HawiHI
The town, settled in 1912, counts 2,070 residents.
Is Hawi a good place to live?
The best of Hawi’s subject grades is a B+ for health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Hawi’s January low is 68°F, where Hawaii’s towns sit at 64°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Only 4 of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Hawi. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 72% of U.S. towns. 18% of the land in Hawi is conserved, above both the Hawaii town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Hawi has 1 place on the National Register. Hawi has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Hawi stand out
Where Hawi beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hawi has grown 110% from 2010 to 2020
1,081 counted in 2010 and 2,268 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Hawi grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Hawi is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Hawi: who provides what
Hawi 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 Hawi.
Natural hazards: very high risk in Hawi, mostly inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Hawi, 66% come from inland flooding and 18% from wildfires. Federal aid has come to Hawi households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kohala Adventist School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 17 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Hawi ranks healthier than 74% of the country’s towns
20% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hawi. Of 32 CDC measures, Hawi beats the Hawaii average on 2 and trails it on 7. Among 94 Hawaii towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Hawi.
| Hawi | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 45% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hawi | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 37.2% | 45.7% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 69.9% | 62.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
17.8% of Hawi is conserved land
3.5 miles of trail. For Hawi, the trail network density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The climate in Hawi brings mild winters and hot summers
In Hawi, the typical July afternoon high is 88°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer adults under 35 in Hawi than across Hawaii
For Hawi, the median age is 44.6 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 27% of residents (20% statewide). 26% of Hawi residents are under 18. A bachelor’s degree or higher: 30% of adults 25 and older, vs 36% across Hawaii.
| Hawi | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 44.6 years | 41.2 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.3 points). Across Hawaii, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Hawi | HI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.1% | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.7% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.1% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.1% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.5% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.3% | 26.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.2% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 22.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
With 1.2 jobs for every working resident, Hawi draws in 241 commuters
Hawi’s average trip to work comes in at 35 minutes. Most people who work leave Hawi to do it: just 3% work in town. The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (20%), Waikoloa Beach Resort (14%) and Kailua (8%). For half of commuters, work is under 42 miles away.
| Hawi | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $84,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A home in Hawi is worth about $839K, on Zillow’s estimate
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 3.1%. Hawi’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $2,156 a month.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mauna Kea and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hawi. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MountainMauna Kea
32 mi National ParkHaleakala National Park854K visitors a year
37 mi MountainHualālai
14 mi National Historic SitePu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site22K visitors a year
39 mi National Historical ParkKaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park360K visitors a year
11 mi GardenPua Mau Place Arboretum and Botanical GardenPhoto credits
Mauna Kea: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Haleakala National Park: Michael Oswald, Public domain · Hualālai: Photograph by J. Kauahikaua., Public domain · Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site: Bamse, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park: W Nowicki, CC BY 3.0 · Pua Mau Place Arboretum and Botanical Garden: Craig Franklin, CC BY-SA 3.0 au
Everything we know about Hawi
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Hawi; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Hawi residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
Hawi’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Hawi.
Hawi and Kapaau have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hawi and Kapaau report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hawi with a neighbor →
Questions about Hawi
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hawi, HI expensive?
Yes. That is 10.7 years of the area's median household income ($78,639 across the Hilo-Kailua, HI area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.