Kalaheo School, Library, Maka Road & Puu Road
Kalaheo’s story
111 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1963 on.
- 1915Kalaheo is settled
KalaheoHI
Today 4,435 people live in this town, first settled in 1915.
Population
4,435
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$1.08M
+2.2% in a year
Household income
$111K
median
Median age
45.0
years
Jobs based here
663
A commuter town
Is Kalaheo a good place to live?
The best of Kalaheo’s subject grades is an A for health; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Kalaheo’s January low is 64°F, close to Hawaii’s towns (64°F) and above U.S. towns (22°F). Kalaheo 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).
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Kalaheo for work
Where Kalaheo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
663jobs based in Kalaheo
7%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Kalaheo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Kalaheo is from typical.
Kalaheo 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 listDOpen →HealthWilcox Memorial Hospital 8.1 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingHomes are among the least affordable for local incomesC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.1 of 20; 6% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income$111K median household incomeC+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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Kalaheo: who provides what
Kalaheo is unincorporated, so Kauai County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerKauai Island Utility Cooperative38.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKalaheo-Koloa water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKauai CountyKauai 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 hereKauai County ClerkKauai County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9674196741 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 Kalaheo.
HealthA
On CDC estimates, Kalaheo is healthier than 85% of U.S. towns
Nearly a quarter of adults in Kalaheo have obesity; 41% sleep under 7 hours. Of 32 CDC measures, Kalaheo beats the Hawaii average on 3 and trails it on 3. Among 93 Hawaii towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Kalaheo. The share of adults in Kalaheo who report frequent mental distress: 14%.
85%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Kalaheo | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 27% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 45% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
3 better26 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Kalaheo | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14.2% | 17.3% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 25% | 30.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 6.7% |
Wilcox Memorial Hospital
8.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
78th
percentile among HI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Schools
The schools Kalaheo’s kids attend
The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 371 students attend Kalaheo’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalaheo Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 371 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Kalaheo faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
For Kalaheo, the FEMA hazard score is 82 of 100. Expected losses in Kalaheo break down as 86% from inland flooding and 9% from wildfires. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Kalaheo after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
82risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfire
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Most of Kalaheo’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Jobs in Kalaheo fell by 79 from 2013 to 2023, to 663. Just 7% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. For Kalaheo, the average trip to work is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (19%), Poipu (15%) and Lihue (14%).
7%work in town
| Kalaheo | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.4% | 8.1% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Kalaheo7%
Urban Honolulu19%
Poipu15%
Lihue14%
Eleele5%
11 mi
median commute distance
663
jobs based in Kalaheo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade C−
A typical Kalaheo home is worth about $1.08M
Values rose 2.2% in the 12 months to September 2026. Kalaheo’s going rate for rent stands at $1,922 a month. Just over four fifths of Kalaheo households own their home.
$1.08MZillow home value
| Kalaheo | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,922 a month | $2,017 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Kalaheo$1.08M
Hawaii$833K
+2.2%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
87°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter65–80°
Spring67–81°
Summer72–86°
Fall71–85°
87°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
A older population than Hawaii as a whole
Among adults 25 and older, 41% have a four-year degree or more, against 36% across Hawaii. People 65 and older are 26% of residents (20% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (21% statewide). Kalaheo’s age of the median resident comes in at 45 years.
45median age · HI 40.9
| Kalaheo | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 31% | 29% |
| Median age | 45 years | 41.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
KalaheoHawaiiUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school24%
Some college22%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s24%
Graduate17%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Hawaii, 49.8% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 83% are men (HI 55%).
| Kalaheo | HI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.1% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.8% | 9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.5% | 26.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.4% | 22.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.7% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,400, single groups can be off by several points
OutdoorsC+
Protected land: 4.2% of Kalaheo
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 1.2 miles. The trail density for Kalaheo comes to 0.3 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 16 acres locally.
4.2%conserved
| Kalaheo | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 12% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
4.2%
conserved · 94 of 2,263 acres
1.2 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kalawai Park | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 11 attractions →Russian Fort Elizabeth and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kalaheo. Close and well known come first.
10 mi LandmarkRussian Fort Elizabeth
13 mi Canyon & gorgeWaimea Canyon State Park
20 mi State parkNā Pali Coast State Park
3 mi GardenAllerton Garden
21 mi BeachHanakapiai Beachin town GardenNational Tropical Botanical GardenSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Russian Fort Elizabeth: en:User:Mel29, Public domain · Waimea Canyon State Park: Aaronbernstein, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nā Pali Coast State Park: Jmblanco74, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allerton Garden: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hanakapiai Beach: Jeff Kubina, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kalaheo
18pages on Kalaheo
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Kalaheo
About 5 of every 100 Kalaheo residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
About Kalaheo
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Kalāheo (literally, "the proud day" in Hawaiian) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kauaʻi County, island of Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2020 census, up from 3,913 at the 2000 census. The National Tropical Botanical Garden is located in Kalāheo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 682 ft
- ZIP code
- 96741
- Area code
- 808
Kalaheo’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Kalaheo.
How the neighbors grade
Kalaheo and Lawai report no FBI crime data of their own. Kalaheo and Lawai aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kalaheo with a neighbor →
Questions about Kalaheo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kalaheo, HI a good place to live?
Kalaheo 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 Kalaheo, HI expensive?
Yes. That is 11 years of the area's median household income ($97,668 across the Kapaa, 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 C−.