Kalawao County () is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is the smallest county in the 50 states by land area and the second-smallest county by population, after Loving County, Texas. The county encompasses the peninsula on the north coast of the island of Molokai. The peninsula was developed and used from 1866 to 1969 as a leper colony, chosen because it is isolated from the rest of Molokai by cliffs over a quarter-mile high; the only land access is a mule trail, now closed to visitors.
Due to the small population (82 as of the 2020 United States census), Kalawao County does not have the same functions as other Hawaii counties. Instead, it operates as a judicial district of Maui County, which includes the rest of the island of Molokai. The county has no elected government.
History
The Kingdom of Hawaii, the Republic of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii, and the state of Hawaii all exiled persons suffering from Hansen's disease (leprosy) to the peninsula, from 1866 to 1969. The quarantine policy was only lifted after effective antibiotic treatments were developed that could be administered on an outpatient basis and patients could be rendered non-contagious.
Many residents chose to remain in their familiar community on the peninsula. The state promised that they could live there for the rest of their lives. As of 2015, the population consisted of the remaining patients, plus state employees and park staff. Tourists 16 years of age and older and personal guests of residents may visit with prior government permission, and the general public must be part of an official tour. The Mayor holds executive powers within the county; the mayor also appoints a county sheriff, who is selected from local residents. The only county statutes that apply to Kalawao County directly are those on matters of health.
Kalawao is part of the First Judicial Circuit, which includes the entire island of Oʻahu. For the purpose of notarization, the designated venue for the First Judicial Circuit is "State of Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu."
The U.S. Census Bureau does not count Kalawao County as its own county government and instead considers it a dependency of the Hawaiian state government.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , comprising of land and (77.3%) of water. By land area, it is the smallest true county in the United States; some independent cities in Virginia are smaller and are sometimes considered to be "county equivalents" for statistical purposes such as with the US Census Bureau.
Kalaupapa Peninsula
Kalaupapa Peninsula contains the county's only settlement, Kalaupapa. The Kalaupapa Peninsula developed from lava that erupted from the ocean floor near Kauhakō Crater and spread outward, forming a low shield volcano. This was the most recent volcanic episode on the island and of the larger East Molokai shield volcano, occurring after the formation of the cliffs by erosion.
Subdivisions
Kalawao County is composed of four ahupuaʻa. From west to east:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-style="background: #CCC;"
! align="left" |Ahupuaʻa || Area<br />mi<sup>2</sup> || Area<br />km<sup>2</sup> ||
!Description
|-
| Kalaupapa || align="right"| 2.079 || align="right"| 5.385 || align="right"| 65
|West side of Kalaupapa peninsula. Includes a section of Molokaʻi's coast further west
|-
| Makanalua || align="right"| 3.229 || align="right"| 8.363 || align="right"| 8
|Strip of land in the center of the peninsula that runs to its northern tip. Includes Kalaupapa Airport.
|-
| Kalawao || align="right"| 3.294 || align="right"| 8.531 || align="right"| 9
|Eastern coast of Kalaupapa peninsula and Waialeia Valley to the southeast
|-
| Waikolu || align="right"| 5.544 || align="right"| 14.359 || align="right"| 0
|Includes namesake valley. Uninhabited.
|-
|-style="background: #DDD;" | class="sortbottom"
|Kalawao County|| align="right"| 14.146 || align="right"| 36.638 || align="right"| 82
|
|}
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Kalawao County, Hawaii – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!
|-
|White alone (NH)
|33
|24
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27
|22.45%
|26.67%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |32.93%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|25
|7
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9
|17.01%
|7.78%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.98%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|71
|44
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15
|48.30%
|48.89%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18.29%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|3
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4
|2.04%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.88%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|9
|14
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9
|6.12%
|15.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.98%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|6
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18
|4.08%
|1.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21.95%
|-
|Total
|147
|90
|style='background: #ffffe6; |82
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
The racial makeup of the county was 32.9% White, 2.4% Black or African American, 0.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 14.6% Asian, 18.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.9% from some other race, and 26.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 22.0% of the population. 147 people, 115 households, and 21 families resided in the county, declining to 90 inhabitants in 2010. The population density was . The 172 housing units produced an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 48% Pacific Islander, 26% White, 17% Asian, 3% from other races, and 6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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:
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bar:1910 from:start till:785
bar:1920 from:start till:667
bar:1930 from:start till:605
bar:1940 from:start till:446
bar:1950 from:start till:370
bar:1960 from:start till:279
bar:1970 from:start till:172
bar:1980 from:start till:144
bar:1990 from:start till:130
bar:2000 from:start till:147
bar:2010 from:start till:90
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Current residents include 16 former patients, 40 federal employees who work on preservation projects, and some state-employed health workers.
Transportation
The only access to Kalawao County is by air, or by a steep mule trail that descends from the rest of Molokai, closed to visitors since a landslide in 2018. Kalaupapa Airport has scheduled air service to Molokai Airport and to Honolulu Airport.
Freight is delivered to the county once a year, usually in July, by barge.
Politics
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Like the rest of the state, Kalawao County is a stronghold for the Democratic Party. It was the only county in the United States where the Republican candidate in the 2016 United States presidential election, Donald Trump, finished in third by only getting one vote; 70% of Kalawao's voters chose Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and 25% of Kalawao voters cast their ballots for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, making it Stein's strongest county nationwide in terms of vote percentage. In 2020 Joe 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 with Jim Hogg County, Texas, Brooks County, Texas, and Menominee County, Wisconsin, that have never voted Republican.
However, many people in Kalawao County are also socially conservative, with this county being the only one in the state to vote against 2024 Hawaii Amendment 1, which repealed a state constitutional amendment that allowed Hawaii's legislature to outlaw same-sex marriage.
Education
The county is within the Hawaii Department of Education school district.