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Study: Hawaiʻi needs 64,490 more homes by 2027; two‑thirds must be affordable
Summary
The 2024 Hawaiʻi Housing Planning Study finds a statewide shortage of 64,490 housing units through 2027, with 65% of those needed at 80% AMI and below. The report points to seasonal/vacation units, out‑of‑state purchases and low vacancy as key drivers.
The 2024 Hawaiʻi Housing Planning Study (HHPS) estimates Hawaiʻi needs 64,490 additional housing units through 2027 to meet resident demand, after accounting for 13,471 homes already in the construction pipeline and projected population change. "The state faces a housing shortage of 64,490 units by 2027," the report states.
The study, led by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation with research partners, combines 2022 ACS data, a 5,000‑plus household demand survey (2022–23), a DHHL applicant survey and homelessness (HMIS) data. It finds 42,100 of the needed units — about 65% — must be affordable to households at 80% Area Median Income (AMI) or below. That shortfall is concentrated in single‑family units: about 72% of the need is for single‑family housing, while multi‑family units account for the rest.
Why the gap is widening, the report explains, is a combination of limited developable land, rising construction costs and a shift of new and existing units into seasonal and visitor uses that remove them from the resident market. The state had 568,058 total housing units in 2022, of which 516,242 were available to residents; only 21,415 units were vacant and available as market "swap space," the study found. The authors recommend policy moves that accelerate production of deeply affordable homes, preserve existing affordability, and target county‑specific needs. The report highlights that pipeline projects will only address roughly one‑fifth of the total need by 2027.
