Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Wainiha

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Wainiha
Hawaii›Kauai County

WainihaHI

Home to 362 people, the town was settled in 1909.

Camp Sloggett · Photo: Miguel Vieira · CC BY 2.0
Photo of Wainiha

Wainiha, HI · Camp Sloggett · Photo: Miguel Vieira · CC BY 2.0

Is Wainiha a good place to live?

Only 7 of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower age of the median resident than Wainiha. Wainiha has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

362 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Wainiha.

Natural hazards

Wainiha has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

100risk score of 100

FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Wainiha than in 100% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Wainiha break down as 73% from inland flooding and 25% from tsunamis. Also worth knowing: households locally have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2018.

FEMA risk score
100Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTsunamis
1
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

Wainiha has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work

0%work in town

For Wainiha, the average commute is put at 21 minutes, below both the Hawaii town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). This Hawaii town had 11 jobs in 2024, down 55 from 2014. In Wainiha, 4.1% of residents live below the poverty line. Half the trips to work are shorter than 5 miles.

WainihaTypical Hawaii townTypical U.S. town
Average trip to work21 minutes28 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line4.1%9.7%9.6%
Median household income$99,000$100,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Wainiha0%
Haena19%
Hanalei18%
Princeville15%
Lihue7%
5 mi
median commute distance
11
jobs based in Wainiha
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2024 · ACS

Climate

The climate in Wainiha brings mild winters and pleasant summers

86°summer high

July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 62° and snow is almost unheard of.

Typical low → high °F

Winter63–78°
Spring65–80°
Summer69–85°
Fall68–83°
86°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Wainiha is

Of 32 CDC measures, Wainiha beats the Hawaii average on 3 and trails it on 8. The share of adults in Wainiha who binge drink is 21%, against 19% in Hawaii’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. Wainiha: 73% of adults had a checkup this year. Only 9 of the 94 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Wainiha.

WainihaTypical Hawaii townTypical U.S. town
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)21%19%16%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)29%32%33%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)73%76%79%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)18%22%25%
32 measures vs. Hawaii
3 better21 too close to call8 worse
What stands outWainihaHI
Fewer adults lacking emotional support23%30.1%
Fewer adults who get no exercise17.7%23%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth12.1%8.5%
Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital
16.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Wainiha

15pages on Wainiha
Nearby attractions

Nā Pali Coast State Park and 10 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wainiha. Close and well known come first.

All 11 attractions →
Sources: 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 · Hanakapiai Beach: Jeff Kubina, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Russian Fort Elizabeth: en:User:Mel29, Public domain · Limahuli Garden and Preserve: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allerton Garden: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Wainiha: who provides what

Wainiha is unincorporated, so Kauai County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerKauai Island Utility Cooperative38.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHaena-Wainiha water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKauai CountyKauai County provides services here
SchoolsHawaii Department of EducationWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereKauai County ClerkKauai County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9671496714 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.

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Wainiha for work

Where Wainiha’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

19% → Haena Haena 19% 18% → Hanalei Hanalei 18% 15% → Princeville Princeville 15% 7% → Lihue Lihue 7% 7% → Urban Honolulu Urban Honolulu 7% 6% → Kilauea Kilauea 6% Wainiha · 0% stay
11jobs based in Wainiha
0%of working residents work in town
5 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2024

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Wainiha; the nearest are

Questions about Wainiha

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Wainiha, HI a good place to live?

Wainiha has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Wainiha is in here

Say something about Wainiha.

Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.

Post to Wainiha’s town square →