The State of Safety in Hawaii 2024

According to our most recent State of Safety Survey, Hawaiians are reporting more experiences with violent crime and package theft than in previous years. And after a dip in overall concern about crime and safety last year, survey respondents expressed increased worry about all issues year over year.

Property crime is the biggest concern among Hawaiians, with nearly six in 10 (58%) indicating they worry about it happening to them. Hawaiians' experiences with property crime went down year over year, so their concerns may be overblown; however, The Aloha State has historically had higher property crime rates than most of the country. 

• Experience with property crime dropped nearly 10 percentage points this year, from 38% to 29% who told us they had a run-in in the 12 months prior to the survey.
• Concern about package theft rose 13% and package theft experiences increased by 4%.
• Hawaii had the seventh-lowest reports of package theft, with 29% reporting one in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 35%).
• 31% of Hawaiians said they increased their safety or security measures in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is the fifth-lowest percentage in the nation.
• Of Hawaiians who  protect their properties (74%), most prefer security cameras. (45%) and guard dogs (41%). 
• Hawaiians prefer to ask delivery people to leave packages in a safe spot (265) or rely on doorbell cameras (25%) for package theft prevention.

Hawaiians' concerns about violent crime and gun violence have risen year over year, but 50% of survey respondents told us they feel safe in Hawaii—beating the nationwide average of 45% who feel safe in their state.

• Daily concern about violent crime is 49%—1 percentage point lower than the national average, but a 4% increase in worry year over year.
• 15% of Hawaiians said they experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey—an increase of 15% year over year.
• 50% of Hawaiians feel safe in their state, which is 12% higher than the national sentiment and the sixteenth highest in the US. 
• 77% of Hawaiians think that crime is on the rise (US 73%).
• 23% of survey respondents use some kind of personal protection, with pepper spray being used most often (52%). Nationwide, 36% of respondents carry a personal protection device.

• Daily concern about gun violence is 47%—lower than the national average of 53%, but a 38% increase year over year.
• 6% of Hawaiians said they experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey—a 25% decrease year over year.
• Hawaii is the third-lowest state for reports of experience with gun violence.
• For the first time in four years, Hawaii reported 1 mass shooting incident.
• Only 4% of Hawaiian respondents indicated they carry a concealed firearm for protection (US 41%) and just 7% said they use a firearm for property protection (US 28%).

We asked Hawaii residents which crimes they worry may happen to them. See if Hawaiians are concerned about the same crime issues as the rest of the country.

Hawaii didn't provide enough data to the FBI again this year so we're unable to update statewide crime rates. Here's the latest data available, from our 2022:

Hawaii’s violent crime rate of 2.5 incidents per 1,000 people is lower than the national rate of 4.0 and it’s one point lower than what the state reported last year (2.6). Hawaii is one of only 15 states to see a decrease in violent crime year over year, bucking the national trend of rising violent crime.

The property crime rate in The Aloha State continues to be higher than both national and regional rates, although it dropped statewide year over year. Between our 2021 and 2022 reports, the property crime rate fell 17%, from 28.7 incidents per 1,000 to 24.1. Despite that decrease, Hawaii reports over four more property crime incidents per capita than the nationwide average.

For better crime reporting in Hawaii in the future, we recommend telling local lawmakers and law enforcement agencies that this information matters to you.

• 100 Safest Cities in the U.S.
• 10 Safest Big Cities in the U.S.
• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.