Foreclosures in Hawaii increased in 2009 over the prior year. There was a total of 9,002 properties with foreclosure filings. That works out to a rate of one filing for every 56 households, which compares to the United States average of 45, and is a little less than two percent of the state's housing units.
Hawaii is the 42nd largest U.S. state by population, with 1,288,198 people (in 2009). Its 10,931 square miles make it the 43rd largest state by area. Median household income in 2008 was $67,214.
Hawaii's chief economic driver is tourism, which has been true since it achieved statehood in 1959. Nearly 25 percent of Hawaii's economic activity comes from tourists. Government comes in a close second to this, while production of crops like coffee, macadamia nuts and pineapples comes in a distant third. Hawaii's median income is the fifth highest in the United States.
