9 Troubling Facts About Hawaii You Would Be Better Off Not Knowing
By Megan Shute|Updated on August 26, 2022(Originally published August 21, 2022)
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
While there is no denying that Hawaii is the greatest state in the country, the Aloha State faces certain problems as unique as the islands. Even though the weather’s great, the people are lovely, and the views incredible, Hawaii is not without its issues. From homelessness and an extravagant cost of living to garbage and traffic, here are nine problems in Hawaii you probably didn’t want to know.
1. For starters, the cost of living in Hawaii is astronomical.
Most of Hawaii’s food is imported from the mainland translating to overwhelming grocery bills; Hawaii residents pay almost double the national average for a gallon of milk. Don’t even get us started with the outrageous cost of housing here. These issues make it hard to pull out ahead in the Hawaiian economy.
2. When the cost of living is coupled with the fact that Hawaii salaries are no higher than many places on the mainland, you’ve got a big problem.
For example, the average computer programmer living in Hawaii had an annual salary of $63,570 in 2013, less than California, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, where individuals with similar careers made between $82,750 and $111,320 annually. Same goes for teachers, police officers, and pediatricians. These wide income disparities reflect some of the most common social issues in Hawaii.
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3. Oh, and did we mention that Hawaii residents pay more than two times more than mainland residents for electricity?
Because we totally do, and it is quite the shock when receiving your first island electric bill. In 2010, Hawaii had the highest electricity costs in the nation, perhaps due to the fact that petroleum fuels approximately 76 percent of the islands’ electrical generators. Hawaii social issues come at you from all sides.
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4. Oahu is home to the worst traffic in the country – second only to Los Angeles.
With streets crumbling with potholes and seemingly endless road closures, the average Honolulu resident sits in more traffic than anyone on the mainland – except for L.A. residents. The state is also ranked dead last in highway conditions and cost-effectiveness. This is one problem in Hawaii we could definitely do without.
Hawaii has the third largest homeless population per capita in the country; an estimated 487 out of every 100,000 residents are homeless, according to Movoto. Since the year 2000, the homeless population in Hawaii has increased by 61 percent, and while many once lived on the beaches 24/7, these individuals have since been driven into local neighborhoods, especially on Oahu. This is a pressing social issue in Hawaii, as it affects many residents in the high population areas.
6. Hawaii is running out of places to put all of our garbage.
Hawaii landfills are nearly full, and that means the government has to figure out where to put all of our garbage – many are debating whether we should create a new landfill on Oahu’s leeward coast, or ship the waste to the mainland. While Oahu is home to a waste-to-energy plant, it can’t possibly take care of all the islands’ garbage. This Hawaii problem needs a solution sooner rather than later.
7. There is also a fair amount of property crime in Hawaii.
The Hawaiian Islands have violent crime rates that are lower than the national averages, but property crime is still a very real problem Hawaii residents must face. According to Sperling’s Best Places, Hawaii’s average is 45 out of 100, and the national average is 43.5; these crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. While we’d far prefer property crime over violent crime, we’d rather not have any crime at all.
8. Hawaii is home to a major drug problem as well.
While the islands have lower than average rates of violent crimes, more than half of all convictions in Hawaii are drug-related, compared to just 41 percent nationwide. I’m not sure if that means Hawaii just has less other crime, or there is a serious drug problem taking over the islands. Besides marijuana, methamphetamine is the most commonly used illegal drug in Hawaii. This Hawaii social issue needs help.
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9. Many of Hawaii’s native species face extinction.
As the most isolated population center on the planet, Hawaii has one of the highest rates of endinism – species that exist nowhere else – in the world. And because we have so many unique species of plants and animals, Hawaii is often considered the "endangered species capital of the world." This Hawaii social issue is a devastating one, because there is no coming back from extinction.
We obviously still love Hawaii, but it definitely isn’t without its faults. Which of these problems in Hawaii is most surprising to you? Do you know that they all existed? Let us know in the comments below!
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Problems In Hawaii
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What kind of problems face Hawaii in the future?
Hawaii faces a number of pressing problems in the near future, including a rapidly changing climate, corrupt government reputation, poor business climate, along with homelessness, drug use, and poverty.
When polling residents, they said the worst issues the Big Island faced were homelessness, drugs and traffic. Maui residents who were polled said their top issues were affordable housing, too much traffic, and better public education. For Kauai residents, traffic was the first problem they were worried about, followed by environmental concerns like climate change and also crime and public safety.
How long before Hawaii’s coastline disappears?
New reports state that as soon as 2030, Hawaii will lose 3.2 feet of coastline to the rising seas. This federal report states that coastline will rise in the next thirty years, the same amount it has risen over the past 100 years!
