Racial diversity in Hawaii is a mixed bag.
There are parts of Hawaii where there’s a high level of diversity. But where will you find the most diverse places in Hawaii?
To answer that question, we went to the US Census data. Using Saturday Night Science, we measured the Gini coefficient for all 55 cities in Hawaii to rank them from most to least diverse.
#1 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most diverse in Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Maui County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Kapolei is a master-planned community in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu. It is colloquially known as the “second city” of Oahu, in relation to Honolulu. Officially, it is a census-designated place within the consolidated city-county of Honolulu.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most diverse in Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Hilo is the largest settlement and census-designated place in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii. The population was 43,263 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 most diverse in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Hawaii’s statewide median.
On the map
Where diversity lives in Hawaii
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in Hawaii for 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census — and Saturday Night Science. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Hawaii.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
- Hispanic or Latino
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 55 cities.
We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 2,063 (Makakilo) to 5,115 (Waipahu).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI, with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Makakilo took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Waipahu was the least diverse city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most diverse places in Hawaii.
The full plate
Race By City In Hawaii For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | HHI | % White | % Black | % Hispanic | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makakilo | 20,735 | 2,063 | 18.3% | 5.3% | 14.7% | 27.5% |
| 2 | Iroquois Point | 5,158 | 2,097 | 30.7% | 3.4% | 16.8% | 16.9% |
| 3 | Makawao | 7,353 | 2,119 | 25.0% | 0.0% | 16.2% | 17.4% |
| 4 | Makaha | 10,066 | 2,134 | 20.7% | 3.0% | 12.6% | 8.8% |
| 5 | Kapolei | 22,232 | 2,172 | 11.1% | 2.0% | 17.5% | 26.2% |
| 6 | Maili | 11,570 | 2,236 | 7.8% | 6.2% | 12.9% | 13.1% |
| 7 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 13,203 | 2,259 | 28.5% | 1.0% | 15.9% | 15.1% |
| 8 | Waimea CDP (Hawaii County) | 9,286 | 2,350 | 22.2% | 0.0% | 11.0% | 18.0% |
| 9 | Hilo | 50,404 | 2,356 | 14.3% | 0.7% | 11.0% | 34.2% |
| 10 | Ocean Pointe | 17,085 | 2,358 | 23.2% | 4.9% | 15.5% | 31.6% |
| 11 | Laie | 5,699 | 2,383 | 27.7% | 0.5% | 5.0% | 14.5% |
| 12 | Napili-Honokowai | 7,308 | 2,406 | 36.2% | 0.6% | 14.4% | 21.5% |
| 13 | Ahuimanu | 8,452 | 2,417 | 16.4% | 0.0% | 14.2% | 31.0% |
| 14 | Wailuku | 16,926 | 2,430 | 20.9% | 1.0% | 7.7% | 33.4% |
| 15 | Pukalani | 8,679 | 2,444 | 28.1% | 1.4% | 15.9% | 18.7% |
| 16 | Kapaa | 11,094 | 2,517 | 27.7% | 1.0% | 8.5% | 34.2% |
| 17 | Waimanalo | 6,054 | 2,517 | 8.6% | 0.0% | 15.5% | 13.1% |
| 18 | Lihue | 7,901 | 2,524 | 18.8% | 2.5% | 10.3% | 40.7% |
| 19 | Wahiawa | 17,996 | 2,533 | 10.3% | 2.9% | 13.6% | 40.1% |
| 20 | Waihee-Waiehu | 10,988 | 2,544 | 8.9% | 1.8% | 7.8% | 38.4% |
| 21 | Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) | 21,818 | 2,570 | 40.1% | 0.2% | 8.3% | 19.0% |
| 22 | Kaneohe | 37,355 | 2,612 | 14.0% | 0.5% | 10.8% | 37.6% |
| 23 | Waikoloa Village | 7,543 | 2,617 | 41.6% | 1.9% | 8.7% | 10.7% |
| 24 | Waipio Acres | 5,332 | 2,684 | 11.4% | 4.8% | 14.7% | 39.4% |
| 25 | Waianae | 12,918 | 2,713 | 7.6% | 1.0% | 14.2% | 8.6% |
| 26 | Lahaina | 10,162 | 2,764 | 24.8% | 0.4% | 9.5% | 40.1% |
| 27 | Kahaluu | 5,619 | 2,770 | 24.7% | 0.0% | 8.3% | 12.4% |
| 28 | Kihei | 21,567 | 2,780 | 42.2% | 1.3% | 13.2% | 21.2% |
| 29 | Kailua CDP (Honolulu County) | 39,640 | 2,850 | 42.1% | 0.5% | 6.8% | 18.7% |
| 30 | Ewa Gentry | 26,563 | 2,893 | 9.3% | 3.1% | 14.1% | 46.2% |
| 31 | Heeia | 5,144 | 2,999 | 15.9% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 43.2% |
| 32 | Mililani Town | 27,668 | 3,025 | 9.7% | 1.6% | 11.4% | 45.1% |
| 33 | Mililani Mauka | 21,278 | 3,038 | 13.1% | 2.5% | 9.7% | 47.2% |
| 34 | West Loch Estate | 5,544 | 3,053 | 3.9% | 2.5% | 14.4% | 45.0% |
| 35 | Wailua Homesteads | 5,431 | 3,067 | 46.8% | 0.0% | 9.5% | 24.1% |
| 36 | Schofield Barracks | 16,270 | 3,098 | 47.8% | 17.9% | 20.9% | 5.0% |
| 37 | East Honolulu | 51,360 | 3,200 | 23.0% | 0.9% | 4.7% | 46.8% |
| 38 | Halawa | 14,385 | 3,269 | 8.3% | 0.5% | 6.8% | 51.5% |
| 39 | Urban Honolulu | 345,482 | 3,293 | 16.1% | 1.5% | 6.9% | 51.8% |
| 40 | Hickam Housing | 9,425 | 3,301 | 52.9% | 10.3% | 10.8% | 4.4% |
| 41 | Nanakuli | 12,383 | 3,435 | 4.4% | 0.7% | 11.1% | 5.1% |
| 42 | Ewa Beach | 14,376 | 3,448 | 6.2% | 0.0% | 7.4% | 51.9% |
| 43 | Aiea | 9,087 | 3,504 | 11.9% | 1.8% | 7.5% | 54.7% |
| 44 | Haiku-Pauwela | 9,178 | 3,543 | 52.5% | 0.0% | 15.2% | 5.5% |
| 45 | Kula | 6,791 | 3,561 | 54.9% | 0.0% | 7.7% | 14.0% |
| 46 | Pearl City | 44,547 | 3,579 | 9.8% | 1.8% | 6.3% | 54.5% |
| 47 | Waimalu | 13,061 | 3,580 | 11.1% | 2.0% | 9.3% | 54.8% |
| 48 | Kahului | 28,288 | 3,603 | 10.6% | 1.4% | 7.3% | 55.4% |
| 49 | Royal Kunia | 13,555 | 3,685 | 6.0% | 2.6% | 8.8% | 55.9% |
| 50 | Kahaluu-Keauhou | 5,150 | 3,795 | 56.9% | 0.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 51 | Waipio | 10,870 | 3,904 | 5.6% | 0.8% | 7.1% | 57.0% |
| 52 | Waikele | 7,528 | 4,283 | 8.0% | 2.0% | 5.6% | 60.6% |
| 53 | Ewa Villages | 7,415 | 4,545 | 4.7% | 0.0% | 7.1% | 63.8% |
| 54 | Wailea | 6,352 | 4,830 | 67.3% | 1.0% | 9.6% | 10.0% |
| 55 | Waipahu | 40,482 | 5,115 | 2.4% | 0.7% | 5.8% | 69.6% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 55 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Diversity Across Hawaii
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Hawaii, this is an accurate list.
The most diverse cities in Hawaii are Makakilo, Iroquois Point, Makawao, Makaha, Kapolei, Maili, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Waimea CDP (Hawaii County), Hilo, and Ocean Pointe. Not sold on Hawaii? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Diverse Cities In Hawaii FAQs
What is the most diverse city in Hawaii?
Makakilo is the most diverse city in Hawaii for 2026, posting the lowest diversity index (2,063) of the 55 places we measured. Iroquois Point and Makawao are next.
What are the 10 most diverse cities in Hawaii?
The ten most diverse cities in Hawaii are Makakilo, Iroquois Point, Makawao, Makaha, Kapolei, Maili, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Waimea CDP (Hawaii County), Hilo, and Ocean Pointe. We ranked all 55 places with more than 5,000 residents by their racial-diversity HHI.
How do you measure diversity?
We use a Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) across each city’s White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian population shares from the Census American Community Survey. A lower score means the mix is more even, so the lowest HHI wins.
What is the least diverse city in Hawaii?
Waipahu is the least diverse city in Hawaii, with a diversity index of 5,115. That means one group makes up most of its population.
Where does this data come from?
All population shares come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020-2024). Diversity scores in Hawaii range from 2,063 in Makakilo to 5,115 in Waipahu.
