Kalawao County (Hawaiian:Kalana o Kalawao) is acounty in theU.S. state ofHawaii.[1] It is the smallestcounty in the50 states by land area and the second-smallest county by population, afterLoving County, Texas.[2] The county encompasses the peninsula on the north coast of the island ofMolokaʻi. The peninsula was developed and used from 1866 to 1969 as aleper colony,[3] chosen because it is isolated from the rest of Molokaʻi by cliffs over a quarter-mile high; the only land access is amule trail, now closed to visitors.[4]
Due to the small population (82 as of the2020 United States census),[5] Kalawao County does not have the same functions as other Hawaii counties. Instead, it operates as a judicial district ofMaui County, which includes the rest of the island of Molokaʻi. The county has no elected government.[6]
Many residents chose to remain in their familiar community on the peninsula.[8] The state promised that they could live there for the rest of their lives.[9] As of 2015, the population consisted of the remaining patients, plus state employees and park staff.[10] Tourists 16 years of age and older and personal guests of residents may visit with prior government permission,[11][12] and the general public must be part of an official tour.[9]
Kalawao County lacks a local, county government. Instead, Kalawao County is administered by theHawaii Department of Health because of the history of the settlement and current patients living there. Under Hawaiian state law, the Director of the Hawaii Department of Health, who is appointed by theGovernor, also serves as theMayor of Kalawao County.[13][14][15][16] The Mayor holds executive powers within the county; the mayor also appoints a countysheriff, who is selected from local residents.[17] The only county statutes that apply to Kalawao County directly are those on matters of health.[18]
Kalawao is part of the First Judicial Circuit, which includes the entire island ofOahu.[19] For the purpose of notarization, the designated venue for the First Judicial Circuit is "State of Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu."
TheU.S. Census Bureau does not count the Kalawao County as its own county government and instead considers it a dependency of the Hawaiian state government.[20]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 53 square miles (140 km2), comprising 12 square miles (31 km2) of land and 41 square miles (110 km2) (77.3%) of water.[21] By land area, it is thesmallest true county in the United States; someindependent cities inVirginia are smaller and are sometimes considered to be "county equivalents" for statistical purposes such as with the US Census Bureau.
Kalaupapa Peninsula contains the county's only settlement,Kalaupapa. The Kalaupapa Peninsula developed from lava that erupted from the ocean floor nearKauhakō Crater and spread outward, forming a lowshield volcano. This was the most recent volcanic episode on the island and of the largerEast Molokaʻi shield volcano, occurring after the formation of the cliffs by erosion.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 82. Of the residents, 12.2% were under the age of 18 and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 50.3 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.6 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.[31][32][33]
Kalawao County, Hawaii – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
There were 59 households in the county, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 47.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 69.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[32]
There were 114 housing units, of which 48.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 3.4% were owner-occupied and 96.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 33.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[32]
As of thecensus of 2000,[37] 147 people, 115 households, and 21 families resided in the county, declining to 90 inhabitants in 2010. Thepopulation density was 11 people per square mile (4.2 people/km2). The 172 housing units produced an average density of 13 per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 48%Pacific Islander, 26%White, 17%Asian, 3% fromother races, and 6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race made up 4%. Kalawao County has the highest Pacific Islander population percentage of any U.S. county, and is the only county where they make up a plurality.
2% of households housed children under the age of 18. 17% were married couples living together. 3% had a female householder with no husband present. 81% were non-families. 79% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.28 and the average family size was 2.27.
2% of residents were under the age of 18, 1% from 18 to 24, 18% from 25 to 44, 46% from 45 to 64, and 32% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. The population has declined since 1900:[38]
Current residents include 16 former patients,[39] 40 federal employees who work on preservation projects, and some state-employed health workers.[40]
The only access to Kalawao County is by air, or by a steep mule trail that descends 1,600 ft (490 m) from the rest of Molokaʻi, closed to visitors since a landslide in 2018.[41]Kalaupapa Airport has scheduled air service toMolokaʻi Airport and toHonolulu Airport.
Freight is delivered to the county once a year, usually in July, by barge.[42]
Like the rest of the state, Kalawao County is a stronghold for theDemocratic Party. It was the only county in the United States where theRepublican candidate in the2016 United States presidential election,Donald Trump, finished in third by only getting one vote; 70% of Kalawao's voters chose Democratic nomineeHillary Clinton, and 25% of Kalawao voters cast their ballots forGreen Party candidateJill Stein, making it Stein's strongest county nationwide in terms of vote percentage.[44] In 2020Joe Biden improved on Clinton's 2016 performance by over 25% as the Greens declined to zero votes, giving Biden 96% of the vote, which was his strongest performance in any county in the United States. This is one of four counties, along withJim Hogg County, Texas,Brooks County, Texas, andMenominee County, Wisconsin, that have never voted Republican.[45]
However, many people in Kalawao County are alsosocially conservative, with this county being the only one in the state to vote against2024 Hawaii Amendment 1, which repealed a state constitutional amendment that allowed Hawaii's legislature to outlawsame-sex marriage.[46]
^"Kalawao County | Office of Hawaiian Affairs"(PDF).Office of Hawaiian Affairs.Archived(PDF) from the original on August 11, 2022. RetrievedAugust 11, 2022.Kalawao County has no county government; a sheriff is appointed by the Hawai'i Department of Health (DOH). The HRS Chapter 326, Sections 326-1-326-40 Hansen's Disease detail topics including patient treatment, care, services, expenses, and privacy; general excise, income, and real property tax exemptions; employment, compensation, and pensions; Kalaupapa store; fishing laws exemption; and Damien Memorial Chapel.
