Honolulu County, Hawaii: commercial real estate data.
Honolulu County, Hawaii has a population of 1,001,146 across 601 square miles, down 1.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $87.07 bn in 2024, 20,890 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 648 7(a) approvals worth $154.2 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Honolulu County
How many people live in Honolulu County
- Population1,001,146
- Households338,868
- Average household size2.95
- Median household income$106,195
- Median age39.8
- Median gross rent$2,083 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$897,500
- Home value to household income8.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income23.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher38.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over708,001
- Population under 18206,028
- Share under 1820.6 percent
- Population 65 and over195,878
- Share 65 and over19.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64599,240
- Civilian labor force484,193
- Unemployment rate4.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.9 percent
- Rank by population among Hawaii counties1st of 5
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents48th
Honolulu County is the 1st largest of 5 Hawaii counties by population. A median home costs 8.5 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 20.6 percent against 19.6 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Honolulu County
Is Honolulu County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.75 percent
- Census 2020 base population1,016,494
- Births, 202410,608
- Deaths, 20248,305
- Natural change, 20242,303
- Net domestic migration, 2024-6,890
- Net international migration, 20248,846
- Total net migration, 20241,956
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-45,376
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2431st
The county has lost 1.75 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Honolulu County
Where people moving to Honolulu County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving20,356
- People arriving, from those returns39,313
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.68 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$82,445
- Largest single originHonolulu County Non-migrants (390,689 households)
- Largest single destination (390,689 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu County Non-migrants | 390,689 | 743,950 | $34.90 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 4,631 | 8,688 | $330.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 2,032 | 4,017 | $131.1 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 1,011 | 1,829 | $85.0 m |
| Foreign - APO/FPO ZIPs | 1,000 | 2,511 | $85.0 m |
| Other flows - West | 843 | 1,553 | $55.9 m |
| San Diego County | 819 | 1,660 | $58.4 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 745 | 1,289 | $58.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Honolulu County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Honolulu County
What the Honolulu County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$87.07 bn
- County GDP, 2023$82.56 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.5 percent
- GDP change over five years36.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Hawaii counties1st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents61st
- GDP per resident$86,967
Output grew 5.5 percent in the latest year and 36.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Honolulu County
Who employs people in Honolulu County
- Covered employment, annual average453,193
- Establishments reporting31,849
- Average annual pay$69,851
- Average weekly wage$1,343
- Sector 72, employment63,590
- Sector 72, average annual pay$42,145
- Sector 62, employment56,169
- Sector 62, average annual pay$76,763
- Sector 44-45, employment41,501
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$44,589
- Sector 23, employment27,772
- Sector 23, average annual pay$95,804
- Sector 56, employment25,813
- Sector 48-49, employment22,587
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 63,590 | 3,270 | $42,145 |
| Sector 62 | 56,169 | 4,034 | $76,763 |
| Sector 44-45 | 41,501 | 2,875 | $44,589 |
| Sector 23 | 27,772 | 2,602 | $95,804 |
| Sector 56 | 25,813 | 2,116 | $51,512 |
| Sector 48-49 | 22,587 | 725 | $83,123 |
| Sector 54 | 21,856 | 4,582 | $103,501 |
| Sector 81 | 18,833 | 3,248 | $50,833 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 63,590 jobs, 14.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Honolulu County
What businesses operate in Honolulu County
- Establishments, all industries20,890
- Employment at those establishments331,937
- Annual payroll$20.33 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Honolulu County
What is being built in Honolulu County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,638
- Declared construction value permitted$529.8 m
- Single family units authorised706
- Multifamily units authorised932
- Multifamily share of units56.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$323,444
- Units authorised per 1,000 households4.8
Multifamily is 56.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Honolulu County
How much SBA lending happens in Honolulu County
- 7(a) approvals recorded648
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$154.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$237,922
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$525,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)5,895
- Jobs per approval9.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active49
- Distinct industries receiving approvals208
- Median 7(a) term60 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer2.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms19
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter616
- Franchise loans35
- Franchise share of approvals5.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (46)
- Most active lenderCentral Pacific Bank (361)
- 504 approvals recorded340
- 504 gross approval dollars$247.9 m
- Average 504 approval$729,088
- Median 504 approval$473,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval5.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.8
- Most active CDCHEDCO Local Development Corporation (328)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals65.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$402.1 m
The average approval of $237,922 sits well above the median of $50,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 2.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Honolulu County
Do SBA loans in Honolulu County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded148
- Paid in full130
- Charged off18
- Charge off rate on resolved loans12.2 percent
- Status: Paid in full130
- Status: Exempt from disclosure401
- Status: Cancelled72
- Status: Charged off18
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed27
| NAICS | Industry | Resolved loans | Charged off | Charge off rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 722513 | Limited-Service Restaurants | 12 | 2 | 16.7% |
Of the 148 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12.2 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong. Among industries with at least ten resolved loans, Limited-Service Restaurants carries the highest charge off rate at 16.7 percent.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Honolulu County
Which parts of Honolulu County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending23
- HONOLULU, approvals322
- KAPOLEI, approvals57
- AIEA, approvals44
- WAIPAHU, approvals40
- EWA BEACH, approvals34
- KAILUA, approvals33
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| HONOLULU | 322 | $90,082,800 |
| KAPOLEI | 57 | $14,652,600 |
| AIEA | 44 | $8,308,400 |
| WAIPAHU | 40 | $4,301,300 |
| EWA BEACH | 34 | $1,335,600 |
| KAILUA | 33 | $4,905,000 |
| KANEOHE | 24 | $9,358,000 |
| MILILANI | 18 | $1,022,900 |
HONOLULU accounts for 322 approvals against 57 in KAPOLEI. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Honolulu County
How big is Honolulu County
- Land area601 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Hawaii counties4th of 5
- Width, east to west40.4 mi
- Height, north to south31.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary0
- Residents per square mile of land1,666
- Establishments per square mile34.76
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Computed from shared land boundary. Geographies separated by water are not counted, so this understates the true neighbour set in this state.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Honolulu County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Honolulu County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population1,001,146
- Households338,868
- Average household size2.95
- Median household income$106,195
- Median age39.8
Common questions
Honolulu County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
1,001,146, in 338,868 households, ranking 1st of 5 Hawaii counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Honolulu County growing?
The population has fallen 1.75 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 10,608 births against 8,305 deaths, with net migration of 1,956. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Honolulu County?
$106,195. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $897,500, which is 8.5 times income, and median gross rent is $2,083 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Honolulu County?
20,890 establishments, employing 331,937 people with an annual payroll of $20.33 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Honolulu County?
Average annual pay is $69,851, or $1,343 a week, across 453,193 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Honolulu County?
648 7(a) approvals totalling $154.2 m since FY2020, across 49 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000, plus 340 504 approvals worth $247.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Honolulu County get paid back?
Of the 148 loans that have reached a final outcome, 130 were paid in full and 18 charged off, a charge off rate of 12.2 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Honolulu County?
1,638 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $529.8 m. Multifamily was 56.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Honolulu County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Honolulu County come from?
The largest single origin is Honolulu County Non-migrants, with 390,689 households. Arriving households report an average income of $82,445 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Honolulu County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Honolulu County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.