Hilo is a medium-sized coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Hawaii. With a population of 40,798 people and nine constituent neighborhoods, Hilo is the second largest community in Hawaii.

Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Hilo is neither predominently one or the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Hilo is a town of sales and office workers, professionals, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Hilo who work in office and administrative support jobs (16.95%), sales jobs (11.24%), and teaching (9.00%).

The town is also nautical, which means that parts of Hilo are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

One of the benefits of Hilo is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 17.85 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

Hilo Information and Demographics

The education level of Hilo citizens is substantially higher than the average US city or town, as 24.27% of adults in Hilo have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Hilo in 2000 was $18,220, which is middle income relative to Hawaii and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $72,880 for a family of four.

Hilo is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Hilo home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Hilo is Asian, followed by White. The main ancestry of people in Hilo is Portuguese.

The most common language spoken in Hilo is English. Other important languages spoken here include Japanese and Other Pacific Island languages.