Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 8,113 jobs.
Kailua’s best subject grades are a B for health and walkability; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Kailua’s January low is 69°F, above both the Hawaii town median (64°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). Homes are expensive, about $667K for a typical one and 8.5 times the Hilo area’s $79K median household income. 15% of the land in Kailua is conserved, above both the Hawaii town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Kailua has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hulihee Palace and Mokuaikaua Church. Kailua 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).
Where Kailua beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Kamakahonu, Residence Of King Kamehameha I11,975 counted in 2010 and 19,713 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Kailua is from typical.
Kailua 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).
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers and 3 maps from 1959 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kailua 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Kailua.
Most working residents leave Kailua for work: only 17% work in town. The average trip to work in Kailua is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (22%), Kaiminani (13%) and Kahaluu-Keauhou (6%).
| Kailua | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 3.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Hawaii Department of Education school district. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kealakehe High School, with 1,401 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kealakehe Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 924 | D− |
| Kealakehe High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,401 | B |
| Innovations - PCSTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 241 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kailua.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Kailua 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.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.8 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area, 105 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. Kailua’s trail density is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area | 1.1 mi | 105 |
| 2. Keolonāhihi State Historical Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Pualani Blue Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Kailua beats the Hawaii average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 38% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Kailua.
| Kailua | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 45% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 35% |
| What stands out | Kailua | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 37.7% | 45.7% |
| More smokers | 14.9% | 11% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Hawaii average. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Hawaii. 20% of Kailua residents are under 18.
| Kailua | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 31% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Hawaii, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Kailua | HI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.2% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.1% | 26.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kailua. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MountainMauna Kea
Big draw28 mi MountainMauna Loa
9 mi MountainHualālai
23 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
in town MuseumHulihee Palace
16 mi National Historical ParkPu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park372K visitors a yearMauna 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 · Hulihee Palace: Calbear22 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Kailua; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Kailua residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
Where Kailua’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Kailua on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 towns share a border with Kailua.
| Town | HI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kailua | — | — | D | — | — | B |
| Holualoa | — | — | D | — | — | A− |
| Kaiminani | — | — | C− | — | — | A− |
| Kahaluu-Keauhou | — | — | D− | — | — | A− |
Kailua, Holualoa, Kaiminani and Kahaluu-Keauhou report no FBI crime data of their own. Kailua, Holualoa, Kaiminani and Kahaluu-Keauhou aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kailua with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kailua 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).
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
