Photo: Noahhoward · Public domainOn CDC estimates, East Honolulu is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns
East Honolulu differs from Hawaii on 26 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 24 better, 2 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for East Honolulu. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in East Honolulu
East Honolulu is older than Hawaii, yet healthier on chronic conditions
East Honolulu runs below Hawaii on COPD (4% vs 5.3%), depression (13.4% vs 16%) and obesity (21.5% vs 25.6%). That’s despite an older population: 28% of residents are 65 or older (Hawaii 21%). Conditions ↓
Against towns with similar incomes, East Honolulu’s lead shrinks
East Honolulu is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns, but 59% of the 2,202 towns with similar household incomes ($120K–$199K). Part of its edge is what towns with its incomes tend to have. Health Grade ↓
East Honolulu keeps up with checkups
It beats Hawaii on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (82.3% vs 77.3%) and dentist visits (78.8% vs 68.3%). Checkups ↓
Few East Honolulu adults smoke
6.6% of adults smoke cigarettes, vs 11% across Hawaii. Habits ↓
Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Hawaii figure falls outside East Honolulu’s likely range.
What’s behind East Honolulu’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, East Honolulu is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns, #4 of 93 in Hawaii. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than almost every town); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 54%.
Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). East Honolulu’s median household income is $159,518; among the 2,202 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($120K–$199K), it’s healthier than 59%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 East Honolulu adults…
East Honolulu runs below HI on 6 of 12 conditions and above it on 2. Tap one to see it as people.
East Honolulu is an older town: 28% of residents are 65 or older, vs 21% across Hawaii. Cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in East Honolulu as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of East Honolulu adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Hawaii.
Everyday habits, side by side with Hawaii
Share of adults, with the Hawaii figure marked.
32 miles of trails across 25 parks and preserves
Care in and near East Honolulu
No hospital or community health center in East Honolulu itself. These are the nearest.
Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of East Honolulu; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).
How East Honolulu adults are doing
On 4 of 4 measures, East Honolulu does better than Hawaii.
3 in 10 East Honolulu adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
5.5% of East Honolulu adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.2% across Hawaii.
East Honolulu and the towns around it
East Honolulu has the best Health Grade of the 3 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Honolulu | A | 21.5% | 11.8% | 6.6% | CDC place |
| Urban Honolulu | A− | 24.3% | 13.2% | 10.1% | CDC place |
| Waimanalo Beach | B− | 35.7% | 14.1% | 12.4% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of East Honolulu adults live with a disability (Hawaii 28.7%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for East Honolulu
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, East Honolulu is better than Hawaii on 24 and worse on 2; on the rest, the Hawaii figure falls inside East Honolulu’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | East Honolulu | HI | U.S. | vs HI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 14%12.6–15.4 | 18.4% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 10%9.1–11 | 12.3% | 13% | Better |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.9%9.8–12 | 14.5% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 21.5%17.8–25.4 | 25.6% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 11.8%10.5–13.1 | 12.4% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 33%30–36.1 | 31.5% | 34.4% | About the same |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 39.7%36.3–43.1 | 36.1% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 24.2%21.8–26.6 | 23.2% | 25.3% | About the same |
| Asthma | 8.7%7.8–9.6 | 9.8% | 9.9% | Better |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 8.4%7.7–9.1 | 6.7% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.8%5.3–6.4 | 6.2% | 6.4% | About the same |
| COPD | 4%3.6–4.4 | 5.3% | 6.3% | Better |
| Stroke | 3.2%3–3.5 | 3.7% | 3.4% | Better |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 3.8%3.1–4.6 | 8.5% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 6.6%5.8–7.4 | 11% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.3%16.7–21.9 | 23% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 15.2%13.3–17.1 | 17.4% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 42.9%38.3–47.6 | 45.7% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 3%2.6–3.5 | 5.6% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 82.3%79.8–84.6 | 77.3% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 78.8%76.4–81 | 68.3% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 88.8%87.5–89.9 | 82.8% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 81.5%79–83.6 | 76.9% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 70.8%67.3–74.1 | 62.6% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 81.6%77–85.5 | 78.3% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 13.4%11.6–15.4 | 16% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 28.4%25.4–31.5 | 32% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 26.2%23.5–28.9 | 30.1% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 9.6%8.6–10.7 | 17.3% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 6%5.3–6.8 | 10.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 3.1%2.7–3.6 | 5.8% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 4.3%3.8–4.8 | 7.5% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 5.5%4.7–6.3 | 12.2% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 24.2%21.8–26.8 | 28.7% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 11.4%10.2–12.6 | 13.2% | 13.6% | Lower |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 8.6%7.7–9.5 | 12.5% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 6.9%6.2–7.6 | 7.2% | 6.7% | About the same |
| Vision difficulty | 3.8%3.5–4.1 | 5.2% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 4.9%4.4–5.4 | 7.1% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.4%2.2–2.6 | 3.4% | 3.8% | Lower |
Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the Hawaii figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in East Honolulu
Is East Honolulu a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, East Honolulu is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns: A for health, #4 of 93 in Hawaii. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 59%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in East Honolulu?
CDC estimates 21.5% of adults have obesity, likely between 17.8% and 25.4%, against 25.6% across Hawaii and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to East Honolulu?
Adventist Health Castle in Kailua, 6.9 miles in a straight line from East Honolulu’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in East Honolulu have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 3% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 2.6–3.5%), against 5.6% across Hawaii.
How accurate are these numbers?
They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in East Honolulu more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in East Honolulu.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Hawaii figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.