MEDIA RELEASE

The Department of Research & Development has released the 25th edition of the County of Hawai‘i Data Book. Available only on the internet, the Data Book is the most comprehensive source of statistics on the social, economic, government and business activity for Hawai‘i County. The 2008 edition can be found on the County internet site at: http://co.hawaii.hi.us/databook_2008/dbooktoc.htm

The Data Book is an essential resource for businesses and government in conducting research and identifying markets and trends. The publication is useful for both local residents and for people out-of-state-or-county looking for opportunities to do business here.

Produced by the Department’s Information Resources Program, the 2008 edition of the County of Hawai‘i Data Book contains interesting 2008 facts and figures such as: resident population of 175,784 (Table 1.1) with a median age of 37.2 years, and 26.7% over the age of 55 (Table 1.11c); 1,026,048 domestic visitor arrivals (Table 7.1) with an average length of stay of 7.64 days (Table 7.5); 295,229 international visitor arrivals (Table 7.2) with an average length of stay of 4.25 days (Table 7.6); 4,566 building permits issued with a valuation of $803,001,000 (Table 16.1); 175,166 motor vehicle registrations (Table 14.5); 408 persons per police officer (Table 4.2); $42,817,000 floriculture and nursery product sales (Table 15.15); commercial fish landings of 3,073,342 pounds caught (Table 15.24); 127.51 inches of rainfall in Hilo; 43.98 inches of rainfall in Kealakekua (Table 5.16) and 41,089 waterworks consumers with a consumption of 9,530 million gallons (Table 13.8).

Many federal, state, county and private organizations cooperated with the Department of Research & Development in the preparation of this data book. They are credited in the source references that accompany the tables to which they contributed.

The 2008 County of Hawai‘i Data Book is available only via the internet at: http://co.hawaii.hi.us/databook_2008/dbooktoc.htm (where tables may be viewed or downloaded). For more information, please call Colette Rapozo-Yamamoto, Information Resource Specialist at 961-8500 or the Department of Research & Development at 961-8366.