Where Hawaii Ranks 53

Hawaii scores very high on this selection of state rankings. Those of us who have lived and grown up here are some of the state’s top fans.

Best State in America (YouGov, 2021)

1. HAWAII
2. Colorado
3. Virginia
4. Nevada
5. North Carolina

Top 2021 Summer Vacation Destinations (Alliance Partners, 2021))

1. Orlando, Florida
2. MAUI, HAWAII
3. HONOLULU, HAWAII
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Anchorage, Alaska

Best beaches in the United States (TripAdvisor, 2021)

1. St. Peter Beach (St. Peter Beach, (FL)
2. KAANAPALI BEACH (LAHAINA, MAUI, HI)
3. Moonstone Beach (Cambria, CA)
4. WAILEA BEACH (WAILEA, MAUI, HI)
5. Cannon Beach (Cannon Beach, OR)

Most Expensive State to Live In (World Population Review, 2021)

1. HAWAII (Cost of Living index: 196.3)
2. District of Columbia (161.1)
3. California (138.5)
4. Oregon (138.6)
5. New York (134.7)

Happiest States in America (World Population Review, 2021)

1. HAWAII
2. Utah
3. Minnesota
4. New Jersey
5. Maryland

Where Hawai’i Ranks 52

We in Hawaii live in the happiest state, primarily because we have a high life expectancy. Okay, maybe not so good if we’re single.

Happiest States in America (WalletHub, 2020)

1. HAWAII
2. Utah
3. Minnesota 
4. New Jersey
5. Maryland

Worst States for Singles (WalletHub, 2021)

1. New Mexico
2. West Virginia
3. North Dakota
4. HAWAII
5. Arkansas

Life Expectancy, Male+Female (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, 2021)

1. HAWAII (81)
2. California (80.8)
3. New York (tie) (80.5)
4. Minnesota (tie) (80.5)
5. Connecticut (80.4)

Life Expectancy, Male

1. California (tie) (78.4)
2. Minnesota (tie) (78.4)
3. New York (78.1)
4. HAWAII (78)
5. Connecticut (77.9)

Life Expectancy, Female

1. HAWAII (84)
2. California (83.1)
3. Connecticut (82.9)
4. New York (tie) (82.8)
5. Minnesota (tie) (82.6)

Where Hawaii Ranks 51

How Hawaii fares in a few best/worst categories:

Top “Foodie” Cities in the USA (Yelp 2019)

1. San Francisco, CA
2. St. Louis, MO
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. Plano, TX
5. San Diego, CA

Worst States for Beer Drinkers (Groupon, 2019)
(Quality, affordability, enthusiasm)

1. North Dakota
2. HAWAII
3. Kansas
4. Alaska
5. New Mexico

Healthiest State for Seniors (United Health Foundation, 2019)

1. HAWAII
2. Utah
3. Connecticut
4. Minnesota
5. Colorado

Worst States to Drive In (WalletHub 2020)
(Cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance)

1. HAWAII (3rd year in a row)
2. Rhode Island
3. Washington
4. California
5. Colorado

Top States for Health Care (U.S. News and World Report, 2019)

1. HAWAII
2. Massachusetts
3. Connecticut
4. Washington
5. Rhode Island

Worst States for Opportunity (U.S. News and World Report, 2019)

1. Louisiana
2. California
3. New Mexico
4. New York
5. HAWAII

Where Hawaii Ranks 50

It may be expensive to live in Hawaii, and our driving situation sucks, but all in all, people who live here still fare well.

Highest Overall Well-Being (Gallup, 2019)

1. HAWAII (64.6 well-being index score)
2. Wyoming (64.2)
3. Alaska (63.9)
4. Montana (63.5)
5. (Tie) Utah and Colorado (63.4 each)

Worst States with Failing Infrastructure (24/7 Wall St., 2017) 

1. HAWAII
2. Rhode Island
3. West Virginia 
4. Connecticut
5. Pennsylvania 

Angriest Drivers in the Nation (insuranceQuotes, 2017) 

1. HAWAII (5,872 Instagram posts about road rage)
2. California (3,506)
3. New York (2,200)
4. New Jersey (2,129)
5. Nevada (2,004)

States with Least Miserable Winters (Thrillist Travel, 2017)

1. HAWAII
2. Arizona
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Florida

Healthiest States in the Nation (United Health Foundation, 2017)

1. Massachusetts
2. HAWAII
3. Vermont
4. Utah
5. Connecticut

Where Hawaii Ranks 49

It’s been a while since I’ve compiled a small list of Hawaii rankings.

Greatest Decrease of Veteran Homelessness (Statista, 2018)

1. Nevada (87.8% decrease)
2. Ohio (25.4%)
3. HAWAII (24.3%)
4. South Carolina (23.1%)
5. South Dakota (21.8%)

Best States for Women’s Rights (WalletHub, 2017)

1. New York
2. Minnesota
3. Maine
4. Nevada
5. HAWAII

Smallest Work-Hour Gap, Men-Women (WalletHub, 2017)

1. Nevada
2. Maryland
3. Florida
4. Delaware
5. HAWAII

Largest Islands in the United States

1. HAWAII, HI (4,021 sq. mi.)
2. Kodak Island, AK (3,588)
3. Prince of Wales, AK (2,577)
4. Chichagof Island, AK (2,080)
5. St. Lawrence Island, AK (1,983)

States With The Most Active Volcanos

1. Alaska (141)
2. California (18)
3. Oregon (17)
4. Washington (7)
5. HAWAII (5)

Where Hawaii Ranks 48

Okay, so Hawaii has the highest welfare checks in the nation (see last list). At least we score high in four other very important categories for our residents and visitors.

Happiest State in America (Gallup , 2016) 

1. HAWAII (Well Being Score 65.2)
2. Alaska (64.0)
3. South Dakota (63.7)
4. Maine (63.6)
5. Colorado (6.5)

Best State for Senior Health (Healthways, 2016)

(Adults 65+) 

1. New Hampshire: Highest %-age of very good/excellent health, low prevalence of smoking
2. Vermont: 91.3% have had mammograms, colonoscopies and other screens 
3. Minnesota: Highest %-age of dental visits and able-bodied seniors
4. HAWAII: Lowest %-age of depression, smoking, obesity, preventable hospitalizations
5. Utah: High %-age of volunteerism

Nation’s Best Airports (ThePointsGuy.com, 2016) 

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor, AZ (PHX)
2. Portland, OR (PDX)
3. San Diego, CA (SAN)
4. Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
5. Honolulu, HI (HON)

Top U.S. Destinations (TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards, 2017) 

1. New York, NY
2. MAUI, HI
3. HAWAII ISLAND, HI
4. OAHU, HI
5. Las Vegas, NV

Highest Welfare Payments (Cato Institute, 2017) 

1. HAWAII ($29.13 hourly equivalent)
2. District of Columbia ($24.43)
3. Massachusetts ($24.30)
4. Connecticut ($21.33)
5. New York ($21.01)

Where Hawaii Ranks 47

Hawaii is an expensive place to live. We who live here tend to forget that sometimes. I feel it's my duty as a loud-mouth blogger to bring this up time and again.

So here we go ... again. But I'll start off with something a bit more optimistic.

Least-Stressed City (WalletHub, 2016) 

1. Fremont, CA
2. Irvine, CA
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. Madison, WI
5. San Jose, CA

Most Expensive Coffee (The Council for Community and Economic Research, 2015) 

1. HONOLULU, HI ($7.56 average per cup)
2. (Tie) San Francisco, CA ($5.99)
3. (Tie) Kodiak, AK ($5.99)
4. Oakland, CA ($5.98)
5. Olympia, WA ($5.89)

Highest Overall Tax Burden (WalletHub, 2016) 

1. New York (13.12%)
2. HAWAII (11.86%)
3. (Tie) Maine (11.13%)
4. (Tie) Vermont (11.13%)
5. Connecticut (10.9%)

Worst State to Make a Living (Moneyrates, 2016) 

1. HAWAII
2. Oregon
3. West Virginia
4. Maine
5. California

Where $100 Is Worth Least (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2014) 

1. District of Columbia ($84.67)
2. HAWAII ($85.62)
3. New York ($86.43)
4. New Jersey ($87.34)
5. California ($88.97)

Where Hawaii Ranks 46: Recreation

July was National Park and Recreation Month in the United States, and WalletHub ranks Hawaii as the 10th best state for recreation. Well, ain't that a kick. No wonder we get family and friends coming here every summer.

Hawaii ranks #1 in:

• Number of Bike Rental Facilities per Capita
• Number of fishing spots per 100,000 residents
• Number of hiking trails per 100,000 residents
• Number of boat tours and water sports per 100,000 residents

Hawaii is also ranked:

• 2nd in entertainment and recreational facilities
• 3rd in parkland as a percentage of city area
• 4th in most coffee shops per capita

Our food prices, however, are 2nd highest of the 100 largest cities measured, exceeded only by San Jose, CA.

Where Hawaii Ranks 45: Summer Vacations

Thinking about vacationing in Hawaii this summer? Just know it's not cheap.

WalletHub has examined their metrics and listed the top 80 summer travel destinations in the United States this year.

In their recent 2016 study. Honolulu ranks 78th, or third worst in the nation (see first list below). Additionally, it costs the most to get here, and to stay for a while.

Worst U.S. Summer Travel Destinations 

1. Bridgeford-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
2. New Haven-Milford, CT
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. Syracuse, NY
5. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Highest Travel Cost and Most Hassles 

1. HONOLULU, HI
2. New Haven-Milford, CT
3. Bridgeford-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
4. Bakersfield, CA
5. Fresno, CA

Highest Local Costs

Accommodations, transportation, meals, entertainment 

1. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
2. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
5. Cleveland-Elyria, OH

On another semi-related note, Hawaii ranks highest among the same set of cities for worst climate for your skin:

U.S. Cities with Worst Climate for Your Skin (WalletHub, 2016)

Ultraviolet index, humidity, wind speed, number of extremely hot days 

1. HAWAII
2. (Tie) Miami, FL
3. (Tie) Pembroke Pines, FL
4. (Tie) Hialeah, FL
5. (Tie) Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Where Hawaii Ranks 44: Gambling

Hawaii is tied with five other states with the fewest casinos per capita (0), with six others for fewest gaming machines per capita (0), with five others for lowest lottery sales per capita (no lottery).

Plus, Hawaii is the second-least gambling-friendly state. All this according to WalletHub (2016).

And yet, check out THESE rankings:

Most Gambling-Related Arrests Per Capita 

1. (TIE) HAWAII
2. (Tie) Illinois
3. Mississippi
4. Maryland
5. New Jersey

Most Gambling Problems and Treatment

1. Mississippi 
2. HAWAII
3. Illinois
4. Tennessee
5. Maryland

How can this be? Two reasons: Sports betting (the "6-5" is practically an industry in itself during football season), and Las Vegas (we go there a lot).

Where Hawaii Ranks 43

Women seem to have it good in Hawaii. We lead in several women’s gender-related comparisons.

Best City: Female Business Entrepreneurship (WalletHub, 2016)

1.       San Antonio-New Braunsfeld, TX

2.       Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

3.       HONOLULU, HI

4.       Albuquerque, NM

5.       Oklahoma City, OK

Highest Business Gender Inequality (WalletHub, 2016)

1.       HONOLULU

2.       Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

3.       Tie: • Syracuse, NY; • Rochester, NY; • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA; and • Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

Highest Employment of Single Moms with Underaged Children (WalletHub, 2016)

1.      Lubbock, TX

2.      Peoria, AZ

3.      Gilbert, AZ

4.      Chandler, AZ

5.      HONOLULU, HI

Most Parkland as Percentage of City Area (WalletHub, 2016)

1.      (TIE) HONOLULU, HI

2.      (Tie) Anchorage, AK

3.      (Tie) Fremont, CA

4.      Chesapeake, VA

5.      New Orleans, LA

Thinnest U.S. Metropolitan Area (WalletHub, 2015)

1.       HONOLULU (46.16 Indicator Score)

2.       Reno, NV (49.42)

3.       Boise, ID (50.93)

4.       Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV (51.02)

5.       Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA (51.17)

Longest Life Expectancy (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2013) 

1.    HAWAII (81.3 years)
2.    Minnesota (81.1)
3.    (Tie) Connecticut (80.8)
4.    (Tie) California (80.8)
5.    Vermont (80.5)

Where Hawaii Ranks 42

Since taxes have been on our minds recently (income taxes in particular), here are some Hawaii taxation rankings compiled and formulated by WalletHub in 2016.

Residents of Hawaii will find the rankings pretty depressing. Generally speaking, not only do we pay the highest taxes, we get very low returns on our tax investment.

(Click on category titles to see the appropriate WalletHub web page.)

Highest Overall Tax Burden 

1. New York (13.12%)
2. HAWAII (11.86%)
3. (Tie) Maine (11.13%)
4. (Tie) Vermont (11.13%)
5. Connecticut (10.9%)

Total Sales and Tax Receipts Burden 

1. HAWAII (6.95%)
2. Nevada (5.89%)
3. Washington (5.61%)
4. North Dakota (5.05%)
5. New Mexico (5.04%)

Lowest Effective Real-Estate Tax Rate 

1. HAWAII (Rate 0.28%)
2. Alabama (0.43%)
3. Louisiana (0.48%)
4. Delaware (0.53%)
5. (Tie) District of Columbia, South Carolina (0.57%)

Worst Overall Taxpayer "Return on Investment" of Government Taxes Paid 

1. North Dakota
2. Alaska
3. HAWAII
4. New York
5. Delaware

Worst Water Quality for Taxes Paid 

1. (TIE) HAWAII
2. (Tie) New York
3. (Tie) Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. Maryland

Worst Roads and Bridges for Taxes Paid  

1. Rhode Island
2. (TIE) HAWAII
3. (Tie) New York
4. (Tie) Oklahoma
5. New Jersey

Where Hawaii Ranks 41: Women's Status

According to a study by WalletHub, 2016, Hawaii is the 10th best state for women. Hawaii scored in the top five in six relevant categories of comparison, both good and bad.

If you’d like to see their complete rankings for women’s state status, go HERE.

Highest Women's Health Care and Safety

1. HAWAII
2. Vermont
3. North Dakota
4. Minnesota
5. Massachusetts

Highest Women's Life Expectancy at Birth

1. HAWAII
2. Minnesota
3. California 
4. Connecticut
5. New York

Lowest Female Uninsured Rate

1. Massachusetts
2. District of Columbia 
3. Vermont
4. HAWAII
5. Minnesota

Lowest Female Homicide Rate per 100,000 Females

1. South Dakota
2. North Dakota
3. (Tie) HAWAII
4. (Tie) Iowa
5. Montana

Lowest Female Percentage Who Voted in the 2012 Presidential Election

1. West Virginia
2. Arkansas
3. HAWAII
4. Oklahoma
5. Arizona

Lowest Median Income for Female Employees
Adjusted for Cost of Living

1. HAWAII
2. Oregon
3. California 
4. Montana
5. Maine

Where Hawaii Ranks 40: State Capitals

WalletHub has released its 2016 rankings of the nation's state capital cities. Honolulu ranks 44th overall, and ranks in the top five in seven related categories.

If you'd like to see their complete ranking matrix, go HERE.

Least Affordable Housing

1. HONOLULU, HI
2. Hartford, CT
3. Boston, MA
4. Providence, RI
5. Richmond, VA

Highest Quality of Life

1. Olympia, WA
2. Santa Fe, NM
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. Salt Lake City, UT
5. Atlanta, GA

Least Affordable

1. HONOLULU, HI
2. Hartford, CT
3. Boston, MA
4. Providence, RI
5. Albany, NY

Lowest Median Household Income (Adjusted for Cost of Living)

1. Hartford, CT
2. Providence, RI
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. Harrisburg, PA
5. Trenton, NJ

Highest Debt as Percentage of Median Income

1. Columbia, SC
2. Annapolis, MD
3. HONOLULU, HI
4. Tallahassee, FL
5. Olympia, WA

Most Attractions

1. HONOLULU, HI
2. Boston, MA
3. Austin, TX
4. Denver, CO
5. Atlanta, GA

Lowest Percent of Millennial Newcomers

1. Jackson, MS
2. Trenton, NJ
3. Annapolis, MD
4. Topeka, KS
5. HONOLULU, HI