Major Cities in Hawaii Beyond Honolulu

Honolulu (350K city / 1M metro) dominates, but Hawaii has several other significant population centers across the islands.

By Island

Oʻahu (Honolulu County)

• East Honolulu (50K) — Hawaiʻi Kai, Kuliʻouʻou, ʻĀina Haina
• Pearl City (45K) — Pearl Harbor, shopping
• Waipahu (40K) — Plantation history, Filipino community
• Kāneʻohe (35K) — Windward side, Marine Corps Base
• Kailua (38K) — Beaches, Lanikai, pillboxes
• ʻEwa Beach / Kapolei (70K combined) — Second City development
• Mililani / Wahiawā (45K) — Central plain, former pineapple

Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island)

• Hilo (45K) — County seat, wet side, UH Hilo, Imiloa, volcanoes access
• Kailua-Kona (25K) — Dry side, tourism, coffee, Ironman
• Waimea / Kamuela (10K) — Paniolo (cowboy) country, ranching, astronomy

Maui

• Kahului (28K) — Airport, commercial harbor, Maui College
• Wailuku (17K) — County seat, historic, ʻĪao Valley
• Kīhei (22K) — South shore, beaches, condos, snorkeling
• Lahaina (13K, pre-2023 fire) — Historic capital, tourism hub — rebuilding
• Upcountry: Makawao, Pukalani, Kula (cooler, farms, views)

Kauaʻi

• Līhuʻe (8K) — County seat, airport, Nawiliwili Harbor
• Kapaʻa (11K) — East side, coconut coast, bike path

Census-Designated Places (CDPs) vs. Incorporated

Hawaii has no incorporated cities except Honolulu (city-county consolidated). All others are CDPs — statistical areas, not municipal governments.

Island Populations (2020)

• Oʻahu: 1,016,508 (70%)
• Hawaiʻi: 200,629 (14%)
• Maui: 164,754 (11%)
• Kauaʻi: 73,298 (5%)
• Molokaʻi: 7,345
• Lānaʻi: 3,367
• Niʻihau: ~84 (private)
• Kahoʻolawe: 0 (uninhabited, restoration)