It encompasses the islands of Kauaʻi, Niʻihau, Lehua, and Kaʻula.

[2] The Kapa'a Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Kauai County.

Kauaʻi County operates under a mayor-council form of municipal government.

The Mayor of Kauaʻi, elected by the voters on a nonpartisan basis, holds executive authority for a four-year term.

Members of the County Council are elected on a nonpartisan, at-large basis to two-year terms.

One of the ten branches of the University of Hawaiʻi system, it offers a range of 2-year degrees and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Public schools in the county are operated by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education,[13] and the county is represented by Maggie Cox on the state's Board of Education.