Have you ever wondered which U.S. states resemble countries more closely than others? The Country – US State Comparisons are designed to quantify just that — measuring how similar each U.S. state is to different countries around the world relative to the United States. This index provides a data-driven way to make those comparisons. It equally weights five major factors: demographics, culture, politics, technology, and geography. Over 1,000 different data points are used to generate the results.
Top 10 Countries More Similar to Hawaii than the US
The nine of the top ten countries that are more like Hawaii than the United States all border the Pacific Ocean. Four of the top five are located on islands. They also have hot and humid climates. As a result, they have tropical plants.
- Vanuatu and Hawaii are both volcanic archipelagos located in the Pacific Ocean. This contributes to their unique geological features, such as black sand beaches and volcanic craters. Due to their beauty, tourism is a major industry in both places. In addition, neither does much mining or manufacturing. They rely on oil imports to create energy.
- Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia. Both Cambodia and Hawaii are more densely populated than the United States and have a much higher percentage of people with East Asian ancestry. They tend to have a more relaxed, relationship-oriented pace of life, prioritizing interpersonal connections, and community harmony.
- Singapore and Hawaii both have a mix of Christians and Buddhists. They are more developed than other islands in the Pacific Ocean. Both ban smoking in public places. They also have a relatively large portion of their populations in the military. Honolulu and Singapore have many high rises as well.
- Philippines is another volcanic archipelago in the Pacific. More than 1 in 5 people in Hawaii have Filipino roots. Volleyball is extremely popular among their people. However, the laws in the Philippines are far more conservative than Hawaii’s. The Philippines does not allow same sex marriage or abortion, like Hawaii.
- Samoa is another group of Polynesian islands. Both depend on air and sea transport for access and trade. In fact more than 1 in 5 people in Hawaii have Polynesian roots. Hawaii is by far the closest state to Samoa. The Samoan language is similar to Hawaiian as well. Samoa and Hawaii rely heavily on tourism, but Samoa is more focused on agriculture.
- East Timor, 7. Taiwan, 8. Brunei, 9. Fiji, 10. Laos
Top 10 Countries Less Similar to Hawaii than the US
Interestingly enough, the top 5 countries with less traits in common with Hawaii than the United States overall are spread across four different continents. Four of the five have much drier climates. They are also less densely populated than Hawaii.
- Turkey has dry summers and cold winters, especially in its interior regions, contrasting sharply with Hawaii’s climate. It is also a predominately Muslim country. Unlike Hawaii, manufacturing and agriculture make up a significant portion of its economy.
- Russia is vastly different from Hawaii due to its cold climate and very low population density. Due to its climate, sports like ice hockey and ice skating are more popular than in Hawaii. In addition, a much higher percentage of its people have European ancestry.
- Iraq is nearly landlocked and has an arid climate. Unlike Hawaii and the United States, its terrain is relatively flat. Furthermore, its laws are much more conservative than Hawaii. It has more restrictions on abortion and does not allow same sex marriage.
- Egypt is another predominately Muslim country in the Middle East on this list. Egypt has be continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years, while Hawaii been inhabited for less than 1,000 years. Due to the Sahara Desert, most of its land is barren, in contrast to Hawaii.
- Argentina is much less densely populated than Hawaii. It encompasses a wide range of climates, including temperate in the Pampas, to cold and arid in Patagonia. Despite being in South America, a much higher percentage of its people have European ancestry.
- Yemen, 7. Poland, 8. North Macedonia, 9. Jordan, 10. Canada
Full Ranking of Countries and Territories More Similar to Hawaii than the US
All data accurate as of 2025.