Kauai County, Hawaii

Kauai County is a county in Hawaii, United States, covering the islands of Kauaʻi, Niʻihau, Lehua and Kaʻula, about 100 miles northwest of Honolulu across the Kauaʻi Channel. It had a population of 73,298 at the 2020 census, an estimated 73,731 by 2024, and covers 620 square miles (1,606 km2) of land centred near 22°04′N 159°30′W.

Līhuʻe is the county seat; its postal code is 96766. Hawaii has no incorporated cities or towns anywhere in the state, so all 24 named places in the county are Census Bureau-defined communities (CDPs). The county runs on Hawaii-Aleutian Time, which does not observe daylight saving. Its FIPS code is 15007.

Towns & Villages in Kauai County

Twenty-four census-designated places sit inside the county line, from the 11,652-resident Kapaʻa down to hamlets of a few hundred people on the west and north shores. None is incorporated — Hawaii law leaves every town and village as an unincorporated CDP governed directly by the county. All 24 are ranked below by 2020 population.

Two shared-name pairs cause confusion. Wailua and Wailua Homesteads are separate CDPs a few miles apart on the east side — Wailua Homesteads is the larger, inland residential subdivision, while Wailua itself hugs the coast near the Wailua River. Ōmaʻo and Poʻipū both sit within the wider Kōloa district and share Kōloa’s ZIP code, but the Census Bureau tracks them as three distinct CDPs.

ZIP Codes

• 96746 — Kapaʻa post office, also serving Wailua and Wailua Homesteads
• 96766 — Līhuʻe, also serving Puhi
• 96741 — Kalāheo
• 96715 — Hanamāʻulu
• 96752 — Kekaha
• 96754 — Kīlauea, also serving Kalihiwai
• 96716 — Hanapēpē
• 96765 — Lāwaʻi
• 96705 — ʻEleʻele
• 96703 — Anahola
• 96756 — Kōloa post office, also serving ʻŌmaʻo and Poʻipū
• 96722 — Princeville
• 96796 — Waimea, also serving Pākalā Village
• 96747 — Kaumakani
• 96714 — Hanalei post office, also serving Hāʻena and Wainiha

Kalihiwai and Pākalā Village have no post office of their own, having grown from small plantation camps; mail there is served by the nearest larger town’s ZIP.

Geography

Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, a single extinct shield volcano roughly 5 million years old, and the erosion shows: Waimea Canyon, up to 3,000 feet deep, is nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” and the sea cliffs of the Nā Pali Coast on the northwest shore are so steep no road crosses them — access is by trail, boat or air only. Kōkeʻe State Park, at 3,200 to 4,200 feet on the canyon’s rim, runs noticeably cooler than the coast. Niʻihau, privately owned and known as the “Forbidden Isle,” lies about 17 miles southwest across the Kauaʻi Channel; Lehua and Kaʻula are small uninhabited islets near Niʻihau, both part of the county.

As an island county, Kauai County has no land border with another county. The nearest county is Honolulu County, across the Kauaʻi Channel to the southeast, reachable only by air or sea.

Demographics

Kauai County counted 73,298 residents at the 2020 census and an estimated 73,731 by 2024. Median age is 43.0. The population is 31.7% White, 28.8% Asian, 27.3% two or more races and 9.9% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Kapaʻa and Līhuʻe are the two largest communities, at 11,652 and 8,004. Median household income runs close to $97,668, near the statewide figure of roughly $95,000. With 620 square miles of land, the county’s overall density is roughly 118 people per square mile, one of the lowest among Hawaii’s counties.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism drives the county’s economy: accommodation and food services employ about 5,892 people county-wide, the single largest sector, ahead of retail trade (4,129) and health care and social assistance (3,503). Wilcox Health and the Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi Resort and Spa in Poʻipū are among the largest private employers. Agriculture remains significant on the west side, growing coffee and diversified fruit where sugarcane once dominated — the island’s first sugar plantation opened at Kōloa in 1835, and Kauaʻi’s last sugar plantation closed in 2008 after more than a century of operation. Kauaʻi Community College in Līhuʻe is the county’s only institution of higher education. The Kapaʻa Coconut Festival, held every October, is the county’s largest annual community event.

History

Kauai County was organized in 1905 as one of the Hawaiian Territory’s original counties, alongside Honolulu, Maui and Hawaiʻi. Captain James Cook anchored off Waimea on January 20, 1778, the first documented European contact with the Hawaiian Islands. During World War II, a Japanese pilot forced down on Niʻihau after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor set off a violent standoff with island residents, an episode now known as the Niʻihau incident. Hurricane Iniki struck the island directly on September 11, 1992, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in Hawaii, destroying thousands of homes and reshaping the island’s tourism economy for years afterward.

Getting There

Hawaii has no interstate highways outside Oʻahu. Kaumualiʻi Highway (Route 50) runs west from Līhuʻe through Kalaheo, Hanapēpē and Waimea to Polihale, and Kūhiʻō Highway (Routes 56 and 560) runs north from Līhuʻe through Kapaʻa, Kīlauea and Princeville to Hanalei and Hāʻena, where the road ends at the Nā Pali cliffs — no road circles the island.

• Kapaʻa — 6 miles north of Līhuʻe
• Kōloa/Poʻipū — 12 miles southwest of Līhuʻe
• Waimea — 24 miles west of Līhuʻe
• Hanalei — 30 miles north of Līhuʻe

Līhuʻe Airport (LIH) is the county’s only commercial airport, with nonstop and interisland service. There is no Amtrak or other mainland rail connection — Kauaʻi is reachable only by air or sea.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kauai County?
It covers the island of Kauaʻi plus Niʻihau, Lehua and Kaʻula, in the Pacific Ocean about 100 miles northwest of Honolulu.

What is the population of Kauai County?
73,298 at the 2020 census, an estimated 73,731 by 2024.

How big is Kauai County?
620 square miles (1,606 km2) of land, plus 646 square miles of surrounding ocean waters counted within the county line.

What is the county seat of Kauai County?
Līhuʻe, postal code 96766.

How many towns are in Kauai County?
None are incorporated — Hawaii has no incorporated cities or towns anywhere in the state. Kauai County instead has 24 census-designated places, from Kapaʻa down to small west-side and north-shore hamlets.

What ZIP codes does Kauai County use?
Roughly 15 ZIP codes in the 967xx range, from 96703 (Anahola) through 96796 (Waimea).

Is Niʻihau part of Kauai County, and can visitors go there?
Yes, Niʻihau is privately owned and known as the “Forbidden Isle” — access is restricted to residents, invited guests and limited tours; it has no independent government of its own within the county.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Hawaii.