Kauai County, Hawaii Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kauai County, HI Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A
Health Above average
-
B
Income Around average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 73,731 | 1,440,047 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 58.3 | 130.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.57% | 0.34% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.2 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,632 | 491,258 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kauai County grew by 17.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 73,731 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kauai County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.7% of residents. That is 1.5 points below Hawaii as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 13,426 18.2% -1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 15,296 20.7% -1.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 15,210 20.6% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 15,035 20.4% +2.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Hawaii, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Kauai County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Hawaii 49.7%
- Men 49.4% Hawaii 50.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Kauai County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Kauai County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $96,900 | $100,437 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.52% | 4.23% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kauai County is about 4% lower than in Hawaii.
Housing
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,150,862 | $529,214 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,869 | $1,970 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.6% | 63.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kauai County is about 51.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,869 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kauai County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.4 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.8 | 45.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 178 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,523 | $5,883 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 9.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,521 | 17,245 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,778 | 2,478 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Hawaii:
Kalawao County (4.4 min), Maui County (18.9 min), Kauai County (21.4 min).
Slowest:
Honolulu County (23.5 min), Hawaii County (21.4 min), Kauai County (21.4 min).
The average commute time in Kauai County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Hawaii.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Kauai County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.3% | 32.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.09 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Hawaii:
Honolulu County (0.3), Hawaii County (0.3), Kauai County (0.3).
Lowest:
Kalawao County (0.2), Maui County (0.3), Kauai County (0.3).
Health
Kauai County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 84.5 | 81.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.9% | 13.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.8% | 14.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Hawaii:
Honolulu County (0.8), Kauai County (0.8), Maui County (0.8).
Lowest:
Hawaii County (0.8), Maui County (0.8), Kauai County (0.8).
Kauai County, HI Compared With Nearby Counties
Kauai County, HI is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 73,731 residents against a local median of 204,351. The measure that sets Kauai County, HI apart most is median home price: $1,150,862, 99% above the local median of $579,189.
The counties themselves sit within $295,707 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Kauai County, HI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Kauai County, HI has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kauai County, HI | 73,731 | $96,900 #3/4 | $1,150,862 #1/4 | 21.4 min #2/4 |
| Maui County, HI | 164,522 | $97,704 | $678,762 | 18.9 min |
| Hawaii County, HI | 204,351 | $79,154 | $383,054 | 21.4 min |
| Honolulu County, HI | 997,376 | $106,569 | $579,189 | 23.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kauai County, Hawaii.
What is the population of Kauai County, Hawaii?
About 73,731 people live in Kauai County, Hawaii, in 23,632 households of 3.1 people on average. The median age is 41.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Kauai County, Hawaii mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Kauai County, Hawaii has 58 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Kauai County, Hawaii an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 11.9 times the median household income ($1,150,862 against $96,900), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,869 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Kauai County, Hawaii?
Unemployment in Kauai County, Hawaii is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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