Flower - panoramio (29), 2012
Leilani Estates’s story
Leilani Estates in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012.
Explore the history →Leilani EstatesHI
A town of 1,490.
Population
1,490
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$268K
Census ACS
Household income
$30K
median
Median age
54.5
years
Jobs based here
60
Balanced
Is Leilani Estates a good place to live?
Leilani Estates’ best subject grade is a B for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Leilani Estates, above both the Hawaii town median (9.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 1 of Hawaii’s 124 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 10 of Hawaii’s 125 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Nanawale Forest Reserve, at 32 acres. Leilani Estates has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A shrinking town
Leilani Estates has shrunk 27% from 2010 to 2020
1,560 counted in 2010 and 1,139 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Leilani Estates grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Leilani Estates is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listD−Open →Jobs & income$30K median household income; 60 jobs based hereD−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.2 of 20; 8.3% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →HealthLess healthy than 76% of U.S. towns; Hilo Benioff Medical Center 21.6 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $268K, 3.4 years of the Hilo area’s $79K median household incomeBOpen →
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.
ClimateMild winters, 78° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 54.5; 25% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Leilani Estates: who provides what
Leilani Estates is unincorporated, so Hawaii County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerHawaii Electric Light Co45.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet2 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHawaii CountyHawaii 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 hereHawaii County ClerkHawaii County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code9677896778 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 Leilani Estates.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Leilani Estates has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Leilani Estates’ FEMA hazard score stands at 100 of 100. 48% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 39%. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2018.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesVolcanic activity
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
A larger share of adults in Leilani Estates report frequent physical distress than in the typical Hawaii or U.S. town
Leilani Estates: 78% of adults had a checkup this year. Only one of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare has a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Leilani Estates. Still, 28% of adults say their health is fair or poor here, against 18% in Hawaii’s towns and 19% across U.S. towns.
25%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Leilani Estates | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
4 better6 too close to call22 worse
| What stands out | Leilani Estates | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 37.6% | 45.7% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 25% | 30.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 8.5% |
Hilo Benioff Medical Center
21.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Expect mild winters and pleasant summers in Leilani Estates
In Leilani Estates, the midsummer high is 77°F.
78°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter56–73°
Spring58–74°
Summer61–77°
Fall60–77°
78°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
With only 0.8 jobs per working resident, most people in Leilani Estates work out of town
The median commute is under 74 miles. The top destinations are Hilo (25%), Urban Honolulu (21%) and Kaiminani (11%). For workers in Leilani Estates, the share who work from home is 12%.
0%work in town
| Leilani Estates | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 12% | 8.1% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Leilani Estates0%
Hilo25%
Urban Honolulu21%
Kaiminani11%
Kailua8%
74 mi
median commute distance
60
jobs based in Leilani Estates
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsC−
Leilani Estates has set aside 2.8% of its land for conservation
Trails run 1.0 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Leilani Estates’ trail density comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
2.8%conserved
| Leilani Estates | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 12% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
2.8%
conserved · 71 of 2,579 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nanawale Forest Reserve | — | 32 |
| 2. Malama-Ki Forest Reserve | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B
Homes in Leilani Estates sell for about $220K
For Leilani Estates, the median rent is $1,392 a month. In Leilani Estates, 78% of households live in a home they own.
$220Kmedian sale price
| Leilani Estates | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,392 a month | $2,015 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 71% | 73% |
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Kīlauea and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Leilani Estates. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi MountainKīlauea
11 mi National ParkHawai'i Volcanoes National Park1.9M visitors a year
8 mi CaveKazumura Cave
22 mi WaterfallRainbow Falls
31 mi State parkAkaka Falls State Park
21 mi GardenLiliuokalani Park and GardensSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Kīlauea: Hawaii Land Cover Analysis project, NOAA Coastal Services Center, Public domain · Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: Jos-uit-boston at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kazumura Cave: Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rainbow Falls: Kyle Hawton, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Akaka Falls State Park: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0 · Liliuokalani Park and Gardens: AlaskaDave, CC BY-SA 3.0
_(23174492261).jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Leilani Estates
16pages on Leilani Estates
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Leilani Estates; the nearest are
Hawaii Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hilo19.3 mi$3,204 in-state tuitionUniversity of Hawaii at HiloUniversity or college · Public · Hilo19.5 mi$7,838 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Leilani Estates residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
Small town
1,490 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
KamailiLeilani Estates
About Leilani Estates
Census-designated place in the United States
Leilani Estates is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii, United States located in the District of Puna. The subdivision was formed in 1964. The population was 1,139 at the 2020 census, down from 1,560 at the 2010 census, and up from 1,046 at the 2000 census. The 2018 lower Puna eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, which occurred within and around the subdivision, claimed many homes and displaced an unknown number of Leilani Estates residents. Accessing the entire resulting solid lava rock flow field has been prohibited, as per the Mayor's 12/6/18 Emergency Proclamation, with fines up to $5,000 for violations. As of January 2019, in further effort to prevent the private subdivis…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 771 ft
- Area code
- 808
Questions about Leilani Estates
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Leilani Estates, HI expensive?
The typical home is worth about $268,000, 68% below the Hawaii typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.