KeaauHI
1,436 people live in this town, settled in 1938.
Is Keaau a good place to live?
The best of Keaau’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 3 of Hawaii’s 125 towns score higher on cost of living. Keaau’s density of trails is 1.6 miles per square mile, above both Hawaii’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Shipman Park, at 23 acres. Keaau has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Keaau stand out
Where Keaau beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jobs vs. working residents
Typical home value
Keaau has shrunk 47% from 2010 to 2020
2,253 counted in 2010 and 1,195 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Keaau grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Keaau is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mauna Kea and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Keaau. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MountainMauna Kea
Big draw21 mi MountainKīlauea
Big draw37 mi MountainMauna Loa
16 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
8 mi WaterfallRainbow Falls
7 mi CaveKazumura CavePhoto credits
Mauna Kea: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kīlauea: Hawaii Land Cover Analysis project, NOAA Coastal Services Center, Public domain · Mauna Loa: Gordon Joly, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: Jos-uit-boston at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rainbow Falls: Kyle Hawton, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kazumura Cave: Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 4.0
Moving to Keaau: who provides what
Keaau 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Keaau.
With 20.0 jobs for every working resident, Keaau draws in 2,115 commuters
Just 6% of Keaau’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2013, Keaau has added 375 jobs, to 2,121 in 2023. The average commute here is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Hilo (38%), Urban Honolulu (19%) and Kailua (7%).
| Keaau | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The schools Keaau’s kids attend
Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Keaau High School, with 1,041 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keaau Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 829 | C− |
| Keaau High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,041 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
The biggest natural risk in Keaau is inland flooding, at a very high overall level
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Keaau after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. Compared with 100% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher. 51% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 33%. One claim on flood insurance has been paid out in the town since 2018.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of Hawaii and the rest of the country, the median rent in Keaau is lower
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 2.9%. Just over three in five households are owner-occupiers in Keaau.
| Keaau | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $827 a month | $2,015 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 71% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A smaller share of adults in Keaau binge drink than in the typical Hawaii or U.S. town
The share of adults in Keaau who report frequent mental distress: 14%. Among 94 Hawaii towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Keaau. CDC measures, 32 in all: Keaau beats Hawaii on 3 and trails on 13.
| Keaau | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 27% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Keaau | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.1% | 17.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.5% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keaau has set aside 1.4% of its land for conservation
Trails total 9.9 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Only 7 of the 86 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Keaau.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shipman Park | — | 23 |
| 2. Panaʻewa Forest Reserve | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Keaau
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Keaau
About 6 of every 100 Keaau residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
1,436 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Questions about Keaau
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Keaau, HI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.