Like all states, Hawaii has certain places that are going on hard times. These Hawaii places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Hawaii.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 55 cities in Hawaii with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Hawaii For 2024:
What’s the poorest city in Hawaii? According to the facts, Makaha is the poorest place in Hawaii for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Hawaii reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Hawaii
- Cheapest Places To Live In Hawaii
- Richest Cities In Hawaii
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Hawaii For 2024
1. Makaha
/10
Population: 10,042
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $57,235 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.0% (highest)
People In Poverty: 2,408
More on Makaha: Data | Cost Of Living
Makaha, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Hawaii thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 10,042 people averages the lowest median household income in Hawaii and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Waianae
/10
Population: 13,749
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $77,435 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.4% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,533
More on Waianae: Data | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Hawaii is Waianae.
The city ranks as having the 3rd highest incidence of poverty and 5th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 6th highest in the Aloha State.
3. Wahiawa
/10
Population: 17,400
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $81,433 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.6% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,243
More on Wahiawa: Data | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Wahiawa’s median income ranks as the 8th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 18.64% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Aloha State.
4. Nanakuli
/10
Population: 12,370
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $77,453 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.5% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,041
More on Nanakuli: Data | Cost Of Living
Nanakuli ranks as the fourth poorest place in Hawaii.
The town ranks as having the 6th lowest median household income and the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Hilo
/10
Population: 47,627
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Median Income: $75,589 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.8% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,072
More on Hilo: Data | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Hawaii is Hilo.
The city ranks as having the 4th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 8th highest in Hawaii.
Still not the best news for Hilo.
6. Ewa Villages
/10
Population: 6,550
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 4)
Median Income: $82,903 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.3% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,070
More on Ewa Villages: Data | Cost Of Living
Ewa Villages ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Aloha State.
It ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and the 53rd highest unemployment rate.
7. Urban Honolulu
/10
Population: 348,547
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $82,772 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 11.3% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 39,316
More on Urban Honolulu: Data
Urban Honolulu places as the seventh poorest city in Hawaii.
The city of over 348,547 ranks as having the 15th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Lahaina
/10
Population: 12,906
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $83,443 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 11.7% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,513
More on Lahaina: Data | Cost Of Living
Lahaina ranks as the eighth poorest city in Hawaii.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Wailea
/10
Population: 6,517
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 3)
Median Income: $89,088 (17th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 13.4% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 873
More on Wailea: Data | Cost Of Living
Wailea couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Hawaii; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 17th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Wailea ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Hawaii.
10. Waipahu
/10
Population: 39,873
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Income: $87,961 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 11.6% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,629
More on Waipahu: Data | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Hawaii is Waipahu.
The city of 39,873 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Aloha State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Hawaii for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 55 places with more than 5,000 people in Hawaii, we ranked each place from 1 to 55 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Makaha, crowned the “Poorest Place In Hawaii For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Hawaii.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Hawaii For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Hawaii, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Hawaii.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Hawaii, according to data:
-
Richest: Ocean Pointe
2nd Richest: Mililani Mauka
3rd Richest: Aiea
For more Hawaii reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Hawaii
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makaha | 10,042 | 24.0% | $57,235 | 2,408 |
| 2 | Waianae | 13,749 | 18.4% | $77,435 | 2,533 |
| 3 | Wahiawa | 17,400 | 18.6% | $81,433 | 3,243 |
| 4 | Nanakuli | 12,370 | 16.5% | $77,453 | 2,041 |
| 5 | Hilo | 47,627 | 14.8% | $75,589 | 7,072 |
| 6 | Ewa Villages | 6,550 | 16.3% | $82,903 | 1,070 |
| 7 | Urban Honolulu | 348,547 | 11.3% | $82,772 | 39,316 |
| 8 | Lahaina | 12,906 | 11.7% | $83,443 | 1,513 |
| 9 | Wailea | 6,517 | 13.4% | $89,088 | 873 |
| 10 | Waipahu | 39,873 | 11.6% | $87,961 | 4,629 |
| 11 | Kahaluu-Keauhou | 7,001 | 11.2% | $87,472 | 783 |
| 12 | Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) | 21,449 | 10.4% | $87,268 | 2,222 |
| 13 | Pupukea | 5,130 | 14.0% | $99,180 | 716 |
| 14 | Schofield Barracks | 18,133 | 6.8% | $69,755 | 1,225 |
| 15 | Iroquois Point | 5,921 | 14.9% | $100,794 | 885 |
| 16 | Kula | 6,578 | 11.2% | $93,452 | 738 |
| 17 | Maili | 12,114 | 15.8% | $105,625 | 1,915 |
| 18 | Waimea CDP (Hawaii County) | 10,458 | 12.9% | $100,075 | 1,345 |
| 19 | Kihei | 22,247 | 8.8% | $89,892 | 1,966 |
| 20 | Lihue | 8,649 | 5.0% | $73,641 | 434 |
| 21 | Kahului | 27,233 | 8.7% | $94,712 | 2,374 |
| 22 | Waimalu | 13,932 | 6.7% | $85,710 | 930 |
| 23 | Waikoloa Village | 7,418 | 11.2% | $103,135 | 828 |
| 24 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 13,041 | 4.8% | $81,236 | 628 |
| 25 | Halawa | 14,411 | 8.6% | $100,321 | 1,239 |
| 26 | Laie | 5,411 | 10.9% | $108,965 | 588 |
| 27 | Kapaa | 10,846 | 6.0% | $87,895 | 654 |
| 28 | Pukalani | 7,930 | 12.8% | $119,426 | 1,012 |
| 29 | Makawao | 7,704 | 8.6% | $109,385 | 661 |
| 30 | Napili-Honokowai | 6,779 | 7.6% | $101,939 | 515 |
| 31 | Wailuku | 16,590 | 5.7% | $93,908 | 945 |
| 32 | Waipio | 11,138 | 6.3% | $99,815 | 699 |
| 33 | Haiku-Pauwela | 9,245 | 5.3% | $94,495 | 489 |
| 34 | Waipio Acres | 5,393 | 4.4% | $91,703 | 235 |
| 35 | Makakilo | 21,055 | 7.8% | $115,435 | 1,633 |
| 36 | Ewa Beach | 15,167 | 6.4% | $114,207 | 975 |
| 37 | Kapolei | 22,701 | 7.8% | $121,768 | 1,770 |
| 38 | Kaneohe | 35,493 | 7.3% | $120,451 | 2,594 |
| 39 | Waihee-Waiehu | 11,029 | 8.0% | $124,601 | 876 |
| 40 | Waimanalo | 5,743 | 8.3% | $127,143 | 477 |
| 41 | Wailua Homesteads | 7,189 | 5.0% | $113,306 | 359 |
| 42 | Kahaluu | 5,065 | 6.9% | $123,365 | 351 |
| 43 | West Loch Estate | 6,469 | 5.8% | $119,250 | 371 |
| 44 | Pearl City | 46,812 | 4.2% | $116,938 | 1,970 |
| 45 | Waikele | 7,551 | 3.7% | $115,858 | 280 |
| 46 | Hickam Housing | 9,502 | 2.4% | $111,139 | 223 |
| 47 | Mililani Town | 27,423 | 4.0% | $119,502 | 1,083 |
| 48 | Royal Kunia | 13,919 | 4.2% | $128,791 | 588 |
| 49 | Ahuimanu | 9,177 | 3.9% | $124,018 | 359 |
| 50 | Ewa Gentry | 27,198 | 3.7% | $125,300 | 1,003 |
| 51 | East Honolulu | 49,491 | 4.2% | $151,224 | 2,073 |
| 52 | Kailua CDP (Honolulu County) | 40,323 | 4.2% | $138,363 | 1,681 |
| 53 | Aiea | 9,571 | 3.4% | $130,507 | 329 |
| 54 | Mililani Mauka | 21,546 | 2.7% | $132,043 | 577 |
| 55 | Ocean Pointe | 16,173 | 2.2% | $136,540 | 355 |
