Opaekaa Road Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Wailua Homesteads’s story
Wailua Homesteads in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1963 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Wailua HomesteadsHI
A town in Hawaii, home to 5,431 people.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Erica Fischer · CC BY 2.0
Population
5,431
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$943K
Census ACS
Household income
$90K
median
Median age
49.3
years
Jobs based here
396
A commuter town
Is Wailua Homesteads a good place to live?
Wailua Homesteads’ best subject grades are an A− for health and an A for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Wailua Homesteads’ January low is 66°F, against 64°F in Hawaii’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. Among 93 Hawaii towns, just 5 have a higher median age than Wailua Homesteads. The typical home is worth about $943K, 9.7 years of the Kapaa area’s $98K median household income. 52% of the land in Wailua Homesteads is conserved, above both the Hawaii town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On the outdoors, just 7 of Hawaii’s 125 towns do better. Wailua Homesteads has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Opaekaa Road Bridge and Pu'u'opae Bridge. Wailua Homesteads 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 Wailua Homesteads stand out
Where Wailua Homesteads beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
32 measures vs. Hawaii
8 better22 too close to call2 worse
| Widest gap | Wailua Homesteads | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 18.6% | 23% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 83% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD−
Inland flooding and wildfire at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
Get outside
6 miles of trails in Wailua Homesteads
52.3% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
2
Wailua Game Management Area1.2 mi of trails · 804 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
How Wailua Homesteads grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Wailua Homesteads is from typical.
Wailua Homesteads 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 →Cost of livingHomes are among the least affordable for local incomesDOpen →HealthSamuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital 4.5 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 0.7% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Jobs & income$90K median household income; 396 jobs based hereB−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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 11 attractions →Nā Pali Coast State Park and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wailua Homesteads. Close and well known come first.
18 mi State parkNā Pali Coast State Park
18 mi Canyon & gorgeWaimea Canyon State Park
20 mi LandmarkRussian Fort Elizabeth
17 mi BeachHanakapiai Beach
15 mi GardenAllerton Garden14 mi GardenNational Tropical Botanical GardenSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Nā Pali Coast State Park: Jmblanco74, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waimea Canyon State Park: Aaronbernstein, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Russian Fort Elizabeth: en:User:Mel29, Public domain · Hanakapiai Beach: Jeff Kubina, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Allerton Garden: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Wailua Homesteads: who provides what
Wailua Homesteads is unincorporated, so Kauai County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerKauai Island Utility Cooperative38.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLihue-Kapaa water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKauai CountyKauai 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 hereKauai County ClerkKauai County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9674696746 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 Wailua Homesteads.
OutdoorsA
nearly a third of the land in Wailua Homesteads is protected from building
6.3 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Wailua Game Management Area, at 804 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. For Wailua Homesteads, the trail network density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
52.3%conserved
52.3%
conserved · 2,473 of 4,733 acres
6.3 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nounou Forest Reserve | 3.4 mi | 603 |
| 2. Wailua Game Management Area | 1.2 mi | 804 |
| 3. Wailua River State Park | 0.2 mi | 343 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Natural hazards: very high risk in Wailua Homesteads, mostly inland flooding
FEMA puts 88% of Wailua Homesteads’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 9% to wildfires. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 93% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 12 claims locally since 1988.
93risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfire
12
paid flood claims since 1988
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Fewer of Wailua Homesteads’ adults feel lonely than in the typical Hawaii or U.S. town
For adults in Wailua Homesteads, the share who had a checkup this year is 76%. This Hawaii town beats the Hawaii average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Among adults locally, 25% have obesity and 41% sleep under 7 hours.
83%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Wailua Homesteads | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 27% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 45% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Hawaii
8 better22 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Wailua Homesteads | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 18.6% | 23% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 24.4% | 30.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 6.7% |
Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital
4.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
74th
percentile among HI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Wailua Homesteads’ workers commute out
Half commute less than 11 miles. Wailua Homesteads’ typical journey to work is 23 minutes. Most people who work leave Wailua Homesteads to do it: just 3% work in town. The top destinations are Lihue (24%), Urban Honolulu (20%) and Kapaa (8%).
3%work in town
| Wailua Homesteads | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 3.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Wailua Homesteads3%
Lihue24%
Urban Honolulu20%
Kapaa8%
Wailua6%
11 mi
median commute distance
396
jobs based in Wailua Homesteads
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Wailua Homesteads than in Hawaii
Among residents in Wailua Homesteads, 19% are under 18. Adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Hawaii.
49.3median age · HI 40.9
| Wailua Homesteads | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 31% | 29% |
Wailua HomesteadsHawaiiUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma8%
High school19%
Some college26%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s28%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
58% women, 42% men
About 73 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.2 points). Across Hawaii, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Wailua Homesteads | HI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.9% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.7% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.4% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.3% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.4% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.8% | 26.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.2% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.3% | 22.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Climate
Wailua Homesteads: mild winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 66° and snow is almost unheard of.
85°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter67–79°
Spring69–80°
Summer74–84°
Fall73–83°
85°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D
The median home in Wailua Homesteads sells for about $1.17M
The rent at the middle of the market for Wailua Homesteads comes to $1,990 a month. In Wailua Homesteads, 72% of households live in a home they own.
$1.17Mmedian sale price
| Wailua Homesteads | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,990 a month | $2,017 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 71% | 73% |
3
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wailua Homesteads
16pages on Wailua Homesteads
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wailua Homesteads
About 3 of every 100 Wailua Homesteads residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Hawaii.
A growing town
Wailua Homesteads has grown 13% from 2010 to 2020
5,188 counted in 2010 and 5,863 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Landmarks
2 places in Wailua Homesteads on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Wailua Homesteads
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Wailua Homesteads is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kauaʻi County, Hawaii. The population was 5,863 at the 2020 census, up from 4,567 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.1 sq mi
- Area code
- 808
Wailua Homesteads’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Wailua Homesteads.
KapaaWailuaWailua Homesteads
How the neighbors grade
| Town | HI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wailua Homesteads | — | — | D | — | — | A− |
| Kapaa | — | — | C− | — | — | A− |
| Wailua | — | — | D | — | — | B+ |
Wailua Homesteads, Kapaa and Wailua report no FBI crime data of their own. Wailua Homesteads, Kapaa and Wailua aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wailua Homesteads with a neighbor →
Questions about Wailua Homesteads
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wailua Homesteads, HI a good place to live?
Wailua Homesteads 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 Wailua Homesteads, HI expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $943,000, 13% above 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 D.