What percentage of people rent in Hilo, HI?

Name: Renters and owners in Hilo, HI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

33.9% (±2.7 points) of the occupied homes in Hilo, HI are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 6,014 renting households against 11,736 that own their home.

In Hilo, the share of households that rent went from 39.3% in 2015–2019 to 33.9% in 2020–2024 (−5.4 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 33.9% (±2.7 points)
Renting households: 6,014 (±590)
Median renter income: $49,277 (±$8,848)

Who rents and who owns in Hilo

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Hilo	Hawaii County	Hawaii	United States
Renter-occupied share	33.9% (±2.7 points)	26.0% (±1.2 points)	37.0% (±0.6 points)	34.8%
Renting households	6,014 (±590)	19,277 (±948)	182,206 (±3,189)	45,017,354
Owning households	11,736 (±561)	54,795 (±966)	310,247 (±3,326)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.5 (±0.2)	2.8 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.9 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.1)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$49,277 (±$8,848)	$54,668 (±$4,063)	$71,363 (±$1,315)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$105,602 (±$6,521)	$90,664 (±$2,970)	$121,145 (±$1,321)	$100,009

In Hilo, the renter share is higher than in Hawaii County (26.0%).

It is also lower than in Hawaii (37.0%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Hawaii County, Hilo ranks 6 of 35 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 44 of 125.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Hilo has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	39.3% (±2.3 points)	33.9% (±2.7 points)	−5.4 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,045 (±$52)	$1,427 (±$89)	+36.6%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$63,283 (±$2,355)	$81,779 (±$7,098)	+29.2%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Hilo

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Hilo
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Hilo	—	33.9% (±2.7 points)	—
Keaau	5.0 mi	39.1% (±10.6 points)	Not measurably different
Kurtistown	7.1 mi	12.1% (±7.3 points)	Lower
Papaikou	7.2 mi	29.5% (±12.8 points)	Not measurably different
Hawaiian Paradise Park	10 mi	26.3% (±8.8 points)	Not measurably different
Pepeekeo	10 mi	41.5% (±9.3 points)	Not measurably different
Orchidlands Estates	10 mi	14.8% (±8.0 points)	Lower
Hawaiian Acres	11 mi	16.4% (±13.1 points)	Lower
Fern Acres	12 mi	15.8% (±10.3 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Kurtistown, HI (12.1%), Orchidlands Estates, HI (14.8%), Hawaiian Acres, HI (16.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Hawaii County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Pepeekeo	41.5% (±9.3 points)
2	Halaula	41.0% (±27.5 points)
3	Honalo	40.6% (±21.1 points)
4	Keaau	39.1% (±10.6 points)
5	Nanawale Estates	36.2% (±12.7 points)
6	Hilo	33.9% (±2.7 points)
7	Kailua (Hawaii County)	33.0% (±4.3 points)
8 (tie)	Captain Cook	30.9% (±11.1 points)
8 (tie)	Kealakekua	30.9% (±10.4 points)
10	Waikoloa Village	30.5% (±6.8 points)
11	Papaikou	29.5% (±12.8 points)
12	Honaunau-Napoopoo	29.0% (±12.2 points)

Showing 12 of 35 places in Hawaii County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Hilo is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Hilo

How many renters are there in Hilo?

Hilo has an estimated 6,014 (±590) renting households, 33.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Hilo?

In Hilo, the share of households that rent went from 39.3% in 2015–2019 to 33.9% in 2020–2024 (−5.4 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Hilo?

A renting household in Hilo has 2.5 people on average, against 2.9 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Hilo?

The median renting household in Hilo, HI has an income of $49,277 (±$8,848) a year, against $105,602 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Hilo CDP, Hawaii (place:14650, in state:15).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.