Social and health HILO >> Hawaii County, which ranks as the poorest county in the state, also has a higher rate of social and mental health-related problems, according to a recently released survey.
problems mirror
poverty on Big Island
Associated Press
The 10th Survey of Social Indicators prepared by the Mental Health Association of Hawaii County was released last week. The association's annual reports have consistently linked poverty to the prevalence of social problems on the Big Island.
Hawaii County, with 148,677 residents or 12.3 percent of the state's population, is the poorest county in the state, said Beverly Grogan, branch manager for the Mental Health Association.
Nearly 11 percent of all Big Island families fall under the national poverty level, more than twice the percentage of any other county in Hawaii, according to the 2002 report.
Hawaii County residents' incomes averaged less than 74 percent of the state average. Personal income on Oahu is 107 percent of the state average, followed by Maui at 88 percent and Kauai at 83 percent.
Grogan also said that average salaries and hourly wages in Hawaii County are, with minor exceptions, lower than the state averages, contributing to a "no way up, no way out" attitude.
The report also noted that while the population may have been gaining on both sides of the island, poverty has been gaining mostly in East Hawaii.
The county's fastest-growing districts have been Puna, with a 167 percent increase in population since 1980, and South Kohala, up 185 percent during the same period. Yet the average family income in Puna today is $22,500, while in South Kohala it is $41,800.
Also, while East Hawaii has about 60 percent of the island's population, it now has almost three times the number of people qualifying for food stamps, aid to needy families, general assistance and aid for the aged, blind or disabled, Grogan said.
County of Hawaii
