State bird
Nene (Hawaiian goose)
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeHonolulu ·
U.S. States / West · Card 011
Hawaii
The Aloha State
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park includes Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
Hawaii and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Hawaii.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Honolulu
- Postal abbreviation
- HI
- Population
- 1,432,820July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 28,313 km²10,932 square miles · land and water
- Statehood
- August 21, 1959State number 50
- Region
- West
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Hawaii is an island state in the Pacific Ocean and has no land border with another state.
02
Landscape & places
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park includes Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Volcanic activity builds and reshapes the islands, while the park’s elevation range supports different climates and habitats from the coast to high mountain slopes.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 16,635 km² of land and 11,678 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
Eight alternating white, red and blue stripes, with the Union Jack in the canton.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
How the landscape works
Volcanism builds land, but an island is not a single unchanging volcanic surface. Lava flows of different ages, differences in elevation, and weather create varied conditions. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park includes both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Distinguishing a volcano, an island, and the whole state helps avoid treating several geographic scales as if they were the same place.
History
The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy
Hawaii was an independent kingdom before it became a U.S. territory. In 1893, a group of business and political leaders overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani. The U.S. minister supported the new government, and American troops had landed during the crisis. The queen opposed the seizure of her authority.
The overthrow did not immediately produce U.S. annexation. A provisional government and then the Republic of Hawaii governed the islands before Congress approved annexation by joint resolution in 1898. Queen Liliʻuokalani and many Native Hawaiians protested. Territorial government followed in 1900 and statehood in 1959. These were separate political changes, not one uninterrupted act of consent.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, U.S. annexation, and statehood were separate events. Native Hawaiian sovereignty and opposition to annexation are central to that history. Annexation changed political control; it should not be presented as though every Hawaiian agreed to it. Statehood decades later did not make those earlier questions about power and consent disappear.
Key dates
-
Hawaiian monarchy overthrown
-
U.S. annexation
-
Statehood · State number 50
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service · National Park Service · Hawaiian history
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
Native Hawaiian culture and public life continue beyond the monarchy and annexation chapters. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs provides information about its work for Native Hawaiians; it is not presented here as a federally recognized tribal government.
Continue with Office of Hawaiian Affairs. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Hawaii and Alaska
| Measure | Hawaii | Alaska |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 1,432,820 | 737,270 |
| Land area (km²) | 16,635 | 1,477,953 |
| People per km² of land | 86.1 | 0.5 |
Hawaii has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Alaska.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, government and government enterprises was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included real estate and rental and leasing, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services, and professional and business services.
Total economic output was $124.6 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Government and government enterprises: 19.8%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 16.8%
- Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services: 11.0%
- Professional and business services: 8.6%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people1.432025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,451,130 |
| 2021 | 1,446,909 |
| 2022 | 1,437,812 |
| 2023 | 1,434,950 |
| 2024 | 1,434,952 |
| 2025 | 1,432,820 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars94.142025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 76,130.2 |
| 2011 | 77,174.2 |
| 2012 | 78,694.0 |
| 2013 | 80,534.9 |
| 2014 | 81,304.9 |
| 2015 | 83,857.6 |
| 2016 | 85,670.4 |
| 2017 | 87,436.4 |
| 2018 | 88,836.4 |
| 2019 | 88,855.2 |
| 2020 | 79,696.8 |
| 2021 | 84,532.0 |
| 2022 | 87,491.2 |
| 2023 | 89,642.2 |
| 2024 | 91,878.0 |
| 2025 | 94,144.2 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Hawaii’s population decreased by about 1.3% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 42024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 22020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Hawaii
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.