Hilo is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Hawaii. With a population of 44,186 people and ten associated neighborhoods, Hilo is the fourth largest community in Hawaii.

Housing costs in Hilo 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 Hilo telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.67% 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.

One of the nice things about Hilo is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The education level of Hilo citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 34.44% of adults in Hilo have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Hilo in 2018 was $37,707, 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 $150,828 for a family of four. However, Hilo contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Hilo is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Hilo home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Hilo residents report their race to be Asian, followed by White. Hilo also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 13.25% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Hilo include Portuguese, English, German, Irish, and Italian.

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