Waiakea Mission Station-Hilo Station · Photo: W Nowicki · CC BY 3.0Living in Hilo, HI: what to set up and who to call
Hilo has no town government of its own, so Hawaii County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Hawaii Department of Education. For recycling, Hilo has Atlas Recycling Center; OpenStreetMap lists it open Mon–Fri 8 am–4 pm, Sat 8 am–3 pm.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Hilo, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Hilo.
Power comes from Hawaii Electric Light Co
Hawaii Electric Light Co (Hawaii Electric Light Co Inc), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Hilo. Its homes paid an average of 45.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $206 a month (its average across Hawaii).
Start or move service: hawaiielectriclight.com · (808) 969-6999
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Hilo water system
The Hilo water system supplies almost all of Hilo. It draws ground water and serves 39,477 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2020–Dec 2022, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. HI0000101.
3 home internet providers serve Hilo
98% of 14,821 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 96% | 1,000/35 |
| Hawaiian Telcom | Fiber, DSL | 92% | 2,850/2,850 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 59% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Atlas Recycling Center is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Where to take trash and recycling in Hilo, and where the rules are.
Atlas Recycling Center
- Mon8 am–4 pm
- Tue8 am–4 pm
- Wed8 am–4 pm
- Thu8 am–4 pm
- Fri8 am–4 pm
- Sat8 am–3 pm
Hours from OpenStreetMap, last updated Jul 2025. They can change with the season, so check with the town before you go.
Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Hilo is in Hawaii Department of Education.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Hilo is unincorporated, so Hawaii County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Hilo is in ZIP code 96720
ZIP codes where Hilo residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Hilo | ZIP’s residents in Hilo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96720 | Hilo, HI | 100% | 95% |
96721 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Hilo
When is the Atlas Recycling Center open?
Mon–Fri 8 am–4 pm; Sat 8 am–3 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). The town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Hilo’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Hilo water system (EPA ID HI0000101). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2020–Dec 2022), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Hilo?
Hawaii Electric Light Co (Hawaii Electric Light Co Inc), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 45.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Hilo?
Spectrum, Hawaiian Telcom, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Hilo?
96720. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Hilo in?
Hawaii Department of Education.
How do I register to vote in Hilo?
In 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). Elections here are run by the Hawaii County Clerk. Check your registration at olvr.hawaii.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.