The high percentage of kūpuna who exercise regularly — along with Hawaiʻi’s good air and water quality and comparatively low rates of depression —  help make the state one of the healthiest places in the nation for seniors, according to a report from the United Health Foundation. 

The nonprofit, which pulled data from two dozen sources for its 2025 Senior Report, ranked Hawaiʻi as No. 10 for senior health this year. (Vermont earned the top spot in the report, while Mississippi came in last.) 

But while the report showcases some of Hawaiʻi’s strengths, it also highlights some troubling realities in a state with a rapidly aging population.

Nearly half of white residents in the state reported their health as being very good or excellent, according to federal surveys from 2023. But only 19% of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents said the same. 

Obesity among seniors has risen 45% in the last decade. Hawaiʻi ​kūpuna are more likely to binge drink than their peers in other states. Nearly 1 in 10 seniors — 9.4% — reported cognitive problems, such as having trouble remembering or concentrating. 

Hawaiʻi also has one of the highest rates of seniors experiencing severe housing problems, with 37.5% of kūpuna living in overcrowded homes, struggling to afford housing or living in a dwelling with inadequate kitchen and plumbing. 

And though it could be entirely unrelated to our housing difficulties, Hawaiʻi is the absolute worst in the nation when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. An alarming 42.8% of seniors in the state said they averaged fewer than seven hours of shut-eye a day — naps and daytime rest included.