810– 19), had conquered Maui and Oahu and established a royal dynasty in what became known as the Kingdom of Hawaii. His son, Liholiho, was proclaimed Kamehameha II in 1819.

After the death of Kamehameha II in 1824, his brother, Kauikeaouli, was proclaimed King Kamehameha III. His reign saw the establishment of public schools, the first sugar plantation, and a two-chamber legislature. Hawaii’s first written constitution was adopted in 1840, and in 1848, a land reform called the Great Mahele abolished the feudal land system, fostering the expansion of sugar plantations. The 1840s and 1850s saw recognition of the kingdom from the United States, Britain, and France. The following decades witnessed the arrival of Chinese contract laborers and the increasing influence of American sugar planters.

In 1893, the reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, was overthrown in an American-led revolution that produced a provisional government under the leadership of Sanford B. Dole. After unsuccessfully requesting annexation by the United States, Hawaii’s government drafted a new constitution and on 4 July 1894 proclaimed the Republic of Hawaii. After the Spanish-American War, which fueled expansionist

feelings in the United States and pointed up the nation’s strategic interests in the Pacific, the United States annexed Hawaii, effective June 1900.

Notable in the territorial period were a steady US military buildup; the creation of a pineapple-canning industry; the growth of tourism (spurred in 1936 by the inauguration of commercial air service); and a rising desire for statehood. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, crippling the US Pacific fleet and causing some 4,000 casualties, quickly turned Hawaii into an armed camp under martial law.

Hawaiians pressed for statehood after World War II, but Congress was reluctant, partly

Hawaii Governors: 1959–2007

1959–1962	William Francis Quinn	Republican
1962–1974	John Anthony Burns	Democrat
1974–1986	George Ryoichi Ariyoshi	Democrat
1986–1994	John Waihee III	Democrat
1994–2002	Benjamin J. Cayetano	Democrat
2002–	Linda Lingle	Republican

because of racial hostility and partly because of fears that Hawaii’s powerful International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union was Communist-controlled. Not until 21 August 1959, after Alaska became the 49th state, did Hawaii become the 50th. Since then, defense and tourism have been the mainstays of Hawaii’s economy, with the state playing an increasingly important role as an economic, educational, and cultural bridge between the United States and the nations of Asia and the Pacific.

In recent years, a prominent political issue in Hawaii has been the movement to give native Hawaiians some form of sovereignty. At stake is the control of around 2 million acres of land. In 1996, the state’s 200,000 descendants of native Hawaiians voted to establish some form of self-government. In July 2000, a rights bill was introduced in the US Congress by Hawaiian senator Daniel Akaka, which would give native Hawaiians the right to form their own government, with a status similar to that granted to American Indians. However, certain native Hawaiian groups opposed the bill because it would give too much administrative power over native Hawaiian affairs to the US Department of the Interior.

Affecting Hawaii in the early years of the 21st century were the recession of 2001, the 11 September terrorist attacks that same year, and the 2003 Iraq war, all of which had deeply hit the state’s tourism industry. One month after the Iraq war began on 19 March 2003, the state’s tourism business fell by one-third.

12 State Government

Hawaii’s constitution, ratified in 1950 and amended by the 1959 plebiscite on the statehood question, had been amended 104 times by January 2005.

Hawaii has a two-chamber legislature of 25 senators and 51 representatives. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected to four-year terms and must be of the same political party. They are the only elected officers of the executive branch, except for members of the Board of Education. The legislature can override the governor’s veto by a two-thirds vote.

In 2004, the governor’s salary was $94,780, and the legislative salary was $32,000.

13 Political Parties

Before statehood, the Republican Party dominated the political scene. Since the 1960s, however, Hawaii has been solidly Democrat. Following the 2006 midterm elections, the majorities of both houses of the state legislature, its senators, and its two US Representatives were all Democrats. Democrats held 20 of the seats in the state senate while Republicans held just 5. In the house, Democrats held 43 seats to the Republicans 8. There were 24 women serving in the state legislature following the 2006 elections, or 31.6%. Democrat Al Gore won with 56% of the vote in the presidential election in 2000, while Republican George W. Bush garnered 38%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democratic challenger John Kerry took 54% of the vote in Hawaii, to George W. Bush’s 45%. However, a Republican, Linda Lingle, was elected governor in 2002 and reelected in 2006. In 2002 there were 676,242 registered voters; there is no party registration in the state.

14 Local Government

The state is divided into five principal counties—Hawaii, Maui, Honolulu (coextensive with the city of Honolulu and covering all of Oahu), Kauai (including the island of Niihau), and Kalawao on that part of Molokai more commonly known as the Kalaupapa Settlement, primarily for the care and treatment of persons suffering from leprosy. Since there are no further subdivisions, the counties provide some services traditionally performed in other states by cities, towns, and villages. On the other hand, the state government provides many functions normally performed by counties on the mainland. Each principal county has an elected council and a mayor. In 2002, the state had fifteen special districts and one public school system.

15 Judicial System

The supreme court, the highest in the state, consists of a chief justice and four associate justices. The state is divided into four judicial circuits with 27 circuit court judges and 4 intermediate appeals court judges. Circuit courts are the main trial courts, having jurisdiction in most civil and criminal cases. District courts function as inferior courts within each judicial circuit; district court judges may also preside over family court proceedings. Hawaii also has a land court and a tax appeal court. Hawaii in 2004 had a violent

Hawaii Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1960–2004

YEAR	HAWAII WINNER	DEMOCRAT	REPUBLICAN
* Won US presidential election.
**Independent candidate Ross Perot received 53,003 votes in 1992 and 27,358 votes in 1996.
1960	*Kennedy (D)	92,410	92,295
1964	*Johnson (D)	163,249	44,022
1968	Humphrey (D)	141,324	91,425
1972	*Nixon (R)	101,433	168,933
1976	*Carter (D)	147,375	140,003
1980	Carter (D)	135,879	130,112
1984	*Reagan (R)	147,154	185,050
1988	Dukakis (D)	192,364	158,625
1992	** *Clinton (D)	179,310	136,822
1996	** *Clinton (D)	205,012	113,943
2000	Gore (D)	205,286	137,845
2004	Kerry (D)	231,708	194,191

crime rate (murder/nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) in 2004 of 254.4 incidents per 100,000 people. There were 5,960 persons in the state’s jails and prisons as of 31 December 2004. Hawaii does not have a death penalty.

16 Migration

The US mainland and Asia have been the main sources of immigrants to Hawaii since the early 19th century. Immigration remains a major source of population growth. Since the early 1970s, about 40,000 mainland Americans have come each year to live in Hawaii. More than half are military personnel and their dependents, on temporary residence during their term of military service. Between 1990 and 1998, the net loss from domestic migration was 80,000. During the same period there was a net gain of 51,000 from international migration. In the period 2000–05, a net total of 30,068 moved into the state from other countries, and a net loss of 13,112 left the state and moved to other states, for a net gain of 16,956 people.

17 Economy

Tourism remains Hawaii’s leading employer, revenue producer, and growth area. However, agricultural diversification—including the cultivation of flowers and nursery products, papaya, macadamia nuts, fish farming, manganese nodule mining, and film and television production have broadened the state’s economic base.

The national recession of 2001, and the after-effects of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States reduced the annual economic growth rate, mainly through the impact on tourism. Hotel revenues had begun to increase by the end of 2002, however.

Hawaii’s gross state product (GSP) in 2005 totaled $54 billion. In 2004, real estate accounted for the largest portion of GSP at 16.5%, followed by lodging and food service at 8.4%. Of the 29,791 businesses in the state that had employees, 96.8% were small companies.

18 Income

In 2004, Hawaii ranked 20th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with a per capita (per person) income of $32,625. The three-year average median income for the period 2002–04 was $53,123, compared to the national average of $44,473. In the same three-year period, an estimated 9.7% of the state’s population lived below the federal poverty level, compared to the national average of 12.4%.

19 Industry

As of 2004, food and food products accounted for slightly more than 23% of shipment value of all manufactured goods, including sugar and pineapples. Other major industries are clothing, stone, clay, glass products, fabricated metals, and shipbuilding.

20 Labor

In April 2006, the civilian labor force in Hawaii numbered 645,600, with approximately 18,000 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 4.6%, compared to the national average of 4.7% for the same period. For that same date, about 5.7% of the labor force was employed in construction; 2.4% in manufacturing; 19.8% in trade, transportation, and public utilities; 21.6% in trade; 11.5% in education and health services; 17.5% in leisure and hospitality services; and 19.5% in government. Data was not available for financial activities and services.

Unionization was slow to develop in Hawaii. After World War II, however, the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU) organized workers in the sugar and pineapple industries, and then on the docks. The Teamsters Union is also well established. In 2005, a total of 141,000 of Hawaii’s 545,000 employed wage and salary workers were members of a union. This represented 25.8% of those so employed, and well above the national average in 2004 of 12%. Hawaii is one of only four states with a union membership rate over 20%.

21 Agriculture

Export crops—especially sugarcane and pineapple—dominate Hawaiian agriculture, which had farm receipts exceeding $553 million in 2005.

The islands of Hawaii (Maui, Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai) are the only places in the United States where coffee is grown commercially. Coffee production in 2004/2005 totaled 7.1 million pounds (3.2 million kilograms). Another tropical product, pineapple, has also become a substantial export crop, with 215,000 tons produced in 2004. Macadamia nuts, tropical flowers, and taro are also grown. Banana production in 2003 was 22.5 million pounds (10.2 million kilograms).

22 Domesticated Animals

Hawaii had an estimated 155,000 cattle and calves worth $97.6 million in 2005. In 2004, the estimated number of hogs and pigs was 22,000, worth $3.5 million. Poultry farms produced an estimated 117.2 million eggs in 2003, worth $9.4 million. Most of the eggs were for domestic consumption, making eggs one of the very few farm commodities in which the state is close to being self-sufficient. Most of the state’s cattle farms are in Hawaii and Maui counties.

23 Fishing

Although expanding, Hawaii’s commercial catch remains surprisingly small. In 2004, Hawaii landings brought in 24.2 million pounds (11 million kilograms) with a value of $57.2 million. Although the port of Honolulu ranked eighth in the nation that year in catch value ($44.6 million), it was 42nd in quantity with 18.2 million pounds (8.3 million kilograms). The most valuable commercial species are swordfish and bigeye tuna. In 2001, the state had 2,814 commercial fishing boats and vessels. Sport fishing is extremely popular, with bass, bluegill, tuna, and marlin among the most sought-after varieties. In 2004, the state had 5,796 holders of sport fishing licenses.

24 Forestry

As of 2003, Hawaii had 1,748,000 acres (707,940 hectares) of forestland and water reserves, with 700,000 acres (283,500 hectares) classified as commercial timberland, most of it located on the island of Hawaii. The majority of the locally grown wood is used in the manufacture of furniture, flooring, and craft items. As the sugar industry downsizes, there is an initiative to expand the forest industry by planting trees on lands formerly planted in sugar cane.

25 Mining

The value of Hawaii’s nonfuel mineral production in 2003 was estimated to be around $74 million. Mining in the state that year consisted of crushed stone, primarily for use by the state’s construction industry, and the extraction of sand and gravel from open pits. Preliminary data for 2003 showed 600,000 metric tons of construction grade sand and gravel, were produced, along with 6.5 million metric tons of crushed stone.

26 Energy and Power

Without indigenous fossil fuels or nuclear installations, Hawaii depends on imported petroleum for about 78% of its energy needs. Coal, hydroelectric power, natural gas, windmills, geothermal energy, and sugar cane wastes contribute the rest. As of 2003, the state’s installed electrical power generating capacity totaled 2.268 million kilowatts, with total production that same year at 10.976 billion kilowatt hours. All of Hawaii’s electric power plants are privately owned.

As of 2004, Hawaii had no proven reserves of crude oil or natural gas. In 2005, the state’s two refineries had a combined crude oil distillation capacity of 147,000 barrels per day.

27 Commerce

In 2002, Hawaii’s wholesale trade sector had sales of $9.9 billion, while the retail trade sector had sales that same year of $13 billion. In 2005, Hawaii’s exports totaled $1.02 billion. Foreign imports to the state primarily come from Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia.

28 Public Finance

Hawaii’s biennial budget is the responsibility of the Department of Budget and Finance. The fiscal year runs from 1 July through 30 June. Total revenues for the 2004 fiscal year were $8.2 billion, while total expenditures were $7.856 billion. The largest general expenditures were for education ($2.48 billion), public welfare ($1.346 billion), and health ($416.2 million). The debt of the Hawaii state government at the end of fiscal year 2004 was $5.7 billion, or $4,553.24 per capita (per person).

29 Taxation

Hawaii’s per capita tax burden is one of the highest in the United States. In 2005, the state collected $4.43 billion or $3,478 per person, making the state second among the 50 states in per person tax burden, and well above the national average of $2,192. As of 1 January 2006, Hawaii had nine individual income tax brackets, ranging from 1.4% to 8.25%. The corporate income tax rate ranged from 4.4% to 6.4%.

The state general sales tax rate is 4%. Food purchased for consumption off premises (such as at home) is taxed, although an income tax credit is allowed as an offset to the sales tax on food. There are no local sales taxes, but all property taxes are local taxes. There are selective sales taxes (excises) on cigarettes, and motor fuels. Other state taxes include various license fees and stamp taxes.

General sales taxes accounted for 48.2% of all taxes collected by the state, followed by selected sales taxes at 13.8%, and individual income taxes at 31.2%. Corporate income taxes accounted for 2.8% of all taxes collected.

30 Health

In October 2005, Hawaii’s infant mortality rate was estimated at 5.6 per 1,000 live births. Death rates per 100,000 people, as of 2002, from heart disease was 201.8, followed by cancer at 156.2, cerebrovascular diseases at 65.2, chronic lower respiratory disease at 21.3, and diabetes at 16.4. The HIV-related death rate in Hawaii was 2.1 per 100,000 people. In 2004, the reported AIDS case rate was around 10.8 per 100,000 population. In 2000, about 19.7% of Hawaiians were smokers.

In 2003, Hawaii had 24 community hospitals, which together provided about 3,100 beds. In 2005, there were 725 nurses per 100,000 people. In 2004, there were 302 physicians, and 997 dentists in the state per 100,000 population. The average expense for hospital care was $1,350 per day.

Hawaii comes the closest of any state to providing universal health care coverage as the result of a 1974 law that requires employers to provide health insurance for full-time workers, and a state insurance plan for low-income, part-time workers and Medicaid recipients. About 10% of the state’s population were uninsured in 2004.

31 Housing

In 2004 there were an estimated 482,873 housing units, 427,673 of which were occupied. However, only 58.9% were owner-occupied, ranking the state at 48th out of 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) in the number of homeowners. About 51.4% of all units were single-family, detached homes, while around 22% were within buildings of 20 or more units. Most units relied on electricity for heating, but about 5,476 units were equipped for solar power. It was estimated that 20,719 units were lacking telephone service, 4,972 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 8,549 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.87 people.

In 2004, a total of 9,000 privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. Median home value was at $291,576, the highest in the nation. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,648 while renters paid a median of $871 per month.

32 Education

In 2004, of all state residents 25 years of age or older, 88% had completed high school and 26.6% had completed four or more years of college.

Hawaii is the only state to have a single, unified public school system. It was founded in 1840. Total enrollment in public schools was estimated at 183,000 in fall 2003 and expected to reach 193,000 by fall 2014. Enrollment in private schools in fall 2003 was 37,228. Expenditures for public education in 2003/2004 were estimated at $1.7 billion.

As of fall 2002, there were 65,368 students enrolled in college or graduate school. As of 2005, Hawaii had 20 degree-granting institutions. The University of Hawaii maintains three campuses—Manoa (by far the largest), Hilo, and West Oahu. Private colleges include the Hawaiian campus of Brigham Young University, Chaminade University of Honolulu, and Hawaii Pacific College. There were also seven community colleges.

33 Arts

The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) was founded in 1965. Ongoing programs include the Folk Arts Program (est. 1983) and the Hawaii State Art Museum, which opened in 2002 to feature artworks from the State Art Collection of the SFCA. The Hawaii Council for the Humanities was established in 1972 and has since granted over $4 million for over 500 projects in the state.

The Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu has a 2,100-seat theater and concert hall, an 8,400-seat arena, and art display rooms. Other performance facilities in Honolulu are the John F. Kennedy Theater at the University of Hawaii, the Waikiki Shell for outdoor concerts, and the Hawaii Opera Theater, which presents three

operas each season. The Honolulu Symphony Orchestra performs both on Oahu and on the neighboring islands. Other Oahu cultural institutions are the Honolulu Community Theater, Honolulu Theater for Youth, and Polynesian Cultural Center.

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival includes a number of Japanese cultural events presented from January through March, mostly on Oahu. The Honolulu Festival, established in 1994 as a way to encourage cultural cooperation and understanding, presents a number of art exhibits and musical performances. The Aloha Festivals, which began in 1946, now consist of over 300 events on six islands throughout the months of August and September to celebrate the music, dance, and history of the various cultures represented in the state.

34 Libraries and Museums

The Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS) operates as a single system with a combined book collection of over 3.1 million volumes and total circulation of 6.7 million. In 2000, the University of Hawaii library system in Honolulu had approximately 3 million volumes.

Hawaii has 42 major museums and cultural attractions. Among the most popular sites are the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, Sea Life Park, Bernice P. Bishop Museum (specializing in Polynesian ethnology and natural history), and Honolulu Academy of Arts. Outside Oahu, the Kilauea Visitor Center (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park) and Kokee Natural History Museum (Kauai) attract the most visitors.

35 Communications

In 2004, a total of 95.4% of Hawaii’s occupied housing units had telephones. Hawaii had 12 major AM radio stations and 21 major FM stations as of 2003, as well as 10 major television stations. A total of 27,025 Internet domain names were registered in Hawaii by the year 2000. In 2003, of all Hawaiian households, 63.3% had a computer, and 55% had Internet access.

36 Press

In 2005, Hawaii had eight daily newspapers: the Honolulu Advertiser (circulation 141,341 daily, 161,325 Sunday), Honolulu Star-Bulletin (64,305 daily, 64,344 Sunday), Hawaii Tribune-Herald(18,806 daily, 22,150 Sundays), Maui News (21,478 daily, 25,938 Sundays), West Hawaii Today (12,397 daily, 15,916 Sundays), and The Garden Island (8,677 daily, 9,130 Sundays).

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

In 2004, there were 7 million visitor arrivals to the islands, with travel expenditures at about $10.8 billion dollars for those who arrived by air. An estimated 42% of all visitors are from other US states.

Visitors come for scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, and sailing; for the hula, luau, lei, and other distinctive island pleasures; for the tropical climate and magnificent scenic beauty; and for a remarkable variety of recreational facilities, including 7 national parks and historic sites, 74 state parks, 626 county parks, 17 public golf courses, and 1,600 recognized surfing sites.

38 Sports

Hawaii has no major league professional sports teams. The Aloha Bowl (est. 1982) is a major college football postseason game played on Christmas Day in Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The Hula Bowl, a postseason all-star game for college athletes, takes place in January. The Pro Bowl (the National Football League’s all-star game) is also played in Honolulu, on the weekend following the Super Bowl.

Surfing is an extremely popular sport in Hawaii, as it is the home of the Banzai Pipeline, north of Oahu. Here, the annual Duke Kahanamoku and Makaha surfing meets take place. Hawaii is also the site of an annual Professional Golfers’ Association tournament and the world-famous Ironman Triathlon competition.

The Transpac Yacht Race is held biennially from California to Honolulu. Kona is the site of the International Billfish Tournament and the Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club holds statewide tournaments each year. Football, baseball, and basketball are the leading collegiate sports. The University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors produce the most well-known collegiate teams.

39 Famous Hawaiians

Hawaii’s best-known federal officeholder is Daniel K. Inouye (b.1924), a US senator since 1962 and the first person of Japanese ancestry ever elected to Congress. George R. Ariyoshi (b.1926), who was elected governor of Hawaii in 1974, was the first Japanese-American to serve as chief executive of a state. Commanding figures in Hawaiian history are King Kamehameha I (1758?–1819), who unified the islands through conquest, and Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli, 1813–1854), who transformed Hawaii into a constitutional monarchy. Sanford B. Dole (1844–1926) led a revolutionary movement that overthrew Queen Liliuokalani (1838–1917), and ultimately secured annexation by the United States. Honolulu-born Luther Halsey Gulick (1865–1918), along with his wife, Charlotte Vetter Gulick (b.Ohio, 1865–1928), founded the Camp Fire Girls.

Don Ho (b.1930) is a prominent Hawaiian-born entertainer; singer-actress Bette Midler (b.1945) was also born in Hawaii. Duke Kahanamoku (1889–1968) held the Olympic 100-meter free-style swimming record for almost 20 years.