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The five counties of Hawaii on the Hawaiian Islands enjoy somewhat greater status than many counties on the United States mainland, which tend to administer rural areas. Counties in Hawai'i are the only legally constituted government bodies below that of the state. There are no city governments in the Islands. Because education is a function of the state government, carried out by the Hawai'i State Department of Education—and not a function controlled by local school boards like the other 49 states—property taxes and user fees collected by the counties support mostly road maintenance, community activities, parks (including life guards at beach parks), garbage collection, police (contrary to the television series Hawaii Five-O, there is no state police force), ambulance, and fire suppression services.
The five counties are:
- Hawaii County–all of the Island of Hawai'i
- City & County of Honolulu–encompasses the Island of O'ahu, plus the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
- Kalawao County–contains the Kalaupapa Peninsula on Moloka'i
- Kauai County–Kaua'i and Ni'ihau islands
- Maui County–Maui, Kaho'olawe, Lana'i and most of Moloka'i
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