NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

The economy in Hawai'i, after a decade of stagnation,
has rebounded. The mean income is now $49,820,
and the median income is $56,961, suggesting that
there are some very low incomes in the State as well
as some extremely high incomes. The per capita
money income is $21,525, and 10.7 percent of the
population are below the Federal Poverty Level. 2 As
an index of the extent to which life in Hawai'i compares
to that on the mainland of the United States, the
COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) to Federal paychecks
is often used. Currently, COLA in Hawai'i is
25 percent, having risen recently from the 1998 rate
of 22.5 percent. While the median value of a single
family dwelling in 2000 was $272,700, by 2005 it
had appreciated to $525,000 for a three-bedroom,
one-bathroom, single wall construction property on
8,000 square feet of land. As of the writing of this
report, the Hawai'i gasoline price is $2.31 per gallon.
Approximately 10 percent of the population is without
health insurance.
Seventeen percent
of the population
are foreign born,
with 73.2 percent
speaking English as
the primary language
in the home.
Using U.S. Census
categories, the ethnic
distribution of
the population is
24.3 percent White,
1.8 percent Black,
0.3 percent American
Indian and
Alaska Native, 9.4
percent Native Hawaiian
and Other
Pacific Islander,
41.6 percent Asian,
and 1.3 percent
Others. Singlerace-only
described
79.6 percent of the
population.
The economy has rebounded from the slump resulting
from the Asian economic crisis and the mainland
9-11 event, both of which seriously negatively impacted
the number of visitors coming to Hawai'i for
vacations. As shown in the figure, unemployment is
among the lowest in the United States, at about 3.3
percent, and contractors are extremely busy working
2 Upwardly adjusted for Hawai’i.
84
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1990 1990
5.6
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Honolulu, Hawai'i
Annual Unemployment Rates for Hawaii and the U.S.
1990–2005 (January)
Percent
8
7.5
2.6
1993 1993
6.1
4.7
5.9
5.4
1996 1996
6.3
4.5
on delayed projects that accumulated during the recent
recession in Hawai'i.
A unique feature of the population of the State is that
a very high number of residents are members of the
armed forces, with Pearl Harbor Navy and Schofield
Army Bases being home to the majority of them. In
total, as of 2003, there were 101,030 armed forces
members and military dependents in the State. This
does not count the numbers of National Guard members
(5,334) and military reserves (9,108). In total,
this represents 9.2 percent of the population. The
presence of the armed forces provides major financial
inputs to the economy in terms of support service
contracts and Federal impact moneys for the State
school system. It also skews the State population
profile by adding younger, male residents.
With the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, Hawai'i has
had a number of large deployments of active duty and
1999 1999
6.1
Haw aii Rate
U.S. Rate
4.0
5.8
4.1
2002 2002
Rates are seasonally adjusted.
SOURCE: Hawai’i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
3.9
5.5
2005 2005
2.9
reserve and guard
units. The exact
numbers deployed
are not clear, but
the short-term impact
is certain.
When the soldiers
are away, especially
for what has
become an indeterminatedeployment
period, families
return to their
roots. With the
departure of Hawai'i-based
troops,
families have returned
to the mainland
to be with
their own core
families. Military
deployment also
means a decreased
need for civilian
support staff, so
many civilian base
workers have lost their jobs. Fortunately, with the
unemployment rate as low as it is, finding new jobs
has not been a problem. Finally, the deployment has
had an impact on store owners who traditionally supply
both the troops and their families with everything
from “shave ice” to “Manapua.”
In summary, after some tough economic times, the
State is on the rebound and the economy seems to be
doing well. The people are still frustrated with the
continual reports and personal experiences with drugs
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005