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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 18.63 minutes getting to work every day.

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.

Lihue also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 18.16%.

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