Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,353, settled in 1900.
Makawao’s best subject grades are an A− for health and a B for walkability; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Makawao has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hardy House and Frank and Theresa Gomes House. Makawao 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 Makawao’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Makawao is from typical.
Makawao 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 →
Census counts: 6,327 in 2000, 7,297 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1990 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Makawao. Close and well known come first.
7 mi National ParkHaleakala National Park854K visitors a year
13 mi Zoo & aquariumMaui Ocean Center
9 mi MuseumAlexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum
18 mi GardenKahanu Garden
7 mi GardenKula Botanical Garden
11 mi GardenMaui Nui Botanical GardensHaleakala National Park: Michael Oswald, Public domain · Maui Ocean Center: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum: Joel Bradshaw, Public domain · Kahanu Garden: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0 · Kula Botanical Garden: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us · Maui Nui Botanical Gardens: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us
Makawao is unincorporated, so Maui 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 Makawao.
57% of Makawao’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 33%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in four fifths of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Makawao after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2026.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. The 2 public schools in Makawao teach 1,407 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Enoka Kalama Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 944 | C |
| Seabury Hall PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 5–12 | Grades 5–12 | 537 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
On the CDC’s 32 measures, Makawao is ahead of Hawaii on 2 and behind on 7. 29% of Makawao adults have obesity, above the Hawaii town median (26%) but below the median of U.S. towns (35%). The share of adults in Makawao who binge drink: 21%.
| Makawao | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 76% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 45% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Makawao | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 18.7% | 23% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.8% | 12.4% |
| More smokers | 13.8% | 11% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (19%), Kahului (16%) and Wailuku (12%). Most working residents leave Makawao for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Makawao grew to 1,227 in 2023, 321 more than in 2013. The median commute is under 13 miles.
| Makawao | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 13% | 8.1% | 11% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 3.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just over two fifths of Makawao renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, below both Hawaii’s towns (55%) and U.S. towns (48%). The rent at the middle of the market for Makawao comes to $1,908 a month. Makawao: 67% of households own their home.
| Makawao | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,908 a month | $2,017 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Makawao’s peak summer temperature stands at 75°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hawaii has 36% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 28%. Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 42% of residents (38% statewide). Also worth knowing: 24% of residents are under 18 in Makawao.
| Makawao | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.8 years | 41.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.8 points). Across Hawaii, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Makawao | HI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.8% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.2% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.2% | 26.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 31.2% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 22.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Makawao
About 3 of every 100 Makawao residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
5 notable people were born in Makawao.
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Makawao is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaiʻi, United States. The population was 7,297 at the 2020 census. Located on the rural northwest slope of Haleakalā, the community is known for being the hub of Upcountry Maui, a part of the island dominated by mostly agriculture and ranch land. Makawao Forest Reserve is to the east-northeast.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Makawao.
| Town | HI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makawao | — | — | C− | — | — | A− |
| Olinda | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Haiku-Pauwela | — | — | D | — | — | B+ |
| Haliimaile | — | — | C+ | — | — | B+ |
| Kula | — | — | D | — | — | A− |
| Pukalani | — | — | C | — | — | A− |
Haliimaile has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Makawao, Haiku-Pauwela, Haliimaile, Kula and Pukalani report no FBI crime data of their own. Makawao, Olinda, Haiku-Pauwela, Kula and Pukalani aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Makawao with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Makawao 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. That is 11.3 years of the area's median household income ($97,109 across the Kahului-Wailuku, HI metro area).
5 notable people were born here, including Kaoru Moto and Mike Stone.
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