Is being in an area of Hawaii that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Urban Honolulu and East Honolulu, while others want peace and quiet like in Heeia and Kahaluu-Keauhou, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Hawaii have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Aloha State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
Hawaii lost a net 8,876 people to other states in the year ending July 2025 — 43rd in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
181.1% growth since 2010 · 11,007 net new residents
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
84.6% growth since 2010 · 10,189 net new residents
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Kapolei is a master-planned community in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu. It is colloquially known as the “second city” of Oahu, in relation to Honolulu. Officially, it is a census-designated place within the consolidated city-county of Honolulu.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
80.9% growth since 2010 · 2,307 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.4% growth since 2010 · 5,361 net new residents
Located in
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
67.1% growth since 2010 · 8,759 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
61.6% growth since 2010 · 1,963 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
43.5% growth since 2010 · 3,505 net new residents
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
35.1% growth since 2010 · 4,226 net new residents
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
34.4% growth since 2010 · 2,414 net new residents
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
30.5% growth since 2010 · 2,353 net new residents
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Hawaii’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Hawaii’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Aloha State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 55 Hawaii cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Aloha State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Hawaii.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Hawaii For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean Pointe | 17,085 | 6,078 | 181.1% | 11,007 |
| 2 | Kapolei | 22,232 | 12,043 | 84.6% | 10,189 |
| 3 | Iroquois Point | 5,158 | 2,851 | 80.9% | 2,307 |
| 4 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 13,203 | 7,842 | 68.4% | 5,361 |
| 5 | Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) | 21,818 | 13,059 | 67.1% | 8,759 |
| 6 | Kahaluu-Keauhou | 5,150 | 3,187 | 61.6% | 1,963 |
| 7 | Maili | 11,570 | 8,065 | 43.5% | 3,505 |
| 8 | Schofield Barracks | 16,270 | 12,044 | 35.1% | 4,226 |
| 9 | Hickam Housing | 9,425 | 7,011 | 34.4% | 2,414 |
| 10 | Makaha | 10,066 | 7,713 | 30.5% | 2,353 |
| 11 | Kahaluu | 5,619 | 4,392 | 27.9% | 1,227 |
| 12 | Ewa Gentry | 26,563 | 21,476 | 23.7% | 5,087 |
| 13 | Waikoloa Village | 7,543 | 6,176 | 22.1% | 1,367 |
| 14 | Makakilo | 20,735 | 17,116 | 21.1% | 3,619 |
| 15 | Waihee-Waiehu | 10,988 | 9,265 | 18.6% | 1,723 |
| 16 | Ewa Villages | 7,415 | 6,477 | 14.5% | 938 |
| 17 | Kahului | 28,288 | 24,712 | 14.5% | 3,576 |
| 18 | Haiku-Pauwela | 9,178 | 8,021 | 14.4% | 1,157 |
| 19 | Napili-Honokowai | 7,308 | 6,561 | 11.4% | 747 |
| 20 | Kapaa | 11,094 | 10,060 | 10.3% | 1,034 |
| 21 | Wailuku | 16,926 | 15,525 | 9.0% | 1,401 |
| 22 | Kihei | 21,567 | 19,855 | 8.6% | 1,712 |
| 23 | Kaneohe | 37,355 | 34,401 | 8.6% | 2,954 |
| 24 | Heeia | 5,144 | 4,745 | 8.4% | 399 |
| 25 | Aiea | 9,087 | 8,417 | 8.0% | 670 |
| 26 | Pukalani | 8,679 | 8,075 | 7.5% | 604 |
| 27 | Lihue | 7,901 | 7,387 | 7.0% | 514 |
| 28 | Makawao | 7,353 | 6,905 | 6.5% | 448 |
| 29 | East Honolulu | 51,360 | 49,016 | 4.8% | 2,344 |
| 30 | Wahiawa | 17,996 | 17,208 | 4.6% | 788 |
| 31 | Urban Honolulu | 345,482 | 330,749 | 4.5% | 14,733 |
| 32 | Halawa | 14,385 | 13,884 | 3.6% | 501 |
| 33 | Hilo | 50,404 | 48,795 | 3.3% | 1,609 |
| 34 | Kailua CDP (Honolulu County) | 39,640 | 38,541 | 2.9% | 1,099 |
| 35 | Mililani Mauka | 21,278 | 20,798 | 2.3% | 480 |
| 36 | Waianae | 12,918 | 12,639 | 2.2% | 279 |
| 37 | Kula | 6,791 | 6,720 | 1.1% | 71 |
| 38 | West Loch Estate | 5,544 | 5,501 | 0.8% | 43 |
| 39 | Waipahu | 40,482 | 40,221 | 0.6% | 261 |
| 40 | Laie | 5,699 | 5,673 | 0.5% | 26 |
| 41 | Pearl City | 44,547 | 44,502 | 0.1% | 45 |
| 42 | Wailua Homesteads | 5,431 | 5,427 | 0.1% | 4 |
| 43 | Wailea | 6,352 | 6,483 | -2.0% | -131 |
| 44 | Nanakuli | 12,383 | 12,654 | -2.1% | -271 |
| 45 | Waikele | 7,528 | 7,693 | -2.1% | -165 |
| 46 | Lahaina | 10,162 | 10,678 | -4.8% | -516 |
| 47 | Waimea CDP (Hawaii County) | 9,286 | 9,776 | -5.0% | -490 |
| 48 | Ewa Beach | 14,376 | 15,294 | -6.0% | -918 |
| 49 | Waipio Acres | 5,332 | 5,686 | -6.2% | -354 |
| 50 | Mililani Town | 27,668 | 29,542 | -6.3% | -1,874 |
| 51 | Waimalu | 13,061 | 14,163 | -7.8% | -1,102 |
| 52 | Waimanalo | 6,054 | 6,581 | -8.0% | -527 |
| 53 | Royal Kunia | 13,555 | 15,591 | -13.1% | -2,036 |
| 54 | Ahuimanu | 8,452 | 9,760 | -13.4% | -1,308 |
| 55 | Waipio | 10,870 | 12,583 | -13.6% | -1,713 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 55 Hawaii cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Hawaii, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Hawaii are led by Ocean Pointe which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Hawaii are Ocean Pointe, Kapolei, Iroquois Point, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Kailua CDP (Hawaii County), Kahaluu-Keauhou, Maili, Schofield Barracks, Hickam Housing, and Makaha.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on Hawaii? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Fastest Growing Cities In Hawaii FAQs
What is the fastest-growing city in Hawaii?
Ocean Pointe is the fastest-growing city in Hawaii for 2026, based on population change since 2010. Kapolei and Iroquois Point are growing nearly as fast.
What are the top 10 fastest-growing cities in Hawaii?
The fastest-growing cities in Hawaii are Ocean Pointe, Kapolei, Iroquois Point, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Kailua CDP (Hawaii County), Kahaluu-Keauhou, Maili, Schofield Barracks, Hickam Housing, and Makaha. We ranked all 55 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
How do you measure growth?
Growth is the percent change in population from the 2010 Census to the latest American Community Survey estimates. No projections, no vibes — just how many more people actually live there now.
What is the slowest-growing city on the list?
Waipio posts the smallest population change of the 55 Hawaii cities we ranked. Slow growth is not automatically bad news, but the momentum is clearly elsewhere.
Do small towns count in this ranking?
Only places with more than 5,000 residents qualify, which keeps one new subdivision from turning a tiny town into a statistical rocket. 55 Hawaii cities cleared that bar this year.
