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East honolulu
Hawaii›Honolulu County

East HonoluluHI

A city of 51,360.

2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Noahhoward · Public domain
Photo of East Honolulu

East Honolulu, HI · Photo: Noahhoward · Public domain · Source ↗

Is East Honolulu a good place to live?

The best of East Honolulu’s subject grades are an A for health and incomes and an A− for walkability; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. East Honolulu’s median rent is $3,313 a month, where Hawaii’s towns sit at $2,009 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Only 6 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score higher on health. The typical home is worth about $1.2 million, 11.4 years of the Urban Honolulu metro’s $106K median household income. 18% of the land in East Honolulu is conserved, above both Hawaii’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 4 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score higher on the outdoors. East Honolulu has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them J.B. Guard House and Henry J. and Alyce Kaiser Estate. East Honolulu has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).

What makes East Honolulu stand out

Where East Honolulu beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Get outside

32 miles of trails in East Honolulu

17.6% of the town is conserved land, across 25 parks and preserves.

Map of trails and conserved land in East HonoluluConservedTrails
1
Koko Head District Park4 mi of trails · 717 acres
Directions
2
Hanauma Bay State Park3.3 mi of trails · 485 acres
Directions
3
Kuliouou Forest Reserve2.9 mi of trails · 384 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US

How East Honolulu grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far East Honolulu is from typical.

How grading works

East Honolulu has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

USS Missouri and 46 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Honolulu. Close and well known come first.

All 48 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

USS Missouri: Camera Operator: EM2 KENNETH D. MEHL (Released to Public), Public domain · Diamond Head: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waikīkī: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Arizona Memorial: DoD photo by: PH3(AW/SW) JAYME PASTORIC, USN, Public domain · Aloha Stadium: This photo was taken and originally uploaded by Bobak to English Wikipedia. Uplo, CC BY 3.0 · National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific: Cleared as filed at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to East Honolulu: who provides what

East Honolulu is unincorporated, so Honolulu County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerHawaiian Electric Co40.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHnl-Windward-Pearl Harbor water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHonolulu CountyHonolulu County provides services here
SchoolsHawaii Department of EducationWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Hawaii you can register online up to and including Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereHonolulu County ClerkHonolulu County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP codes96825, 9682196825 61% · 96821 38%Census 2020

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 East Honolulu.

HealthA

East Honolulu stands out in Hawaii and nationally, with fewer of its adults who report frequent mental distress

11% of East Honolulu adults report frequent mental distress. Only 4 of the 93 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than East Honolulu. 10% of East Honolulu adults report frequent physical distress.

93%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
East HonoluluHawaii townsU.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)11%16%17%
Depression (CDC PLACES)13%17%23%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)6.6%12%14%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)22%27%35%
32 measures vs. Hawaii
24 better6 too close to call2 worse
What stands outEast HonoluluHI
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth3.8%8.5%
Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off3.1%5.8%
More adults who have had cancer8.4%6.7%
Adventist Health Castle
6.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
97th
percentile among HI towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Schools

The schools East Honolulu’s kids attend

Its public schools are run by the Hawaii Department of Education school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Niu Valley Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8Grades 6–8786A
Kalani High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12Grades 9–121,455A−
Koko Head Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5Grades PK–5301A

NCES · EDFacts

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

East Honolulu faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 337 flood insurance claims have been paid out in East Honolulu.

88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
88Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTsunamisEarthquakes
337
paid flood claims since 1978

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A

Compared with most of Hawaii and the rest of the country, the median household income in East Honolulu is higher

The median household income in East Honolulu is $160,000. Jobs based in East Honolulu grew to 6,821 in 2023, 900 more than in 2013. 5.3% of residents live below the poverty line in East Honolulu.

6%work in town
East HonoluluHawaii townsU.S. towns
Median household income$160,000$100,000$80,000
Work from home17%8.1%11%
Average trip to work31 minutes28 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line5.3%9.7%9.6%

Where working residents work

In East Honolulu6%
Urban Honolulu73%
Kailua2%
Kaneohe2%
Kapolei1%
10 mi
median commute distance
6,821
jobs based in East Honolulu
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

OutdoorsA

17.6% of East Honolulu is conserved land

32 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. East Honolulu’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. Koko Head District Park, at 717 acres with 4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.

17.6%conserved
17.6%
conserved · 3,880 of 22,018 acres
32 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Koko Head District Park4 mi717
2. Hanauma Bay State Park3.3 mi485
3. Kuliouou Forest Reserve2.9 mi384

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Climate

In East Honolulu, expect mild winters and pleasant summers

East Honolulu has warm winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 65° and snow is almost unheard of.

85°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter66–78°
Spring69–80°
Summer74–84°
Fall72–84°
85°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade D

The median home in East Honolulu sells for about $1.4M

Among 93 Hawaii towns, just 5 have a higher share of households owning their home than East Honolulu.

$1.4Mmedian sale price
Market temperature
BalancedA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
67
days on market
98.1%
sale-to-list price
43
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about East Honolulu

17pages on East Honolulu
After high school

Colleges nearby

8 within 15 miles of the center of East Honolulu

A commuter town

94% of working residents leave East Honolulu for work

Where East Honolulu’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

73% → Urban Honolulu Urban Honolulu 73% 2% → Kailua Kailua 2% 2% → Kaneohe Kaneohe 2% 1% → Kapolei Kapolei 1% 1% → Pearl City Pearl City 1% 1% → Waipahu Waipahu 1% East Honolulu · 6% stay
6,821jobs based in East Honolulu
6%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

East Honolulu’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with East Honolulu.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownHI rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
East Honolulu——D——A
Urban Honolulu#1C+C−C+—A−
Waimanalo Beach——B+——B−

East Honolulu and Waimanalo Beach report no FBI crime data of their own. East Honolulu and Waimanalo Beach aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare East Honolulu with a neighbor →

Questions about East Honolulu

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is East Honolulu, HI a good place to live?

East Honolulu has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).

Is East Honolulu, HI expensive?

Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,212,000, 46% above 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 D.