The state has ranked all of Hawaii's Census tracts by income and poverty
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Where you live makes a big difference in the islands.
New rankings from the state show which communities have the highest (and lowest) incomes, the highest (and lowest) poverty rates, and the highest (and lowest) unemployment rates — and the differences are significant.
The figures, based on averages of 2012-16 Census figures, paint a picture of haves and have-nots in the islands — and offer a few surprises, too.
Of the 312 Census tracts in Hawaii, according to the rankings, 156 had median household incomes higher than the median for the state ($71,977).
The Census tract with the highest median household income: Waiawa (yes, that's no typo).
The median household income in the Central Oahu community is $161,250.
Waialae Iki comes in at no. 2 ($157,708), and Portlock ($146,042) rounds out the top three.
The Census tract with the lowest median household income, the newly-released averages show, was Mayor Wright Housing at $22,813. The median household income in the Hilo: University-Houselots was just slightly higher at $22,903.
In all, there were 15 Census tracts where the median household income was less than half of the state's. Of those, seven were on the Big Island.
The Census tract with the highest average per capita income was Portlock, where the average resident brings in $80,557 a year.
Launiupoko on Maui came in at no. 2, with $76,524, while Waialae-Kahala ($72,969) rounded out the top three.
Statewide, the average per capita income as $30,970.
And about 11 percent of residents live below the poverty line. In some communities, that figure was far higher, though.
In the Linapuni Street Census tract, 69 percent of residents live below the poverty level, the highest in the state.
The Mayor Wright Housing had the second-highest poverty rate, with 55 percent of residents below the poverty line. And 42 percent of residents in the Hilo: Villa Franca Kaiko'o were in poverty.
Unemployment rates also varied widely by Census tract in Hawaii.
From 2012 to 2016, Hawaii unemployment rate was 5.5 percent on average.
But it was 38 percent in the Kahauiki Street Census tract and 22 percent in the Menoher Street Census tract.
To see income and poverty rankings for all Hawaii Census tracts, click here.
| Median Household Income | |
|---|---|
| State | $71,977 |
| Waiawa | $161,250 |
| Waialae Iki | $157,708 |
| Portlock | $146,042 |
| Diamond Head | $141,563 |
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