Hilo, Hawaii

What Hilo is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 3,328 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.

3,328 businesses on file · 146 trades · 33 sectors · census population 48,223 · registry population 44,186 · built from geonet.hilo on 2026-10-07

The two disagree: the registry says 44,186 and the 2021 census counted 48,223 for the municipality. The registry figure is often a metropolitan population. Both are shown; neither is corrected into the other.

Businesses3,328
0% carry coordinates
Specialised in12
trades above the national pattern
Best suited toSeniors
on the census signals below
Franchise brands47
already operating here

Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Hilo → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.

1

The local economy

What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.

Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.

The two biggest markets here

Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.

Business density69
businesses per 1,000 residents, against the 2021 census count of 48,223
Breadth of the base287
broad — 102 industry groups, top three 20.5%
Survival the mix implies56.6%
at five years, against 51.4% for all private establishments
Coded to NAICS58.3%
of which 71.5% unambiguous

What this city is specialised in

Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 10 US metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.

The base against the entry screen

Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.

Enter
22.3%
432 businesses
Caution
53.6%
1,039 businesses
Structure decides
24.1%
468 businesses
Not screened
0%
0 businesses

How to read the survival figure

Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.

Weighted over 93.7% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And what it does not measure

A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.

2

Who lives here, and who the city is for

The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.

The register says what trades exist. The census says who lives here — and it is the only thing on this page that counts people. Figures are American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates for Hilo CDP, Hawaii, the incorporated place, which is the city proper, and every comparison is against the United States as a whole, from the same ACS tables.

Detailed language is not published for American places. B16001, the table with individual languages, has no place-level rows; C16001 is what exists, and it names six languages and groups the rest into families. A Canadian city on this site names about forty.

Population48,223
census 2021
Median age42.6
against 38.7 nationally
Immigrants9.9%
against 13.9% nationally
Median rent$1,347
against $1,348 nationally

Who the city is for

Three readings, each built from real numbers against real benchmarks. This is not an index. Every signal is shown with its own value, its benchmark and which way it points, and the band simply counts how many point the same way — so a reader who disagrees with one signal can drop it and still use the rest.

Seniors

strong

Is this a place to grow old, and is the care here?

Residents 65 and over 22.7% ▲16.8%
Residents 85 and overthe group that needs care rather than the group that is merely retired 3.9% ▲1.9%
Median age 42.6 years ▲38.7 years
Poverty ratethe US poverty threshold — a different definition from the Canadian pages, and not comparable to them 14.1% ▼12.4%
Medical clinics per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.17 –
Pharmacies per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.33 –
Median rent 1347 $/mo –1348 $/mo

A high share of over-65s says other people made this choice; it does not say the care exists. The register has no category for a hospital at all, so distance to an emergency department is still missing.

Students and young adults

thin

Is there a reason to be here between 19 and 25, and can they afford it?

Residents 20 to 24 5.5% ▼6.5%
Residents 15 to 19the cohort arriving next 6.8% –6.5%
Renter householdsa rental market is what makes a place possible to move to 34.5% –35%
Median rent 1347 $/mo –1348 $/mo
Unemployment rate 7.1% ▼5.2%
Degree holders in the adult population 34% –35%
Drinking places and recreationfrom the register 11 –

Post-secondary institutions in the city are listed further down this page; where there are none, a high 20-to-24 share usually means work rather than study.

Newcomers and other-language speakers

moderate

Is there already a community here, and has anyone built anything for it?

Foreign-born residents 9.9% ▼13.9%
Arrived 2010 or laterthe band the ACS publishes; the Canadian pages use 2016 to 2021, so the two are not comparable 33.1% ▲29.4%
Speak a language other than English at home 22.5% –
Language groups above the reporting floor 8 –
Median household income 78713 $ –78538 $

The American census does not publish individual languages for a city — only the eleven groups below, six of which are single languages. A Canadian city on this site names about forty, so the two sections are not the same depth and should not be read as if they were.

What is spoken at home, and whether anyone built for it

The register-versus-census cross-check on the Canadian pages is not possible here: the ACS publishes language in groups, so "Other Indo-European languages" cannot be matched against an institution that names a community.

Spoken most often at homeSpeakers ShareCommunity in the register Institutions
Other Asian and Pacific Island languages 6,101 12.7% not mapped to a marker 0
Other and unspecified languages 2,157 4.5% not mapped to a marker 0
Spanish 770 1.6% not mapped to a marker 0
Tagalog (incl. Filipino) 731 1.5% not mapped to a marker 0
Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) 684 1.4% not mapped to a marker 0
German or other West Germanic languages 174 0.4% not mapped to a marker 0
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic languages 122 0.3% not mapped to a marker 0
Korean 107 0.2% not mapped to a marker 0

The rest of the profile

CharacteristicHereCanada
Residents 65 and over 22.7% 16.8%
Residents 85 and over 3.9% 1.9%
Residents 20 to 24 5.5% 6.5%
Arrived 2016 to 2021 33.1% 29.4%
Non-permanent residents — —
Speak a non-official language at home 22.5% —
Renter households 34.5% 35%
Spending 30% or more on shelter — —
Participation rate 59.5% 63.5%
Unemployment rate 7.1% 5.2%
Median household income, 2020 78713 $ —
Median after-tax household income, 2020 — —
Prevalence of low income (LIM-AT) 14.1% —
Bachelor degree or higher 34% —

The one thing to keep in mind

Five-year estimates pooled over 2019–2023, so a figure is an average of the period rather than a single year, and every value carries a margin of error this extract does not keep. Unlike the Canadian census, which counts everyone, the ACS is a sample — a small place's figures are correspondingly uncertain. ACS five-year estimate for the incorporated place, which is the city proper. It will differ from the figure in wander.regions, which is sometimes a metropolitan population.

Source: American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates — Table-based summary file, 2023, United States Census Bureau, under the US federal government work, public domain. National comparison: The United States row of the same ACS tables, not an average of places — roughly a third of Americans live outside any incorporated place, so summing places would understate the country.

3

The communities the register shows

A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.

CommunityInstitutions WorshipTrade Where it shows
Thai — — 4
trade on Kilauea Avenue (2)
Korean — — 3
Chinese — — 2
Japanese — — 1
Vietnamese — — 1
Filipino — — 1
South Asian — — 1
Spanish-speaking — — 1
Russian — — 1
German — — 1
5

What the city is made of

Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 3,328 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.

SectorBusinesses ShareWhat is in it
Business 237 7.1% government (122) · accounting (36) · consulting (32) · association (21) · cemetary (5) · foundation (3) · vending (2) · fruit (1)
Construction 172 5.2% home builder (54) · painting (29) · plumbing (19) · concrete (13) · heating and cooling (10) · general contractor (10) · electrician (10) · excavating (8)
Health 164 4.9% physician (72) · chiro (11) · optical (9) · home healthcare (8) · medical clinic (8) · pharmacy (7) · fitness club (4) · health foods (1)
Dining 149 4.5% restaurant (132) · pizza (7) · diner (4) · pubs (2) · burgers (2) · chinese restaurant (1) · fast food (1)
Living 144 4.3% place of worship (67) · apartment (12) · furniture (11) · daycare (10) · appliances (8) · fire safety (7) · veterinary (6) · janitor (6)
Retail 140 4.2% gifts (33) · flowers (27) · jeweler (23) · photography (15) · fuel (10) · department store (7) · convenience (6) · antiques (6)
Automotive 136 4.1% autos (61) · auto repair (30) · auto parts (5) · detailing (3) · scooter (3) · motorcycle (2) · tires (2) · garden (1)
Beauty 128 3.8% hair stylist (74) · dentist (44) · barber (4)
Finance 109 3.3% insurance (53) · bank (16) · real estate (13) · credit union (10) · mortgage (3) · loans (2) · stock broker (2)
Realty 101 3% real estate (100) · realtor (1)
Education 69 2.1% school (55) · garden (4) · library (4) · writing (2)
Law 69 2.1% lawyer (21) · mediator (3)
Travel 68 2% travel agent (21) · bnb (12) · motel (8) · hotel (5) · airline (4) · truck rental (4) · real estate (1) · parking (1)
Living & Home 61 1.8% greenhouse (8) · garden (2)
Food 60 1.8% grocer (17) · seafood (13) · baker (13) · ice cream (11) · catering (5) · real estate (1)
Entertainment 55 1.7% video producer (16) · amusement (13) · video (7) · museum (6) · music instruments (4) · games (2) · nightclub (1) · zoo (1)
Tech 49 1.5% computers (34) · wireless (11) · telecom (2)
Logistics 45 1.4% truck transportation (25) · storage (7) · packaging (2) · towing (1) · forklifts (1) · railroad (1)
Retail Goods 40 1.2%
Agribusiness 38 1.1% landscaping (22) · forestry (5) · livestock (4) · fertilizer (2) · dairy (2) · garden (2) · orchard (1)
6

The franchises already here

Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.

19 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.

BrandCategory HereWorldwide
7-Eleven convenience 4 30,000
Pizza Hut pizza 3 10,000
Salvation Army retail 3 —
Dairy Queen fastfood 2 5,900
NAPA Auto Parts auto 2 18,000
Rent-A-Center retail 2 3,500
Wal-Mart retail 2 6,500
ACE Hardware hardware 1 4,700
Alamo Rent A Car car 1 1,000
American Eagle Outfitters retail 1 827
Bank of America bank 1 —
Baskin Robbins dessert 1 2,800
Budget Rent A Car car 1 1,900
Burger King fastfood 1 11,000
Cold Stone Creamery dessert 1 1,350
Curves For Women fitness 1 10,000
Dollar Rent A Car car 1 600
Edward Jones Investments tax 1 —
Enterprise Rent A Car car 1 5,400
Fantastic Sams hair 1 1,350
Harley Davidson locations motorcycle 1 —
Island Hearing specialty 1 80
Jack in the Box fastfood 1 2,079
Jamba Juice dessert 1 707
Liberty Tax Service tax 1 —
St. John retail 1 —
Sunglass Hut retail 1 —
Taco Bell tacos 1 5,845
Limited name only retail 5 —
Honda name only car 4 —
Sears name only inc 4 2,300
Toyota name only car 2 —
AllState name only insurance 1 —
Arnotts name only retail 1 2
Beltone name only specialty 1 1,500
Borders name only book 1 559
Cinnabon name only dessert 1 651
Diana name only supermarket 1 3
Hallmark name only greetingcards 1 5,600
Manor name only retail 1 —
Midas name only auto 1 1,800
Mitsubishi name only auto 1 —
PostNet name only post 1 923
Safeway name only supermarket 1 1,767
Starbucks name only coffee 1 3,500
SuperCuts name only inc 1 2,000
Volkswagen name only — 1 —
7

Real estate as a local trade

Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.

Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.

Selling homes

5312
119 firms · LQ 0.77

Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.

Named in the register
  • A 1hawaii Aolcom — 507 Wainaku Ave APT B
  • Aloha Island Mortgage — 27 Lono St
  • Big Island Appraisal Service — 704 Leilani St
  • Clark Realty — 99 Aupuni St Ste 118
  • Coldwell Banker — 2 Kamehameha Ave
  • Hawaiian Island Homes — 162 Kinoole St Ste 201
  • Island Homes Realty — 142 Kinoole St # D
  • Mary Begier Realty — 1059 Kilauea Ave # B
  • Mc Cully Works — 40 Kamehameha Ave
  • Mortgage Masters
  • Mortgage Network — 14 Holomua St # B
  • Surety Kohala — 101 Aupuni St # 206
  • Unique Est Rentals — P.O. BOX 4175
  • William L Moore Planning — 159 Halai St

Owning and letting

5311
12 firms · LQ 0.54

Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.

Named in the register
  • Dayton T Oniwa — 222 Wainaku Ave
  • E KOMO Mai Apartments — 816 Tinoole St # 115
  • Haili Elderly Apartments — 227 Haili St # D1
  • Hale Hoaloha — 119 W Lanikaula St # C110
  • Hilo Val Hala Apts — 120 Paulele St APT 201a
  • Kamana Elderly Apartment — 145 Kamana St
  • Kea Au Mill — 218 Kanoelani St
  • Lehua Apartment — 349 Lehua St
  • Riverside Apartments — 333 Ohai St
  • Tohbi Hawaiian — 84 Olona St
  • Waiakea Lagoon View Apartments — 50 Maile St # A33
  • Waiakea Racquet Club — 400 Hualani St

Managing for owners

5313
4 firms · LQ 0.66

Property managers, who run buildings the landlord does not.

Named in the register
  • Big Island Maintenance — 1969 Kilauea Ave
  • Building Maintenance Service — 851 Leilani St Ste 201
  • Hawaiian Sun Investments — P.O. BOX 4144
  • Imre J Simon — 77 Nalani St 6448

Building new homes

2361
64 firms · LQ 1.16

Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.

Named in the register
  • Charles Garcia — 2266 Piihonua Rd
  • Concept Construction — 558 Kanoelehua Ave
  • Daley Builders — P.O. BOX 4010
  • Haraguchi Stephen and Al Contg — 442 Noe St
  • Highway Div Maintenance
  • Ivan Mochida Contracting — 754 Laukapu St
  • James Ishii General Contractor — 1146 Mililani St # A
  • Kawika General Contracting
  • Kennys Fix It
  • Owens Construction — PO Box 11188
  • RAD Builders General Contr — 2794 Kaumana Dr
  • Stans Contracting — 77 Silva St
  • Taisei Construction — 645 N Aohoku Pl
  • Takamine Construction — 851 Leilani St

Financing it

5222
5 firms · LQ 0.45

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.

Named in the register
  • America First Financial Loan — 640 Piilani St
  • Big Island Micro A Program — 100 Pauahi St # 109
  • Family Mortgage Co of Hawa — 762 Kanoelehua Ave Ste C
  • Mortgage Services — 27 Lono St
  • Payday Loans Of Hawaii — 200 Kanoelehua Ave # 104

On "how many doors"

How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.

8

Work where you go to them

The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you.

A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 157 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 0 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.

The 157 Service=1 rows in search.local: work where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.

home services

Short-Term Rental TurnoverAppliance InstallationBabyproofing & Safety InstallsCarpet & Upholstery CleaningDeep CleaningDrywall RepairErrand RunningExterior PaintingFence & Deck StainingFurniture AssemblyGarden Weeding & MaintenanceGrocery Pickup & DeliveryGutter CleaningHandyman (General Repairs)Hedge & Shrub TrimmingHouse CleaningHouse SittingInterior PaintingJunk Removal & Dump RunsLandscape Design & PlantingLawn MowingFall Leaf CleanupMove-In / Move-Out CleaningMoving Help (Labour Only)Moving with TruckOffice CleaningPersonal ShopperPressure WashingMove Things Around the HouseSnow Shovelling & RemovalPacking & UnpackingTV & Picture MountingWardrobe StylingWindow Cleaning

events

BartenderDesignated Driver (Your Car)CateringTents, Tables & ChairsFloristFuneral & Celebration of Life ArrangementsGame-Day Bus or VanBook a Pub for Your GroupKaraoke Machine RentalParty Bus & Group ShuttlePub Crawl HostTaxi to the PubSports & Game PhotographyStag & Doe / Jack & Jill PlanningTailgate Party SetupTrivia Night HostVenue SourcingBig-Game Watch Party SetupWedding OfficiantWedding Planner / Coordinator

pets

Aquarium & Terrarium CleaningCatio (Cat Patio) BuildChicken Coop BuildDog House BuildDog TrainingDog WalkingHome Pet BoardingLost Pet SearchMobile Dog GroomingOvernight Pet SittingBuild & Install a Pet DoorPet Cages & EnclosuresPet Fencing & Dog RunsPet PhotographyPet-Proofing Your HomePet Sitting & Dog WalkingPet TaxiYard Poop Scooping

luxury

Chauffeur & Luxury CarDJ & Sound Gear RentalDJEvent PhotographerEvent PlannerLive MusiciansHair & Makeup ArtistMatchmakerPersonal ConciergePortrait & Headshot PhotographerPrivate ChefVideographerVIP / Social Club MembershipWedding PhotographerYacht & Boat Charter

healthcare

Wheelchair-Accessible TransportGrab Bars, Ramps & Home AccessibilityLight Housekeeping for SeniorsCooking & Meal Prep for SeniorsMedical Appointment EscortMedication & Appointment RemindersMobility Equipment RentalRespite Care for Family CaregiversSenior CompanionshipTech Help for SeniorsWalking Companion

sporting goods

Bike Tune-UpBorrow a Bike or E-BikeBorrow Camping GearBorrow Golf ClubsBorrow Hockey GearBorrow Ice SkatesBorrow a Kayak, Canoe or PaddleboardBorrow Skis, Poles & Ski BootsBorrow a Snowboard & Snow BootsSkate SharpeningSki & Snowboard Tuning

sports

Backyard Rink BuildLocal Fishing GuideGolf CaddieFind Players for a Pickup GamePrivate Sports LessonJoin or Build a Rec League TeamBook Ice, Courts & FieldsWorkout & Sports BuddyRoommates Who Also Like Sports

business

BookkeepingStart a Local BusinessCareer Coaching & RésumésFind a Local ManufacturerFind Local Work / Contract GigsLocal Advertising PlacementPrototype & Small-Batch ProductionTranslation & InterpretationWebsite & Online Presence

outdoors

Brush & Land ClearingChainsaw Rental (from a local owner)Firewood (Cut, Split & Delivered)Log Bucking & Cutting (Chainsaw)Portable SawmillingSmall-Lot Logging & Land ClearingStump GrindingTree FellingWood Splitting

construction

CarpenterElectricianHeating & Cooling (HVAC)Mobile MechanicPlumberRoof RepairSmall Engine RepairWelder / Metal Fabrication

travel

Airport Transfer & Car ServiceCorporate & Business TravelCruise BookingFamily Travel for a WeddingBereavement / Funeral TravelLeisure Travel PlanningLocal Tour Guide

tools

Camera & Lens RentalGenerator RentalLog Splitter RentalParty Equipment RentalPower Tool RentalTrailer & Truck Rental
9

Schools and colleges

wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.

In the business register

Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.

school 55daycare 10
10

Health and care

What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.

Medical clinics8
Pharmacies7
Dental practices44

Matched on the name "hospital"

  • Waiakea Health Center — 191 Kuawa St

geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.

12

What this record cannot tell you

Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.

  • Census figures are 2021, taken on 11 May 2021: income is for 2020 and the labour figures were measured mid-pandemic, so the unemployment rate on this page is a 2021 reading rather than a current one.
  • wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
  • No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
  • 100.0% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 100%.

Built from

  • geonet.hilo — the local business register
  • wander.regions — city name, population, metro
  • search.local — trait vocabulary and the come-to-you services
  • search.cozfranchises — 2,024 franchise brands