Research & Economic Analysis

This volume is the 45th of its type compiled by the Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) and its predecessor agencies. The first was Statistical Abstract of Hawaii, 1962, issued by the Department of Planning and Research in 1962. After a four-year hiatus, updated versions titled The State of Hawaii Data Book were published by the Department of Planning and Economic Development in 1967, 1968, and annually beginning in 1970. The 1987 edition was the first one issued by DBEDT. Copies can be consulted in the Hawaii State Library, University of Hawaii and community college libraries, and other collections throughout the state.

Additional information regarding specific statistical sources can be found in the introductory statements to each section of the Data Book, in footnotes and source references to the various tables, and in the underlying reports.

Although most of the series in the Data Book are shown only for recent years, many earlier figures appear in Historical Statistics of Hawaii, by Robert C. Schmitt. This book, published by the University Press of Hawaii in 1977, contains 711 pages of narrative and tables on the development of statistics in Hawaii since the 18th century. Permitted by the University of Hawaii Press, the electronic copy of this book can be found at https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/data_reports/Historical-Statistics-of-Hawaii.pdf

Statistical abstracts have also been published for the counties of Hawaii and Maui. The Hawaii County Department of Research and Development’s Data Book, a 400 table compendium, is only available online and is updated on a regular basis on the Internet site <https://hawaiicounty.gov/databook>. Maui County Data Book 2012, 250 pages, a joint production of the Maui County Office of Economic Development and the Hawaii Business Research Library, a division of the Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network, was issued in May 2013. The price per print copy is $20.00 when picked up in person. The online version and archives of previous editions is available at <https://www.hisbdc.org/>.

Persons interested in historical data for other states or the nation as a whole should consult the Statistical Abstract of the United States and other Census Bureau resources such as the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book and USA Counties at <https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>. The Abstract was initiated in 1878 and was an annual publication of the U.S. Census Bureau.  The last edition, its 131th, was dated 2012.  As of October 1, 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau terminated the collection of data for the Statistical Compendia program which affects the Statistical Abstract of the United States, State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, and the County and City Data Book.  Accessing and ordering information for U.S. Census Bureau products may be viewed at the website <https://www.census.gov/>.