Hawaii county geography overview
Hawaii has 5 counties, which places it 48th among the 50 state and District of Columbia maps in this atlas when ordered by number of county-level units. Their combined 6,422.5 square miles of land place the state 47th by mapped land area.
The average county-level area is 1,285 square miles, while the median is 619.8 square miles. The median is often the better description of a typical unit because one or two very large areas can pull the average upward. The five largest units together account for about 100% of the state’s mapped land area.
Largest and smallest Hawaii counties
Hawaii County is the largest county-level unit by land area at 4,028.4 square miles. It represents about 63% of all mapped land in Hawaii. At the other end of the range, Kalawao County has 12 square miles of land.
Largest by land area
- Hawaii County4,028.4 sq mi
- Maui County1,161.5 sq mi
- Kauai County619.8 sq mi
- Honolulu County600.8 sq mi
- Kalawao County12 sq mi
Smallest by land area
- Kalawao County12 sq mi
- Honolulu County600.8 sq mi
- Kauai County619.8 sq mi
- Maui County1,161.5 sq mi
- Hawaii County4,028.4 sq mi
Rankings use land area rather than total area. This avoids making coastal or lake counties appear larger solely because their boundaries include extensive water.
Alphabetical list of Hawaii counties
The table is alphabetical, so it works as a name and FIPS-code reference rather than an area ranking. Every identifier begins with the Hawaii state FIPS prefix 15. Land and water figures are rounded to one decimal place.
5 county-level areas
Download county data / numbered map key (CSV)| No. | Name | FIPS code | Land area | Water area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii County | 15001 | 4,028.4 sq mi | 1,057.7 sq mi |
| 2 | Honolulu County | 15003 | 600.8 sq mi | 1,565.4 sq mi |
| 3 | Kalawao County | 15005 | 12 sq mi | 40.8 sq mi |
| 4 | Kauai County | 15007 | 619.8 sq mi | 646.5 sq mi |
| 5 | Maui County | 15009 | 1,161.5 sq mi | 1,236.8 sq mi |
How to read and use this map
County lines are administrative boundaries, not postal routes. A mailing address can use a city name associated with a neighboring area, and ZIP codes can cross county lines. When you need to identify a county for an address, confirm it with an official geocoder or local government source.
For classroom or planning use, download a PDF from the controls above. Labelled exports use numbered callouts for crowded areas; numbered quiz maps match the alphabetical county list. SVG files keep the boundary lines sharp at larger paper sizes.
Interpreting the water figure: About 41% of the summed mapped area in this state is water. County water area can include coastal waters, bays, lakes, or rivers assigned by the Census boundary file; it is shown separately from land and should not be used to estimate developable land.
Frequently asked questions
How many counties are in Hawaii?
Hawaii has 5 counties in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 cartographic boundary file.
Can I print this Hawaii county map?
Yes. Choose Download / print and select PDF for a landscape Letter page, PNG for an image, or SVG for editable vector artwork. Because the map is SVG, its boundary lines stay sharp when scaled.
What is the largest county in Hawaii?
Hawaii County is the largest by land area in this dataset at 4,028.4 square miles. This is an area ranking, not a population ranking.
What is the smallest county in Hawaii?
Kalawao County is the smallest by land area in this dataset at 12 square miles.
Are these legal survey boundaries?
No. This is a generalized reference map. Property, parcel, election, and legal boundary questions should be checked with the relevant state or local agency.
Map source
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary File, Counties, 1:5,000,000. Land and water area fields are supplied in the same file and converted from square meters to square miles. Accessed September 27, 2026.