Discovery HarbourHI
A town of 1,079.
Is Discovery Harbour a good place to live?
Discovery Harbour’s weakest subject grade is a D− for hazard risk. Discovery Harbour’s average trip to work is 55 minutes, where Hawaii’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 99% of U.S. towns. No town among the 94 in Hawaii we compare has a higher median age than Discovery Harbour. Only 3 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score lower on the outdoors. Discovery Harbour has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,079 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Discovery Harbour grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Discovery Harbour is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mauna Loa and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Discovery Harbour. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MountainMauna Loa
Big draw34 mi MountainKīlauea
3 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
25 mi MountainKama‘ehuakanaloa Seamount
10 mi BeachPunalu'u Beach
10 mi Ancient siteKa LaePhoto credits
Mauna Loa: Gordon Joly, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kīlauea: Hawaii Land Cover Analysis project, NOAA Coastal Services Center, Public domain · Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: Jos-uit-boston at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kama‘ehuakanaloa Seamount: John Smith and Brooks Bays, Public domain · Punalu'u Beach: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ka Lae: Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Discovery Harbour: who provides what
Discovery Harbour is unincorporated, so Hawaii County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Discovery Harbour.
Compared with most of Hawaii and the rest of the country, fewer of Discovery Harbour’s residents are under 18
11% of Discovery Harbour residents are under 18, below both Hawaii’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). People 65 and older are 46% of residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 11% of residents (21% statewide). 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Hawaii.
| Discovery Harbour | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 11% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 31% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8 points. Across Hawaii, 49.8% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 96% are men (HI 55%).
| Discovery Harbour | HI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.5% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.3% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.7% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.4% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 27.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18.7% | 9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.6% | 26.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.4% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 22.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.5% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Discovery Harbour
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Discovery Harbour’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Discovery Harbour for work: only 0% work in town. The median household income in Discovery Harbour is $61,000. The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (17%), Hilo (14%) and Kailua (13%).
| Discovery Harbour | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Discovery Harbour, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
Discovery Harbour has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Discovery Harbour’s July high is 78°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Discovery Harbour is less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
Discovery Harbour beats the Hawaii average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Discovery Harbour. Only 3 of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Discovery Harbour.
| Discovery Harbour | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 45% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Discovery Harbour | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 36.5% | 45.7% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 26.4% | 30.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 5.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in Discovery Harbour sells for about $789K
83% of Discovery Harbour households own their home.
| Discovery Harbour | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,688 a month | $2,015 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Discovery Harbour
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Discovery Harbour; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Discovery Harbour residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
100% of working residents leave Discovery Harbour for work
Where Discovery Harbour’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Discovery Harbour
Unincorporated community in Hawaii, United States
Discovery Harbour is an unincorporated community and census-designated place on the island of Hawaii in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. Its population was 1,171 as of the 2020 census. The community is located near the island's southern tip, south of Hawaii Route 11. It is the southernmost populated place in the 50 states of the U.S., surpassing Naalehu by 5.4 miles (8.7 km).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,142 ft
- Area code
- 808
Questions about Discovery Harbour
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Discovery Harbour, HI expensive?
The typical home is worth about $444,000, 47% below the Hawaii typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.