Public Health Studies completed an evaluation of data from the Hawaiʻi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to provide estimates of food insecurity in Hawaiʻi.

The report, “Food Insecurity in Hawaiʻi Using a Population-Based Sample: A Data Brief” reveals that:

• About one in five people living in Hawaiʻi in 2018 reported that the food they bought did not last and they did not have money to get more. In the study, these individuals were categorized as food insecure.
• Food insecurity was significantly higher in Hawaiʻi County compared to other locations. This was especially true for those with less than a high school education, those not working, and single/unmarried people. In Hawaiʻi County, over 50 percent of those falling into these three categories were food insecure.
• A high proportion of Native Hawaiians (27 %) and a very high proportion of Filipions (43%) and Other Pacific Islanders (44%) were food insecure compared to the general population of the state (22%)

Read the complete Food Insecurity Data Brief for data and analysis.

County of Hawaiʻi Department of Research and Development