Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Hawaii?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Hawaii – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Hawaii cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Aloha State:
- Makaha (Photos)
- Hawaiian Beaches
- Maili (Photos)
- Waianae
- Waimanalo (Photos)
- Nanakuli
- Hawaiian Paradise Park
- Mountain View
- Ewa Beach (Photos)
- Kahului (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Heeia is the happiest place in Hawaii.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Hawaii
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Hawaii, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Hawaii with over 3,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 57 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Hawaii’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Makaha
Population: 8,663
People Who Own Their Home: 28.96%
Married Adults: 39.87%
2. Hawaiian Beaches
Population: 4,467
People Who Own Their Home: 47.59%
Married Adults: 43.54%
3. Maili
Population: 9,399
People Who Own Their Home: 46.6%
Married Adults: 49.74%
4. Waianae
Population: 12,694
People Who Own Their Home: 64.84%
Married Adults: 41.99%
5. Waimanalo
Population: 5,807
People Who Own Their Home: 57.32%
Married Adults: 43.1%
6. Nanakuli
Population: 12,181
People Who Own Their Home: 65.04%
Married Adults: 40.85%
7. Hawaiian Paradise Park
Population: 11,623
People Who Own Their Home: 61.87%
Married Adults: 46.91%
8. Mountain View
Population: 3,078
People Who Own Their Home: 53.25%
Married Adults: 41.69%
9. Ewa Beach
Population: 14,291
People Who Own Their Home: 63.24%
Married Adults: 46.38%
10. Kahului
Population: 27,339
People Who Own Their Home: 48.92%
Married Adults: 45.5%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Hawaii reading , check out:
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Hawaii
City | Rank |
---|---|
Makaha | 1 |
Hawaiian Beaches | 2 |
Maili | 3 |
Waianae | 4 |
Waimanalo | 5 |
Nanakuli | 6 |
Hawaiian Paradise Park | 7 |
Mountain View | 8 |
Ewa Beach | 9 |
Kahului | 10 |
Whitmore Village | 11 |
Wahiawa | 12 |
Kapaa | 13 |
Lahaina | 14 |
Kihei | 15 |
Waipahu | 16 |
Holualoa | 17 |
Makawao | 18 |
Pupukea | 19 |
Wailuku | 20 |
Laie | 21 |
Kalaoa | 22 |
Hilo | 23 |
Waikoloa Village | 24 |
Wailea | 25 |
Kalaheo | 26 |
Waimanalo Beach | 27 |
Waialua | 28 |
Waipio Acres | 29 |
Napili-Honokowai | 30 |
Haiku-Pauwela | 31 |
Lihue | 32 |
Wailua Homesteads | 33 |
Kula | 34 |
Kahaluu | 35 |
Ewa Gentry | 36 |
Waihee-Waiehu | 37 |
Makakilo | 38 |
Waimalu | 39 |
Ewa Villages | 40 |
Hanamaulu | 41 |
Pukalani | 42 |
Ahuimanu | 43 |
Waipio | 44 |
Halawa | 45 |
Royal Kunia | 46 |
Kaneohe | 47 |
Ocean Pointe | 48 |
Pearl City | 49 |
Kapolei | 50 |
West Loch Estate | 51 |
Aiea | 52 |
Mililani Town | 53 |
Waikele | 54 |
East Honolulu | 55 |
Mililani Mauka | 56 |
Heeia | 57 |
I’m sorry to inform you, but Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Paradise Park are not a cities. They are subdivisions of a city.