County outline
Where Hawaii County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 79.2% of Hawaii County’s measured area and water for 20.8%. Its combined area converts to 13,173.1 square kilometers or approximately 3,255,146 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 4,028.431 | 10,433.588 | 2,578,195.8 |
| Water | 1,057.735 | 2,739.521 | 676,950.4 |
| Total | 5,086.166 | 13,173.109 | 3,255,146.2 |
How Hawaii County compares
By original Census land area, Hawaii County ranks #1 of 5 in Hawaii and #119 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 6.499 times the Hawaii county-equivalent median of 619.8 square miles. It accounts for 62.7% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Hawaii ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Hawaii County
The Census Bureau estimates that 210,043 people lived in Hawaii County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #344 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #2 of 5 in Hawaii. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 200,632, the population has grown by 9,411 (+4.7%), compared with −1.5% for Hawaii as a whole.
With 4,028.4 square miles of land, that is 52 people per square mile (20 per km²), placing Hawaii County #1,505 nationally for density and #4 in Hawaii. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Hawaii median is 118. Put another way, there are about 12 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 200,744 | 203,941 | 206,031 | 207,476 | 209,050 | 210,043 |
| Change | — | +3,197 | +2,090 | +1,445 | +1,574 | +993 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Hawaii County
Hawaii has no incorporated cities or towns: its counties provide local government directly. Hawaii County’s communities are census-designated places, statistical areas the Census Bureau defines for data purposes.
Metropolitan area
Hawaii County is a central county of the Hilo-Kailua, HI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Hawaii County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 4,028.4 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #35 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #3 by population.
ZIP codes
28 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Hawaii County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
96704967109671996720967259672696727967289673796738967409674396749967509675596760967649677196772967739677496776967779677896780967819678396785
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Hawaii County
Hawaii County has no land border with another county equivalent in the Census cartographic boundaries: open water separates it from every other county equivalent. Its nearest entries in the national land ranking are listed below, and the Hawaii directory lists every county equivalent in the state.
How big is Hawaii County compared with U.S. states?
Hawaii County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 2.1 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.2 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²).
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 63.5 miles (102.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Hawaii County?
Hawaii County has more land than 3,103 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Hawaii County at #82 nationally by total area, 37 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 20.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 19.6 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Hawaii County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #118 | Los Angeles County, California | 4,060.3 | Compare |
| #119 | Hawaii County, Hawaii | 4,028.4 | This county |
| #120 | Teton County, Wyoming | 3,996.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 19.597764, -155.502443. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 10,433,587,058 m²; AWATER: 2,739,520,910 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Hawaii County?
Hawaii County, Hawaii has 4,028.4 square miles (10,433.6 km²) of land and 1,057.7 square miles of water, for a total area of 5,086.2 square miles. It ranks #119 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Hawaii County the largest county in Hawaii?
Yes. Hawaii County has the most land of the 5 county equivalents in Hawaii.
What counties border Hawaii County?
None. Open water separates Hawaii County from every other county equivalent in the Census cartographic boundaries.
What is the population of Hawaii County?
The Census Bureau estimates Hawaii County had 210,043 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #344 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 52 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Hawaii County?
The county seat of Hawaii County is Hilo.
Is Hawaii County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Hilo-Kailua, HI Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Hawaii County?
28 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Hawaii County, and 28 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Hawaii County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Hawaii County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 2,578,196 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 3,255,146 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.