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.
In Kailua, the average commute is 20 minutes. For most workers, Kailua is a place to come home to: only 17% work in town. Also worth knowing: 14% of Kailua residents live below the poverty line. Half the trips to work are shorter than 41 miles.
| 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
The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Kealakehe High School, with 1,401 students. Below: Three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked.
| 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 damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, Kailua has seen 19 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 49% come from earthquakes and 42% from inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Kailua households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In 6 parks and preserves, walkers have 4.8 miles of trail. The biggest place to walk is Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area, 105 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Kailua comes to 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
Among adults in Kailua, 38% sleep under 7 hours. Against the Hawaii average, Kailua comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 14. Two figures for adults here: 21% have been diagnosed with depression, 31% feel lonely.
| 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
Four-year graduates: just over a third of adults 25 and older here, 36% across Hawaii. Every broad age group is within 4 points of the Hawaii average. For residents in Kailua, the share who are under 18 is 20%.
| 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.
