Puunene School · National Register of Historic Places
Kahului’s story
126 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1866.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1900Kahului is settled
KahuluiHI
28,288 people live in this town, settled in 1900.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: ideatrendz · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
28,288
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$1.01M
−2.2% in a year
Household income
$98K
median
Median age
43.0
years
Jobs based here
17,217
Balanced
Is Kahului a good place to live?
Kahului’s best subject grade is an A for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 5 of the 93 Hawaii towns we compare have a higher share of working residents who work in town than Kahului. Kahului is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. Kahului’s density of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, against 0.5 in Hawaii’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Kahului is home to University of Hawaii Maui College. Kahului has 2 places on the National Register. Kahului 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 Kahului stand out
Where Kahului beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
College town
University of Hawaii Maui College calls Kahului home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
How Kahului grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Kahului is from typical.
Kahului 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 riskEarthquakes top the listD−Open →HealthKula Hospital 13 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 7% of households have no car; 4.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Jobs & income$98K median household incomeB+Open →Cost of livingWeaker than most of the towns comparedCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors14% conserved landAOpen →History2 places on the National Register; 3 notable people born hereC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 90° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market77 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.0–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Kahului: who provides what
Kahului is unincorporated, so Maui County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMaui Electric Co Ltd42.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWailuku water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMaui CountyMaui 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 hereMaui County ClerkMaui County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes96732, 9679396732 95% · 96793 5%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 Kahului.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
The biggest natural risk in Kahului is earthquakes, at a very high overall level
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Kahului than in 95% of U.S. communities. This Hawaii town has had 13 paid flood insurance claims since 1980. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2026.
95risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesTsunamisInland flooding
13
paid flood claims since 1980
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Kahului’s kids attend
The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. Two of the 7 schools are below, and why each made the list. Public school enrollment in Kahului: 2,987 students across 4 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maui Waena Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,015 | B− |
| Maui High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,725 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts
HealthB+
Residents of Kahului are healthier than three in four U.S. towns
The share of adults in Kahului who worry about having enough food: 20%. Of 32 CDC measures, Kahului beats the Hawaii average on 2 and trails it on 9. Two figures for adults locally: 23% have obesity, 73% had a checkup this year. Among 93 Hawaii towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Kahului.
75%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Kahului | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 27% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 76% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 45% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
2 better21 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Kahului | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with depression | 13.4% | 16% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 6.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.7% | 8.5% |
Kula Hospital
13 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
43rd
percentile among HI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C
The typical home in Kahului: about $1.01M
Kahului’s midpoint rent stands at $1,488 a month. Home values are down 2.2% over the year to September 2026. Homes sold in Kahului spent a median 77 days on the market.
$1.01MZillow home value
| Kahului | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,488 a month | $2,017 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 71% | 73% |
Typical home value
Kahului$1.01M
Hawaii$833K
Market temperature
77
days on market
98.1%
sale-to-list price
−2.2%
value change, 1 year
9
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
90°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter64–83°
Spring66–85°
Summer71–89°
Fall70–88°
90°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA
Conservation land takes up 14.5% of Kahului
Walkers can cover 18 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Keopuolani Park, 145 acres with 1.6 miles of trail.
14.5%conserved
14.5%
conserved · 1,483 of 10,240 acres
18 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Keopuolani Park | 1.6 mi | 145 |
| 2. Kahului Community Center Park | 0.4 mi | 35 |
| 3. Kahului School Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
With only 0.9 jobs per working resident, most people in Kahului work out of town
About one in four of Kahului’s working residents works in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 2,851, to 17,217. The mean commuting time for Kahului comes to 23 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 14 miles.
23%work in town
| Kahului | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5% | 8.2% | 11% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Kahului23%
Urban Honolulu19%
Wailuku12%
Wailea7%
Kihei4%
14 mi
median commute distance
17,217
jobs based in Kahului
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Nearby attractions
All 12 attractions →Haleakala National Park and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kahului. Close and well known come first.
16 mi National ParkHaleakala National Park854K visitors a year
5 mi Zoo & aquariumMaui Ocean Center
33 mi National Historical ParkKalaupapa National Historical Park15K visitors a year
in town MuseumAlexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum
in town GardenMaui Nui Botanical Gardens
28 mi GardenKahanu GardenSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Haleakala National Park: Michael Oswald, Public domain · Maui Ocean Center: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kalaupapa National Historical Park: Jack Boucher, Public domain · Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum: Joel Bradshaw, Public domain · Maui Nui Botanical Gardens: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us · Kahanu Garden: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kahului
18pages on Kahului
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Kahului
About 5 of every 100 Kahului residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
Get outside
18 miles of trails in Kahului
14.5% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Landmarks
2 places in Kahului on the National Register of Historic Places.
Famous people from Kahului
3 notable people were born in Kahului.
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About Kahului
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Kahului (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kəhuˈluwi]) is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Maui County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It hosts the county's main airport (Kahului Airport), a deep-draft harbor, light industrial areas, and commercial shopping centers. The population was 28,219 at the 2020 census. Kahului is part of the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina Metropolitan Statistical Area which comprises all of Maui County, including nearby Wailuku and the West Maui town of Lahaina. Kahului is a retail center for Maui County and contains several shopping centers, including the Queen Kaahumanu Center. Attractions in Kahului include the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum, Kanaha P…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 16 sq mi
- Elevation
- 0 ft
- ZIP code
- 96732, 96733
- Area code
- 808
Kahului’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Kahului.
WailukuWaikapuKahului
How the neighbors grade
Kahului, Wailuku and Waikapu report no FBI crime data of their own. Kahului, Wailuku and Waikapu aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kahului with a neighbor →
Questions about Kahului
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kahului, HI a good place to live?
Kahului 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 Kahului, HI expensive?
That is 10.4 years of the area's median household income ($97,109 across the Kahului-Wailuku, HI metro 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.
What is Kahului, HI known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Danny Ongais and Eddie Aikau.