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.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 8.36% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

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.

Lihue is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 40.55% of adults in Lihue have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

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.