St. Rita Church - Nānākuli, Hawaii, 2018
Nanakuli’s story
90 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
- 1936Nanakuli is settled
NanakuliHI
A town of 12,383, settled in 1936.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
12,383
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$489K
Census ACS
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
36.7
years
Jobs based here
562
Balanced
Is Nanakuli a good place to live?
The best of Nanakuli’s subject grades is an A for walkability; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Nanakuli’s January low is 65°F, against 64°F in Hawaii’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. On health, just 2 of Hawaii’s 125 towns do worse. Nanakuli 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).
What makes Nanakuli stand out
Where Nanakuli beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
How Nanakuli grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Nanakuli is from typical.
Nanakuli 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 listD−Open →HealthLess healthy than 88% of U.S. towns; Pali Momi Medical Center 14.7 miles awayDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.6 of 20; 10.2% of households have no carAOpen →Jobs & income$87K median household income; 562 jobs based hereCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $489K, 4.6 years of the Urban Honolulu metro’s $106K 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.
ClimateMild winters, 86° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.7; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 47 attractions →USS Missouri and 46 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nanakuli. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS Missouri
14 mi MuseumUSS Arizona Memorial
15 mi Stadium & arenaAloha Stadium
25 mi MountainDiamond Head
23 mi BeachWaikīkī
15 mi MuseumUSS BowfinSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
USS Missouri: Camera Operator: EM2 KENNETH D. MEHL (Released to Public), Public domain · USS Arizona Memorial: DoD photo by: PH3(AW/SW) JAYME PASTORIC, USN, Public domain · Aloha Stadium: This photo was taken and originally uploaded by Bobak to English Wikipedia. Uplo, CC BY 3.0 · Diamond Head: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waikīkī: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Bowfin: Max Smith, Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to Nanakuli: who provides what
Nanakuli is unincorporated, so Honolulu County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerHawaiian Electric Co40.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWaipahu-Ewa-Waianae water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHonolulu CountyHonolulu 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 hereHonolulu County ClerkHonolulu County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP code9679296792 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 Nanakuli.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Nanakuli faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities.
98risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTsunamisWildfire
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Nanakuli’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Hawaii Department of Education school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Nanakuli High & Intermediate School, with 928 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ka Waihona o ka Naauao - PCSLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 707 | D |
| Nanakuli High & Intermediate SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 928 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts
HealthD
More of Nanakuli’s adults sleep under 7 hours than in the typical Hawaii or U.S. town
56% of Nanakuli adults sleep under 7 hours, above both Hawaii’s towns (45%) and U.S. towns (36%). 30% of Nanakuli adults get no exercise outside work. Among 93 Hawaii towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Nanakuli.
12%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Nanakuli | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 56% | 45% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
1 better6 too close to call25 worse
| What stands out | Nanakuli | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 6.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.2% | 5.8% |
Pali Momi Medical Center
14.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
2nd
percentile among HI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Nanakuli has mild winters and pleasant summers
Nanakuli has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 65° and snow is almost unheard of.
86°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter65–79°
Spring66–80°
Summer70–85°
Fall70–84°
86°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Nanakuli’s workers commute out: the town has 0.9 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Nanakuli for work: only 2% work in town. Nanakuli’s average trip to work is 35 minutes. The top destinations are Urban Honolulu (28%), Ko Olina (3%) and Kapolei (3%).
2%work in town
| Nanakuli | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 8.2% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Nanakuli2%
Urban Honolulu28%
Ko Olina3%
Kapolei3%
Hilo3%
21 mi
median commute distance
562
jobs based in Nanakuli
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade C+
A home in Nanakuli sells for about $345K at the median
The median rent in Nanakuli is $1,690 a month.
$345Kmedian sale price
| Nanakuli | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,690 a month | $2,017 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 71% | 73% |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nanakuli
16pages on Nanakuli
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Nanakuli
University of Phoenix-HawaiiUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Kapolei7 miUniversity of Hawaii-West OahuUniversity or college · Public · Kapolei7.6 mi$7,584 in-state tuitionLeeward Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pearl City11.7 mi$3,214 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Nanakuli residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
About Nanakuli
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Nānākuli (Hawaiian pronunciation: [naːnaːˈkuli]) is a census-designated place (CDP) on the west coast of the island of Oʻahu, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, nānā kuli means literally "look at knee". The population was 12,195 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 10 ft
- Area code
- 808
Nanakuli’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Nanakuli.
How the neighbors grade
Nanakuli and Maili report no FBI crime data of their own. Nanakuli and Maili aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nanakuli with a neighbor →
Questions about Nanakuli
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nanakuli, HI a good place to live?
Nanakuli 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 Nanakuli, HI expensive?
The typical home is worth about $489,000, 41% below the Hawaii typical home.