Fern ForestHI
A town of 1,088.
Is Fern Forest a good place to live?
The best of Fern Forest’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Fern Forest’s average trip to work is 49 minutes, above both the Hawaii town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 1 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score higher on cost of living. The median household income is $43K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. 1.9% of the land in Fern Forest is conserved, below the Hawaii town median (12%) and near the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On the outdoors, just 7 of Hawaii’s 125 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is ʻŌlaʻa Forest Reserve, at 99 acres. Fern Forest has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,088 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Fern Forest grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Fern Forest is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Kīlauea and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fern Forest. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi MountainKīlauea
Big draw33 mi MountainMauna Kea
Big draw31 mi MountainMauna Loa
4 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
39 mi MountainKama‘ehuakanaloa Seamount
8 mi CaveKazumura CavePhoto credits
Kīlauea: Hawaii Land Cover Analysis project, NOAA Coastal Services Center, Public domain · Mauna Kea: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Kama‘ehuakanaloa Seamount: John Smith and Brooks Bays, Public domain · Kazumura Cave: Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 4.0
Moving to Fern Forest: who provides what
Fern Forest 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 Forest.
Very high risk in Fern Forest, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of Hawaii and the rest of the country, the median household income in Fern Forest is lower
Only 1 of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower median household income than Fern Forest. Most working residents leave Fern Forest for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Hilo (32%), Urban Honolulu (8%) and Kailua (6%).
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and pleasant summers in Fern Forest
Fern Forest has warm winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Fern Forest’s July high is 77°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health in Fern Forest trails 56% of U.S. towns
Fern Forest beats the Hawaii average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 17% of Fern Forest adults report frequent physical distress. Among 94 Hawaii towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Fern Forest.
| Fern Forest | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Fern Forest | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 37.2% | 45.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 5.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Fern Forest’s grade for the outdoors is a D
The trail density in Fern Forest is 0.1 miles per square mile. 0.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ʻŌlaʻa Forest Reserve | — | 99 |
| 2. Kahaualeʻa Natural Area Reserve | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
More of Fern Forest’s households own their home than in the typical Hawaii or U.S. town
90% of households own their home in Fern Forest.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Fern Forest
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Fern Forest; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Fern Forest residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
100% of working residents leave Fern Forest for work
Where Fern Forest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Fern Forest
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Fern Forest is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaiʻi, United States, located in the District of Puna. The population was 1,150 at the 2020 census. The population increased by 94.0% to 931 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,264 ft
- Area code
- 808
Questions about Fern Forest
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fern Forest, HI expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $171,000, 79% 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 A+.