Fern AcresHI
A town of 1,480 in Hawaii.
Is Fern Acres a good place to live?
Fern Acres’ weakest subject grade is a D− for hazard risk. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Fern Acres, above both the Hawaii town median (9.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 2 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score lower on hazard risk. The median household income is $40K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. 0.3% of the land in Fern Acres is conserved, against 12% in Hawaii’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 11 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score lower on the outdoors. Fern Acres has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Fern Acres has grown 31% from 2010 to 2020
1,504 counted in 2010 and 1,965 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Fern Acres grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Fern Acres is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mauna Kea and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fern Acres. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi MountainMauna Kea
Big draw15 mi MountainKīlauea
Big draw34 mi MountainMauna Loa
8 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
3 mi CaveKazumura Cave
15 mi WaterfallRainbow FallsPhoto credits
Mauna Kea: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kīlauea: Hawaii Land Cover Analysis project, NOAA Coastal Services Center, Public domain · Mauna Loa: Gordon Joly, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: Jos-uit-boston at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kazumura Cave: Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rainbow Falls: Kyle Hawton, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Fern Acres: who provides what
Fern Acres 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 Fern Acres.
Fern Acres faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
51% of Fern Acres’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 32%. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A larger share of adults smoke cigarettes in Fern Acres than in most of Hawaii or the rest of the country
Among 94 Hawaii towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Fern Acres. Fern Acres: 19% of adults binge drink.
| Fern Acres | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Fern Acres | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 40.7% | 45.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.4% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Fern Acres’ workers commute out
The median commute is under 15 miles. The typical journey to work for Fern Acres comes to 32 minutes. Only 1% of working residents stay in Fern Acres for work; the rest commute out. Jobs in Fern Acres grew by 22 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 43.
| Fern Acres | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fern Acres: mild winters and pleasant summers
In Fern Acres, the typical July afternoon high is 77°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For the outdoors, Fern Acres earns a C−
2.1 miles of trail. Fern Acres’ trail network density comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Fern Acres sells for about $439K
Fern Acres’ rent at the middle of the market stands at $1,375 a month. In Fern Acres, 84% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Fern Acres | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,375 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 Fern Acres
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fern Acres
About 4 of every 100 Fern Acres residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
1,480 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
About Fern Acres
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Fern Acres is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaiʻi, United States, located in the District of Puna. As of the 2020 census, Fern Acres had a population of 1,965.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,532 ft
- Area code
- 808
Questions about Fern Acres
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fern Acres, HI expensive?
The typical home is worth about $320,000, 62% 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.