City profile · Hawaii · Census ACS 2023

Urban Honolulu, HI

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Urban Honolulu — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

346,323
Residents
$85,428
Median income
$834,100
Median home
$2,433
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Urban Honolulu, HI

Urban Honolulu is a city in Hawaii with a population of 346,323 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $85,428 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 7.9%. Typical homes in Urban Honolulu are valued around $834,100, and the median resident age is 42.9 years. About 40.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Hawaii registers 110.0 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,433 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $280 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Urban Honolulu report an average commute of 20.3 minutes, with 55.7% driving alone and 8.9% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 75.0 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

346,323 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Hawaii

Median Household Income

$85,428 /yr

Poverty 7.9%

Cost of Living Index

110.0 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Urban Honolulu compare to other US cities?

Where Urban Honolulu sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 67% higher than other cities
Home value 95% pricier than other cities
Median rent 99% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Urban Honolulu against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Urban Honolulu, HI Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Urban Honolulu, HI. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Urban Honolulu, HI — median $85,428/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Urban Honolulu, HI — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 40.8%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.9%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 59.0%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
346,323
Median Income
$85,428
Median Home Value
$834,100
Median Age
42.9
Poverty Rate
7.9%
Labor force participation
59.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.8%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
20.3 minutes
Drive Alone
55.7%
Carpool
14.2%
Public Transit
7.9%
Walk
7.7%
Work from Home
8.9%
Other
5.6%

Based on 178,077 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Hawaii — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$220
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$280
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Hawaii state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Hawaii state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
110.0
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,433/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
75.0 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Urban Honolulu, HI Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Urban Honolulu, HI — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Urban Honolulu compares to nearby Hawaii cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Urban Honolulu) plus the nearest peer cities in Hawaii, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

HI

Urban Honolulu

85.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$85,428
Brackets
346
Selected

HI

East Honolulu

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,100
Brackets
51
Selected

HI

Hilo

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,820
Brackets
48
Selected

HI

Pearl

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,510
Brackets
45
Census ACS 5-year FIPS HI OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Urban Honolulu, HI?

What is the population of Urban Honolulu, HI? +

Urban Honolulu, HI has a population of 346,323 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Urban Honolulu, HI? +

The median household income in Urban Honolulu is $85,428 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Urban Honolulu? +

Urban Honolulu has a cost of living index of 110.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Urban Honolulu, HI? +

The median home value in Urban Honolulu is $834,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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