Teiji Yamatsuka Store · National Register of Historic Places
Honokaa’s story
126 years in pictures
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1900Honokaa is settled
HonokaaHI
The town, settled in 1900, counts 1,963 residents.
Honokaa People's Theatre · Photo: Ross stephenson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,963
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$660K
+2.9% in a year
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
41.1
years
Jobs based here
437
A job hub
Is Honokaa a good place to live?
Honokaa’s best subject grade is an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 9 of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower January low than Honokaa. Honokaa is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Honokaa has 19 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Seishiro Hasegawa Ltd. Store Building and Honokaa People's Theatre. Honokaa’s trail network density is 1.1 miles per square mile, against 0.6 in Hawaii’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Honoka'a Park, at 25 acres. Honokaa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Honokaa stand out
Where Honokaa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
How Honokaa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Honokaa is from typical.
Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listD−Open →HealthHonoka'a Hospital and Skilled Nursing 0.4 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20; 3.1% of households have no car; 7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesBOpen →Jobs & income$87K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 9% conserved landA−Open →HistoryAbove the middle of the towns comparedBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 83° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.1; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Honokaa: who provides what
Honokaa is unincorporated, so Hawaii County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerHawaii Electric Light Co45.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHaina water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers95% 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 code9672796727 100%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 Honokaa.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 1.8 jobs for every working resident, Honokaa draws in 429 commuters
Employers in Honokaa added 145 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 437. Most working residents leave Honokaa for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work for Honokaa comes to 33 minutes. The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (19%), Waimea (13%) and Waikoloa Beach Resort (10%).
3%work in town
| Honokaa | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Honokaa3%
Urban Honolulu19%
Waimea13%
Waikoloa Beach Resort10%
Hilo6%
41 mi
median commute distance
437
jobs based in Honokaa
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Honokaa’s kids attend
The largest public high school is Honokaa High & Intermediate School, with 695 students. The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honokaa Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 378 | C+ |
| Honokaa High & Intermediate SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 695 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Honokaa, with inland flooding at the top
Households in Honokaa have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. Compared with 99% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher. FEMA puts 72% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 23% to earthquakes.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Honokaa ranks healthier than 76% of the country’s towns
17% of Honokaa adults binge drink. CDC measures, 32 in all: Honokaa beats Hawaii on 2 and trails on 3. Among adults here, 28% have high blood pressure and 39% sleep under 7 hours.
76%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Honokaa | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 27% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 45% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
2 better27 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Honokaa | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 38.6% | 45.7% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 28.1% | 31.5% |
| More smokers | 13.2% | 11% |
Honoka'a Hospital and Skilled Nursing
0.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
The climate in Honokaa brings mild winters and pleasant summers
Honokaa’s peak summer temperature comes in at 82°F.
83°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter57–78°
Spring59–79°
Summer64–83°
Fall63–82°
83°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B
A home in Honokaa is worth about $660K, on Zillow’s estimate
In Honokaa, the typical rent is $1,420 a month. Typical home values rose 2.9% in the year to September 2026. Four in five households live in a home they own here.
$660KZillow home value
| Honokaa | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,420 a month | $2,015 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 71% | 73% |
Typical home value
Honokaa$660K
Hawaii$833K
+2.9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsA−
Honokaa has set aside 8.8% of its land for conservation
2.2 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve.
8.8%conserved
8.8%
conserved · 119 of 1,347 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Honoka'a Park | 0.5 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 27 attractions →Mauna Kea and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Honokaa. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi MountainMauna Kea
37 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
37 mi MountainHualālai
25 mi State parkAkaka Falls State Park
23 mi National Historic SitePu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site22K visitors a year
34 mi WaterfallRainbow FallsSources: 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 · Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: Jos-uit-boston at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hualālai: Photograph by J. Kauahikaua., Public domain · Akaka Falls State Park: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0 · Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site: Bamse, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rainbow Falls: Kyle Hawton, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Honokaa
17pages on Honokaa
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Honokaa; the nearest are
University of Hawaii at HiloUniversity or college · Public · Hilo36 mi$7,838 in-state tuitionHawaii Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hilo36.3 mi$3,204 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Honokaa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
A growing town
Honokaa has grown 20% from 2010 to 2020
2,258 counted in 2010 and 2,699 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Landmarks
19 places in Honokaa on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Questions about Honokaa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Honokaa, HI expensive?
That is 8.4 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 B.