akashic
1876–2024
Hilo-Kailua, HI·Hawaii

Hilo-Kailua, HI has voted Democratic in ten straight presidential elections — D+28 in 2024.

Hawaii Island's civic anchor, shaped by volcano country and union roots

1876 — 2024·38 elections
HI
LatestD+28in 2024
TypologyFlorida Surgecluster typology
Population205,7692024 ACS

Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii: Florida Surge metro. In 2024, voted D+28%. Democratic peak: D+60 in 1964.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+28MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Florida SurgeAkashic typology
Population
205,7692024 5-year
Median household income
$78,6392024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
30.9%2024 5-year
Black
0.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
11.7%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+60 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+18 in 1972MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Hilo-Kailua, HI
HarrisD+28
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How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic63.0%52,163
Donald TrumpRepublican34.7%28,748
OtherAll other candidates2.3%1,912
D+60
R+60
1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: +28.3% in 2024.flipped D · 1988+28.3%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892No data
1896No data
1900No data
1904No data
1908No data
1912No data
1916No data
1920No data
1924No data
1928No data
1932No data
1936No data
1940No data
1944No data
1948No data
1952No data
1956No data
1960−2.9%
1964+60.3%
1968+24.1%
1972−18.2%
1976+1.9%
1980+9.4%
1984−7.3%
1988+16.7%
1992+20.2%
1996+28.1%
2000+22.8%
2004+22.7%
2008+53.7%
2012+51.2%
2016+36.6%
2020+36.3%
2024+28.3%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+28.3%
52,16328,74882,823
D
+36.3%
58,73126,89787,814
D
+36.6%
41,25917,50164,867
D
+51.2%
47,22414,75363,454
D
+53.7%
50,81914,86666,916
D
+22.7%
35,11622,03257,702
D
+22.8%
28,67017,05050,860
D
+28.1%
27,26213,51648,977
D
+20.2%
25,72515,46050,916
D
+16.7%
24,09117,12541,768
R
−7.3%
17,86620,70739,143
D
+9.4%
17,63014,24735,861
D
+1.9%
15,96015,36631,765
R
−18.2%
11,65216,83228,484
D
+24.1%
15,8199,62525,727
D
+60.3%
20,0114,96224,973
R
−2.9%
11,55712,25123,808
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
8.1%
English
8.0%
Irish
6.0%
Italian
2.5%
French
1.5%
Scottish
1.4%
American
1.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 44.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.9%
85+
1.5%
3.3%
75–84
3.3%
7.4%
65–74
7.4%
6.6%
55–64
6.9%
5.7%
45–54
5.8%
6.3%
35–44
6.4%
5.4%
25–34
5.7%
3.4%
18–24
3.3%
8.0%
5–17
7.5%
2.7%
<5
2.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$78,639
Hilo-Kailua, HI ranks near the middle of US counties.
Hilo-Kailua, HI$78,639
Hawaii$100,389
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.9%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1818.2%
Working age (18–64)14.6%
Seniors (65+)10.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
77.4%
speak English only
Asian & Pacific Islander15.9%
Other languages2.7%
Spanish2.3%
Other Indo-European1.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
19.4%
Other Christian
12.0%
Non-Christian
4.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.8%
Mainline Protestant
1.6%
Baptist
1.5%
Methodist
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 58.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

The Big Island's largest metro blends Native Hawaiian communities, Japanese-American working-class neighborhoods, and a university town in Hilo — a mix that has delivered Democrats double-digit margins in most statewide contests.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of sixty points in 1964 and a Republican high of eighteen points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved eight points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-eight points.

A population of 205,769, a 31% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $78,639 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/25900/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii vote in 2024?
In 2024, Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii voted Democratic by 28.3 points (D+28), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 82,823 votes cast, 52,163 went Democratic and 28,748 went Republican.
What is Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii's political typology?
Akashic places Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii in the "Florida Surge" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 14 times, Republican 3 times, and other 0 times.
When did Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii?
Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii has a population of 205,769 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii?
Median household income in Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii is $78,639 — below the national median of $80,734. The Hawaii state median is $100,389.
What is the political history of Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Hilo-Kailua, HI, Hawaii from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 14 went Democratic and 3 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Florida Surge" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.