Housing data for Lihue, HI
Lihue, HI has an estimated 7,901 residents and 2,963 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Kauai County.
36.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,956 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 7,901 (±872)
- Housing units
- 2,963 (±203)
- Households that rent
- 36.2%
- Median gross rent
- $1,956
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +8.7%
What stands out in Lihue
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 30.6% (±8.0 points) in Lihue, higher than in Kauai County (17.3%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 25.9% (±7.0 points) in Lihue, higher than in Kauai County (18.6%).
Working from home: 5.0% (±2.8 points) in Lihue, lower than in Kauai County (8.6%).
Average commute: 16.8 minutes (±3.0) in Lihue, lower than in Kauai County (22.4 minutes).
Housing in Lihue at a glance
- Median rent: $1,956 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $2,230 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 62.1% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 36.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $92,850 median household income
- Home values: $878,500 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $3,111 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,848 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 30.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 59.4% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 41.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 56.3% use no heating fuel
- Commute and cars: 16.8 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +8.7% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 25.9% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.6% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Lihue against Kauai County, its state and the nation
| Lihue | Kauai County | Hawaii | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,901 (±872) | 73,731 (exact) | 1,445,235 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 2,963 (±203) | 30,471 (±61) | 567,896 (±229) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 36.2% (±7.5 points) | 31.4% (±1.9 points) | 37.0% (±0.6 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,956 (±$345) | $1,870 (±$78) | $1,971 (±$23) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $92,850 (±$28,137) | $97,668 (±$5,401) | $100,389 (±$1,121) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $878,500 (±$46,343) | $873,200 (±$15,373) | $839,100 (±$5,924) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,848 (±$279) | $1,866 (±$110) | $2,239 (±$31) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 41.5% (±9.8 points) | 42.9% (±2.6 points) | 50.5% (±0.6 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 16.8 minutes (±3.0) | 22.4 minutes (±0.7) | 26.2 minutes (±0.2) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 90.2% (±4.2 points) | 94.3% (±1.1 points) | 92.0% (±0.3 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 42.3 years (±6.1) | 43.1 years (±0.3) | 40.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Lihue covers 7.5 square miles of land, about 1,060 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Lihue has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,267 (±655) | 7,901 (±872) | +8.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 2,716 (±136) | 2,963 (±203) | +9.1% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $1,463 (±$367) | $1,956 (±$345) | +33.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $611,000 (±$41,316) | $878,500 (±$46,343) | +43.8% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $77,845 (±$18,341) | $92,850 (±$28,137) | +19.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,516 (±$326) | $3,111 (±$557) | +23.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,371 (±$94) | $1,848 (±$279) | +34.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 37.8% (±8.7 points) | 36.2% (±7.5 points) | −1.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±3.4 points) | 0.0% (±3.3 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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.
Crime reported to police in Kauai County
Lihue has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Kauai County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Kauai County recorded 232 violent and 1,967 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Lihue
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanamaulu | 1.8 mi | $1,652 | $687,500 | 33.2% |
| Puhi | 2.4 mi | $2,443 | $701,400 | 21.3% |
| Wailua | 5.8 mi | $2,310 | $790,800 | 44.8% |
| Wailua Homesteads | 6.9 mi | $1,990 | $943,400 | 28.0% |
| Kapaa | 8.0 mi | $2,020 | $861,300 | 31.0% |
| Koloa | 8.3 mi | $1,654 | $927,300 | 53.0% |
| Omao | 8.7 mi | $1,875 | $1,021,800 | 42.9% |
| Poipu | 8.8 mi | $2,840 | $1,110,000 | 18.8% |
Places in Hawaii most like Lihue
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wailuku | $1,762 | $855,700 | $102,942 | 29.4% |
| Lahaina | $1,997 | $881,700 | $88,889 | 44.0% |
| Kailua (Hawaii County) | $1,754 | $667,400 | $88,211 | 33.0% |
| Kihei | $2,045 | $919,900 | $87,772 | 40.7% |
| Halawa | $1,739 | $1,051,900 | $110,400 | 33.4% |
| Kahului | $1,488 | $862,600 | $98,077 | 35.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Hawaii.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Lihue, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,599 | $1,609 | $2,105 | $2,588 | $2,952 |
HUD income limits for Lihue, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $28,550 | $47,600 | $76,100 |
| 2 people | $32,600 | $54,400 | $87,000 |
| 3 people | $36,700 | $61,200 | $97,850 |
| 4 people | $40,750 | $67,950 | $108,700 |
| 5 people | $44,480 | $73,400 | $117,400 |
| 6 people | $51,010 | $78,850 | $126,100 |
| 7 people | $57,540 | $84,300 | $134,800 |
| 8 people | $64,070 | $89,700 | $143,500 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Kauai County, HI, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $120,100.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Lihue 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 Lihue
What is the average rent in Lihue, HI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Lihue is $1,956 (±$345) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Lihue?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Lihue, HI is $958 (±$599) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Lihue rent-burdened?
62.1% of renting households in Lihue pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Lihue?
Lihue has an estimated 961 (±243) renting households, 36.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Lihue?
The median household income in Lihue is $92,850 (±$28,137) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Lihue, HI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $878,500 (±$46,343) for owner-occupied homes in Lihue (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Lihue growing?
In Lihue, the number of residents went from 7,267 in 2015–2019 to 7,901 in 2020–2024 (+8.7%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Lihue CDP, Hawaii
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Kauai County, HI
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Kauai County, HI
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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) for Lihue CDP, Hawaii (place:45200, in state:15).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .