Ahu A 'Umi Heiau, On the plain east of Hualalai Volcano
Holualoa’s story
126 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 5 maps from 1928 on.
- 1900Holualoa is settled
HolualoaHI
A town of 3,434, settled in 1900.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Travisthurston · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
3,434
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$1.03M
−1.9% in a year
Household income
$116K
median
Median age
45.5
years
Jobs based here
267
A job hub
Is Holualoa a good place to live?
The best of Holualoa’s subject grades is an A− for health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Holualoa’s January low is 69°F, above both Hawaii’s towns (64°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). Only 12 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score lower on cost of living. 32% of the land in Holualoa is conserved, above both Hawaii’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Honuaʻula Forest Reserve, at 5,371 acres with 2.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Holualoa has 1 place on the National Register. Holualoa has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
What makes Holualoa stand out
Where Holualoa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here267
Residents who work155
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 90% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
32 measures vs. Hawaii
3 better22 too close to call7 worse
| Widest gap | Holualoa | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 35.3% | 45.7% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 75% of U.S. towns
Trails HI on 7 of 32 CDC measures, beats it on 3
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD−
Inland flooding and earthquakes at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A shrinking town
Holualoa has shrunk 65% from 2010 to 2020
8,538 counted in 2010 and 2,994 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Holualoa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Holualoa is from typical.
Holualoa has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingDOpen →HealthKona Community Hospital 10.3 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 4.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Jobs & incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 87° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 45.5; 52% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Holualoa: who provides what
Holualoa is unincorporated, so Hawaii County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerHawaii Electric Light Co45.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNorth Kona water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHawaii CountyHawaii County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govWho runs elections hereHawaii County ClerkHawaii County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP codes96725, 9674096725 68% · 96740 32%Census 2020
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 Holualoa.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Holualoa has 1.7 jobs for every working resident, and 266 people commute in
Most working residents leave Holualoa for work: only 1% work in town. Holualoa’s median household income is $116,000. Jobs based in Holualoa grew to 267 in 2023, 96 more than in 2013.
1%work in town
| Holualoa | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $116,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Holualoa1%
Urban Honolulu25%
Kailua15%
Hilo6%
Kahaluu-Keauhou4%
93 mi
median commute distance
267
jobs based in Holualoa
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Holualoa’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Hawaii Department of Education school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holualoa Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 438 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Holualoa, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities.
97risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesWildfire
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC
Holualoa has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
14 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
31.9%conserved
31.9%
conserved · 7,159 of 22,437 acres
14 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Honuaʻula Forest Reserve | 2.5 mi | 5,371 |
| 2. Waiʻaha Springs Forest Reserve | — | 463 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthA−
35% of adults in Holualoa sleep under 7 hours, against 45% in Hawaii’s towns and 36% across U.S. towns
20% of adults get no exercise outside work in Holualoa. Only 1 of the 93 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Holualoa. 19% of adults binge drink in Holualoa.
75%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Holualoa | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 45% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 27% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
3 better22 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Holualoa | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 35.3% | 45.7% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.8% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 6.7% |
Kona Community Hospital
10.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
45th
percentile among HI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade D
The typical home in Holualoa is valued at about $1.03M
The typical Holualoa home is worth about $1,033,000, down 1.9% in a year, 24% above the Hawaii typical home. The median rent in Holualoa is $2,041 a month.
$1.03MZillow home value
| Holualoa | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,041 a month | $2,009 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 71% | 73% |
Typical home value
Holualoa$1.03M
Hawaii$833K
−1.9%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Holualoa has mild winters and pleasant summers
Holualoa has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 69° and snow is almost unheard of.
87°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter69–82°
Spring71–83°
Summer75–86°
Fall74–86°
87°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nearby attractions
All 30 attractions →Mauna Kea and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Holualoa. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MountainMauna Kea
Big draw24 mi MountainMauna Loa
4 mi MountainHualālai
21 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
17 mi National Historical ParkPu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park372K visitors a year
5 mi MuseumHulihee PalaceSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mauna Kea: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mauna Loa: Gordon Joly, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hualālai: Photograph by J. Kauahikaua., Public domain · Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: Jos-uit-boston at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Hulihee Palace: Calbear22 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Holualoa
18pages on Holualoa
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Holualoa; the nearest are
University of Hawaii at HiloUniversity or college · Public · Hilo54.6 mi$7,838 in-state tuitionHawaii Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hilo55.3 mi$3,204 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Holualoa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
A job hub
Every workday, about 266 people come to Holualoa for work
Where Holualoa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
267jobs based in Holualoa
1%of working residents work in town
93 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Holualoa
3 notable people were born in Holualoa.
About Holualoa
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Hōlualoa (Hawaiian for 'long sled course') is a census-designated place (CDP) in the North Kona District of Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2010 census, up from 6,107 at the 2000 census. Hōlualoa's boundaries were altered significantly for the 2020 census. The western portion of the CDP near the coast became part of the neighboring Kailua-Kona CDP, while the eastern portion of Kailua-Kona became part of Hōlualoa. This reduced Holualoa's population to 2,994. Harold Sakata, best known for his portrayal of the villain Oddjob in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, was born here in 1920 as Toshiyuki Sakata. Sakata was also a medalist at the 1948 Summer Olym…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 14 sq mi
- Elevation
- 320 ft
- ZIP code
- 96725
- Area code
- 808
Holualoa’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Holualoa.
KailuaKalokoHonaloKaiminaniKahaluu-KeauhouHolualoa
How the neighbors grade
| Town | HI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holualoa | — | — | D | — | — | A− |
| Kailua | — | — | D | — | — | B |
| Kaloko | — | — | D− | — | — | B |
| Honalo | — | — | B | — | — | B+ |
| Kaiminani | — | — | C− | — | — | A− |
| Kahaluu-Keauhou | — | — | D− | — | — | A− |
Kaloko and Honalo have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Holualoa, Kailua, Kaloko, Honalo, Kaiminani and Kahaluu-Keauhou report no FBI crime data of their own. Holualoa, Kailua, Kaiminani and Kahaluu-Keauhou aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Holualoa with a neighbor →
Questions about Holualoa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Holualoa, HI a good place to live?
Holualoa has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
Is Holualoa, HI expensive?
Yes. That is 13.1 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 D.
What is Holualoa, HI known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Harold Sakata and David Leleo Kinimaka.