Lihue is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Hawaii. With a population of 8,004 people and three associated neighborhoods, Lihue is the 22nd largest community in Hawaii.

Housing costs in Lihue are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Hawaii.

A relatively large number of people in Lihue telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.36% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Lihue is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Lihue spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 18.63 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.

The education level of Lihue ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Lihue, 40.55% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Lihue in 2022 was $39,369, which is middle income relative to Hawaii, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $157,476 for a family of four. However, Lihue contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Lihue is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Lihue home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Lihue residents report their race to be Asian, followed by White. Lihue also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 16.53% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Lihue include German, English, Portuguese, Irish, and Dutch.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Lihue's cultural character, accounting for 18.16% of the town’s population.

The most common language spoken in Lihue is English. Other important languages spoken here include Pacific Island languages and Tagalog.