The 10 Poorest Cities In Hawaii For 2023


The poorest places in Hawaii are Makaha and Ewa Villages for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

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 54 cities in Hawaii with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


What’s the poorest city in Hawaii? According to the facts, Makaha is the poorest place in Hawaii for 2023.

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:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Cities In Hawaii For 2023

1. Makaha

Makaha, HI

Source: Wikipedia User Nicolai Edgar Andersen | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,710
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $47,470 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.2% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,029
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 9,710 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. Ewa Villages

Ewa Villages, HI

Source: Wikipedia User Travis.Thurston | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,657
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 3)
Median Income: $66,250 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.0% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,263
More on Ewa Villages: Data | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Hawaii is Ewa Villages.

The city ranks as having the 3rd highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 48th highest in the Aloha State.

3. Waianae

Waianae, HI

Source: Wikipedia User Chanilim714 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,152
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $71,681 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.2% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,998
More on Waianae: Data | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Waianae’s median income ranks as the 5th 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 21.185596356390548% 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. Hilo

Hilo, HI

Source: Flickr User Ron Cogswell | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 46,559
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $70,356 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.1% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,512
More on Hilo: Data | Cost Of Living

Hilo ranks as the fourth poorest place in Hawaii.

The town ranks as having the 4th lowest median household income and the 5th 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. Wahiawa

Wahiawa, HI

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 17,357
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Median Income: $75,932 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.3% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,000
More on Wahiawa: Data | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Hawaii is Wahiawa.

The city ranks as having the 8th 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 4th highest in Hawaii.

Still not the best news for Wahiawa.

6. Nanakuli

Nanakuli, HI

Source: Flickr User AndrewEick | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,587
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 2)
Median Income: $75,025 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.4% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,811
More on Nanakuli: Data | Cost Of Living

Nanakuli ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Aloha State.

It ranks as having the 8th highest incidence of poverty and the 5th highest unemployment rate.

7. Kahaluu-Keauhou

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 7,236
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Median Income: $79,742 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 12.4% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 896
More on Kahaluu-Keauhou: Data | Cost Of Living

Kahaluu-Keauhou places as the seventh poorest city in Hawaii.

The city of over 7,236 ranks as having the 10th 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. Urban Honolulu

Urban Honolulu, HI

Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR 2 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 351,554
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Income: $76,495 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 11.0% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 38,633
More on Urban Honolulu: Data

Urban Honolulu ranks as the eighth poorest city in Hawaii.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 25th highest in the state.

9. Schofield Barracks

Schofield Barracks, HI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 18,255
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 5)
Median Income: $65,196 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 8.5% (2highest)
People In Poverty: 1,560
More on Schofield Barracks: Data | Cost Of Living

Schofield Barracks couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Hawaii; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 2nd lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Schofield Barracks ranks as having the 2most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Hawaii.

10. Lahaina

Lahaina, HI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 13,261
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $80,035 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 11.8% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,569
More on Lahaina: Data | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Hawaii is Lahaina.

The city of 13,261 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 2023

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 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 54 places with more than 5,000 people in Hawaii, we ranked each place from 1 to 54 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 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Hawaii.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Hawaii For 2023

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: East Honolulu
    2nd Richest: Kailua Cdp (Honolulu County)
    3rd Richest: Mililani Mauka

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 9,710 31.2% $47,470 3,029
2 Ewa Villages 6,657 19.0% $66,250 1,263
3 Waianae 14,152 21.2% $71,681 2,998
4 Hilo 46,559 16.1% $70,356 7,512
5 Wahiawa 17,357 17.3% $75,932 3,000
6 Nanakuli 12,587 14.4% $75,025 1,811
7 Kahaluu-Keauhou 7,236 12.4% $79,742 896
8 Urban Honolulu 351,554 11.0% $76,495 38,633
9 Schofield Barracks 18,255 8.5% $65,196 1,560
10 Lahaina 13,261 11.8% $80,035 1,569
11 Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) 21,460 9.8% $79,331 2,104
12 Wailea 6,546 12.4% $84,118 811
13 Waipahu 39,927 10.8% $83,671 4,299
14 Kahului 27,938 8.4% $82,219 2,348
15 Kihei 22,840 8.4% $83,214 1,920
16 Kula 7,495 10.4% $86,938 777
17 Maili 13,245 15.2% $101,515 2,011
18 Pukalani 7,315 14.4% $103,206 1,057
19 Laie 6,436 11.3% $101,011 725
20 Waimea CDP (Hawaii County) 10,422 9.6% $90,343 996
21 Iroquois Point 5,737 9.7% $93,974 554
22 Hawaiian Paradise Park 11,942 5.1% $74,741 605
23 Makawao 7,670 10.6% $100,716 814
24 Wailuku 15,670 6.6% $83,393 1,036
25 Haiku-Pauwela 9,347 7.4% $87,072 688
26 Waimalu 13,818 6.4% $80,613 881
27 Waikoloa Village 7,519 6.9% $84,177 522
28 Kapaa 11,516 7.4% $94,457 856
29 Halawa 14,990 7.8% $98,155 1,169
30 Napili-Honokowai 6,762 7.0% $93,970 474
31 Waimanalo 5,371 9.6% $111,250 516
32 Lihue 8,371 5.0% $83,872 415
33 Waipio Acres 5,618 4.5% $88,882 252
34 Ewa Beach 14,614 6.6% $108,953 965
35 Waipio 10,989 4.6% $94,912 510
36 Waihee-Waiehu 11,059 7.0% $115,386 770
37 Waikele 7,495 5.4% $106,042 404
38 Wailua Homesteads 6,634 6.5% $109,940 432
39 Mililani Town 27,974 5.3% $108,192 1,493
40 Kahaluu 5,006 7.0% $123,718 351
41 Makakilo 20,862 6.6% $119,449 1,377
42 Kapolei 23,248 6.1% $116,128 1,412
43 Kaneohe 34,509 5.5% $118,770 1,909
44 Hickam Housing 10,022 1.7% $98,258 173
45 Pearl City 45,941 4.1% $108,772 1,867
46 Aiea 9,527 3.3% $114,359 318
47 Royal Kunia 14,390 5.0% $122,049 726
48 West Loch Estate 6,239 2.7% $111,810 170
49 Ahuimanu 8,943 4.1% $120,058 368
50 Ewa Gentry 28,125 2.7% $117,186 770
51 Ocean Pointe 16,676 4.4% $127,254 741
52 Mililani Mauka 21,657 2.8% $119,981 604
53 Kailua CDP (Honolulu County) 40,402 4.3% $133,327 1,742
54 East Honolulu 50,076 3.3% $139,041 1,651
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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