Although statehood set off a building surge in Hawaii, housing remained in short supply throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. In 2002 there were an estimated 470,000 housing units, 415,579 of which were occupied. Only 56.1% were owner-occupied, ranking the state at 49th out of 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) in the number of homeowners. About 50.9% of all units were single-family, detached homes; 20.3% were within buildings of 20 or more units. Most units relied on electricity for heating but about 5,375 units were equipped for solar power. It was estimated that 12,652 units were lacking telephone service, 3,151 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 5,282 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.9 people.
In 2002, 5,902 privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. Median home value was at $291,576, the highest in the nation. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,691 while renters paid a median of $832 per month. During fiscal year 2002, Hawaii received over $27.3 million in community planning and development aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.