Report finds sharp spike in percentage of Hawaii residents living in poverty
“New data shows a worrisome jump in the number of Hawaii families who are struggling to afford basic needs like housing, food and clothing. On Tuesday, Aloha United Way released its most recent ‘ALICE Report’ that tracks how people are doing financially. It found the number of people living in poverty in Hawaii grew from 9% in 2018 to 15% in 2022. ‘Over 200,000 are now under the poverty level,’ said Aloha United Way CEO John Fink. ‘These are real people. These are not just statistics on a piece of paper.’ The report found that Hawaii island had the highest rate of poverty, sitting at 17% while Kauai has the lowest — at 14%. Among ethnic groups, Native Hawaiians had the highest poverty levels — at 27%.”