Kauai County (), officially known as the County of Kauai, is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It encompasses the islands of Kauai, Niihau, Lehua, and Kaula. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 73,298. The county seat is Līhue.
The Kapaʻa Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Kauai County.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (51.0%) is water. The Pacific Ocean surrounds the county.
Adjacent entities Honolulu County, Hawaii – southeast Midway Atoll – northwest
National protected areas Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge Hulēʻia National Wildlife Refuge Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
Communities There are no incorporated communities in Kauai County, or in any other county of Hawaii. The county is the only form of local government in the State of Hawaii.
Census-designated places
Anahola ʻEleʻele Hāʻena Hanalei Hanamāʻulu Hanapēpē Kalāheo Kalihiwai Kapaʻa Kaumakani Kekaha Kīlauea Kōloa Lāwaʻi Līhuʻe ʻŌmaʻo Pākalā Village Poʻipū Princeville Puhi Wailua Wailua Homesteads Waimea Wainiha
Other unincorporated places Puʻuwai Keālia
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 73,298. Of the residents, 21.5% were under the age of 18 and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males. 57.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 42.2% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 31.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 28.8% Asian, 9.9% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 27.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.1% of the population.
There were 24,712 households in the county, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 30,157 housing units, of which 18.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.8% were owner-occupied and 37.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.4%.
+Kauai County, Hawaii – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)10,10916,23516,28420,61122,19425.87%31.72%27.85%30.72%30.28%Black or African American alone (NH)641931632583520.16%0.38%0.28%0.38%0.48%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)781491381581560.20%0.29%0.24%0.24%0.21%Asian alone (NH)25,56128,91420,41220,29620,50465.40%56.50%34.91%30.25%27.97%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census5,0775,7166,825xx8.68%8.52%9.31%Other race alone (NH)010682742830.00%0.21%0.14%0.11%0.39%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census11,50413,66315,590xx19.68%20.36%21.27%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,2705,5804,8036,3157,3948.37%10.90%8.22%9.41%10.09%Total39,08251,17758,46367,09173,298 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2000 census At the 2000 census there were 58,463 people, 20,183 households, and 14,572 families in the county. The population density was . There were 25,331 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 36.0% Asian, 29.5% White, 23.8% from two or more races, 9.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American and 0.9% from other races. 8.2%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 20,183 households 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.4% of households were one person and 7.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.34.
The age distribution was 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males. Economy
Top employers According to the county's 2022 annual comprehensive financial report, the top non-government employers in the county are the following:
# Employer # of Employees1Wilcox Health (Wilcox Medical Center)8462Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa8103Ohana Pacific Management Co.3714Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital2755Kauaʻi Beach Resort & Spa1606Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital1487Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative1408Kauai Nursery & Landscaping Inc.979Gather FCU8810The Parrish Collection85
Education
Higher education Kauai Community College is the county's only institution of higher education. One of the ten branches of the University of Hawaiʻi system, it offers a range of 2-year degrees and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Primary and Secondary Education Public schools in the county are operated by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, - Text list and the county is represented by Maggie Cox on the state's Board of Education. There are 10 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools, and 5 K-12 schools in the county.
High schools Kapaa High School Kauai High School Waimea High School
Middle schools Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Kapaa Middle School Waimea Canyon Middle School
Elementary schools Alakai O Kauai Public Charter School Eleele Elementary School Hanalei Elementary School Kalāheo Elementary School Kapaa Elementary School Kaumualii Elementary School Kekaha Elementary School Kīlauea Elementary School Kōloa Elementary School Wilcox Elementary School
K-12 Schools Kanuikapono Public Charter School Kawaikini New Century Public Charter School Ke Kula Niʻihau O Kekaha Learning Center Kula Aupuni Niʻihau A Kahelelani Aloha Niʻihau High & Elementary
Private schools There are four private schools in the county: Island School, Kahili Adventist School, St. Theresa's Elementary School, and ʻŌlelo Christian Academy. St. Catherine's School used to operate, but closed its doors on June 7, 2024.
Infrastructure Transportation Lihue Airport serves the island of Kauai. Bus service is provided by The Kauaʻi Bus.
Major Highways
Government and politics
Kauai County operates under a mayor-council form of municipal government. The Mayor of Kauai, elected by the voters on a nonpartisan basis, holds executive authority for a four-year term. Meanwhile, legislative authority is vested in the seven-member County Council. Members of the County Council are elected on a nonpartisan, at-large basis to two-year terms.
United States Congress Kauai County, like the rest of Hawaii, is represented entirely by Democrats in both the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Senators Name Party First Elected Level Senate Class 1 Mazie Hirono Democratic 2013 Junior Senator Senate Class 3 Brian Schatz Democratic 2012 Senior Senator Representatives Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Kauai County Represented District 2 Jill Tokuda Democratic 2023 entire county
Hawaii Legislature
Hawaii Senate District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Kauai County Represented 8 Ron Kouchi Democratic 2010 entire county
Hawaii House of Representatives District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Kauai County Represented 15 Nadine Nakamura Democratic 2016 Hā‘ena, Wainiha, Hanalei, Princeville, Kīlauea, Anahola, Keālia, Kāpa‘a, portion of Wailuā, Kawaihau 16 Luke Evslin Democratic 2023 Wailuā, Hanamāʻulu, Kapaia, Līhuʻe, Puhi, portion of ʻŌmaʻo 17 Dee Morikawa Democratic 2011 Niʻihau, portion of ʻŌmaʻo, Kōloa, Po‘ipū, Lāwa‘i, Kalāheo, ‘Ele‘ele, Hanapēpē, Kaawanui Village, Pākalā Village, Waimea, Kekaha
Elections
Kauai County, like Hawaii in general, has traditionally been a stronghold of the Democratic Party. The county has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984, when it narrowly voted in favor of Ronald Reagan. In 2024, while it still voted majority Democratic, Kauai County cast the highest percentage for the Republican candidate of any county in the state, a distinction that has generally been held by Honolulu County; this was the first time Kauai County had done so since 1960. The island of Kauai leans Democratic overall. The island of Ni'ihau, which has a very small population, tends to vote almost entirely Republican, by far the strongest such leaning of all major Hawaiian islands.
Sister cities Kauai County's sister cities are:
Bangued, Philippines Cook, Australia Davao City, Philippines Ishigaki, Japan Iwaki, Japan Laoag, Philippines Moriyama, Japan Papenoo, French Polynesia Penghu, Taiwan Ponta Delgada, Portugal Qinhuangdao, China Santa, Philippines Suō-Ōshima, Japan Urdaneta, Philippines Whitby, England, United Kingdom
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