Naalehu at work: jobs, income and the commute
110 jobs are based in Naalehu, against 132 working residents. Only 2% stay in Naalehu for work; outside it, Urban Honolulu is the main destination (27%, 214 miles). Commuters spend 42 minutes getting to work on average; the Hawaii average is 26, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who commutes out of Naalehu, and who commutes in
On a workday 129 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 107 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.83 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Naalehu’s residents
Where Naalehu clocks in
Lines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Naalehu works in goods: 57% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Naalehu, 2014 → 2024: 120 → 110. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Naalehu’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Naalehu: about 42 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Naalehu workers work from home, vs 10% across Hawaii. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 279 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Hawaii: 72% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Naalehu goes to work
About 74% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Naalehu and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Naalehu workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naalehu | – | — | — | 42 min | $67,679 |
| Waiohinu | 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Waiohinu: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Waiohinu. Darker towns draw more of Naalehu’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Naalehu: questions
What is the median household income in Naalehu?
$67,679 (±$21,542) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $100,389 across Hawaii and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Naalehu?
12.8%, against 10.0% across Hawaii and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Naalehu?
42 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Hawaii and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Naalehu work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Urban Honolulu (27%, 214 mi), Hilo (16%, 54 mi), Kailua (6%, 48 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Naalehu without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Naalehu, from the people who make the trip.
More of Naalehu
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.