Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site · Photo: Bamse · CC BY-SA 4.0About two in five of Puako’s working residents commute to Waikoloa Beach Resort
The average commute takes 25 minutes each way, next to 26 for Hawaii and 26 for the U.S. 32% of workers have no commute at all (Hawaii 10%). Hardly any stay in Puako for work; outside it, Waikoloa Beach Resort is the main destination (44%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who commutes out of Puako, and who commutes in
On a workday 36 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 34 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 (0.94 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Puako’s residents
Where Puako clocks in
11% of workersLines 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.
Puako works in goods: 41% of its jobs
34 jobs are based in Puako.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Puako, 2013 → 2023: 627 → 34. 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 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Puako’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 25 minutes each way, about the HI average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Puako workers work from home, vs 10% across Hawaii. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 56 commuters (the 32% 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 Puako goes to work
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Puako and its neighbors: 47% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Puako workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puako | – | — | — | 25 min | $122,813 |
| Waikoloa Beach Resort | 44% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Waikoloa Village | 3% | C− | C− | 26 min | $81,703 |
Same-state neighbors only. Waikoloa Beach Resort: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Waikoloa Beach Resort. Darker towns draw more of Puako’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 2023, 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 Puako: questions
What is the median household income in Puako?
$122,813 (±$28,148) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $100,389 across Hawaii and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Puako?
11.6%, against 10.0% across Hawaii and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Puako?
25 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Hawaii and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Puako work?
0% work in town.
Can you get around Puako without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Puako, from the people who make the trip.
More of Puako
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, 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.