Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1900 and has 40,482 residents today.
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 →
Census counts: 24,150 in 1970, 43,485 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1958 and 4 maps from 1954 on.
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.
For most workers, Waipahu is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. In Waipahu, the average commute is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Waipahu grew to 7,833 in 2023, 1,006 more than in 2013. 5.1% of workers do their job from home locally.
| 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
Of its 9 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The Hawaii Department of Education school district runs its public schools. Public school enrollment in Waipahu: 3,660 students across 4 schools.
| 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
In Waipahu, the FEMA risk score is 98 of 100. FEMA puts 89% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 9% to earthquakes. Federal aid has come to Waipahu households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Waipahu’s trail network density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile. Trails run 0.6 miles in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, at 48 acres.
| 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
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Waipahu, 49% sleep under 7 hours. Only 8 of the 93 Hawaii towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have obesity than Waipahu. The town beats the Hawaii average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| 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
Home values are up 3.5% over the year to September 2026. For Waipahu, the going rate for rent is $1,658 a month. In Waipahu, 60% of households are owner-occupiers.
| 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. That is 8.2 years of the area's median household income ($106,195 across the Urban Honolulu, HI metro area). 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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