Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 40,482, settled in 1900.
Waipahu’s best subject grade is an A+ for walkability; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Waipahu’s January low is 67°F, close to Hawaii’s towns (64°F) and above U.S. towns (22°F). On walkability, just 2 of Hawaii’s 125 towns do better. 16% of the land in Waipahu is conserved, above both the Hawaii town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Waipahu has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wakamiya Inari Shrine and Marigold Building. Waipahu 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).
Where Waipahu beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
38,216 counted in 2010 and 43,485 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Hawaii), ordered by how far Waipahu is from typical.
Waipahu 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).
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1958.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waipahu. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi MuseumUSS Missouri
4 mi MuseumUSS Arizona Memorial
5 mi Stadium & arenaAloha Stadium
16 mi MountainDiamond Head
14 mi BeachWaikīkī
5 mi MuseumUSS BowfinUSS 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
Waipahu is unincorporated, so Honolulu County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Waipahu.
Most working residents leave Waipahu for work: only 3% work in town. Waipahu’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Waipahu grew to 7,833 in 2023, 1,006 more than in 2013.
| Waipahu | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 8.2% | 11% |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 3.7% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Hawaii Department of Education school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| August Ahrens Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 1,152 | B− |
| Waipahu High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,538 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Waipahu since 2008.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.6 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, at 48 acres. The trail density in Waipahu is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waipahu District Park | 0.4 mi | 14 |
| 2. Waipahu Cultural Garden Park | — | 48 |
| 3. Honowai Neighborhood Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Waipahu has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 67° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
13% of adults binge drink in Waipahu. Among 93 Hawaii towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Waipahu. 49% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Waipahu.
| Waipahu | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 45% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 19% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 27% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | Waipahu | HI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 6.7% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.3% | 17.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.4% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Waipahu home is worth about $868,000, up 3.5% in a year, close to the Hawaii typical home. 60% of Waipahu households own their home.
| Waipahu | Hawaii towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,658 a month | $2,017 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
11 within 15 miles of the center of Waipahu
About 7 of every 100 Waipahu residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii.
Where Waipahu’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Waipahu.
Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States
Waipahu (Hawaiian pronunciation: [vɐjˈpɐhu] ) is a former sugarcane plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) in the ʻEwa District on the island of Oʻahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 43,485. The U.S. postal code for Waipahu is 96797.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Waipahu.
| Town | HI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waipahu | — | — | C− | — | — | B |
| West Loch Estate | — | — | D | — | — | B |
| Waikele | — | — | C− | — | — | A |
| Royal Kunia | — | — | D | — | — | A |
| East Kapolei | — | — | C− | — | — | A− |
Waipahu, West Loch Estate, Waikele, Royal Kunia and East Kapolei report no FBI crime data of their own. Waipahu, West Loch Estate, Waikele, Royal Kunia and East Kapolei aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Waipahu with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waipahu 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).
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
5 notable people were born here, including Brian Viloria and Tom Villard.
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