Kaunakakai (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kɐwnəkəˈkɐj]) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaiʻi, United States. It is the largest town on the island of Molokaʻi. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census. It has the largest port on the island and the longest pier in Hawaii.^[2] The town was made famous in the 1930s by the song "The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai", beginning an ongoing tradition of designating an honorary mayor for the town.^[3]

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Kaunakakai, Hawaii
Census-designated place
Downtown Kaunanakai, July 2006
Location in Maui County and the state of Hawaii
Kaunakakai Location in Hawaii
Coordinates: 21°5′20″N 157°0′45″W
Country	United States
State	Hawaii
County	Maui
Area [1]
• Total	16.45 sq mi (42.60 km2)
• Land	12.83 sq mi (33.22 km2)
• Water	3.62 sq mi (9.37 km2)
Elevation	20 ft (6 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,419
• Density	266.53/sq mi (102.91/km2)
Time zone	UTC-10 (Hawaii-Aleutian)
ZIP code	96748
Area code	808
FIPS code	15-31100
GNIS feature ID	0360717

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In the mid-1800s, King Kamehameha V sometimes spent his summers on Moloka'i at a home in Kaunakakai. The main street of Kaunakakai, Ala Malama Avenue, was named after the king's summer home.^[4]

Around mid-1935, the song was written for the celebration of the first honorary mayor, 'The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai', during the vacation visit by Academy Award winning Best Actor in 1929, Warner Baxter. The "election" was a seven-day celebration by the locals and Baxter's vacation party.^[5]

Kaunakakai is located at 21°5′20″N 157°0′45″W (21.088968, -157.012542).^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.4 square miles (42.6 km²), of which 12.8 square miles (33.2 km²) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.4 km²), or 22.00%, is water.^[7]

Kaunakakai has a tropical savannah (As) climate.

As of the census^[11] of 2010, there were 3,425 people, 1,254 households, and 850 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,342.7 inhabitants per square mile (518.4/km²). There were 1,533 housing units at an average density of 473.8 per square mile (182.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 15.4% White, 0.5% Black, 0.3% Native American, 22.2% Asian (of whom 15.5% were Filipino), 22.4% Native Hawaiian, 0.3% from other races, and 37.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.9% of the population.

There were 1,254 households, out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.32.

As of the census of 2000, in the CDP the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,492, and the median income for a family was $39,348. Males had a median income of $30,543 versus $22,337 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,201. About 15.5% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.