Honolulu County, Hawaii
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Honolulu County. Population: 989,408 (large).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Honolulu County, HI falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 37.9 — 2489th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Hawaii, it ranks 4th of 5 counties. Its strongest area is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage and disability rates are better than the national average.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Honolulu County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Debt & Delinquency
Income & Poverty
Community Vulnerability
How Honolulu County Compares
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (large) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, GA | 37.8 | Normal | -0.1 |
| Kent County, MI | 37.7 | Normal | -0.1 |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 38.1 | Normal | +0.3 |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 38.1 | Normal | +0.3 |
| Clay County, MO | 38.1 | Normal | +0.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Honolulu County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Honolulu County, Hawaii?
Honolulu County has a County Distress Index score of 37.9 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,489th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 4th in Hawaii out of 5 counties.
What drives financial distress in Honolulu County?
The primary driver of distress in Honolulu County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 95.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Honolulu County compare to neighboring counties?
Neighbor comparison data is not available for Honolulu County.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Honolulu County?
Honolulu County, Hawaii has a population of approximately 989,408 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.