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 2026:
What’s the poorest city in Hawaii? According to the facts, Makaha is the poorest place in Hawaii for 2026.
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 2026
1. Makaha
/10
Population: 10,066
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $64,970 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.0% (highest)
People In Poverty: 2,513
More on Makaha: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Makaha, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Hawaii thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 10,066 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: 12,918
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $81,733 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.2% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,092
More on Waianae: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
The second poorest city in Hawaii is Waianae.
The city ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty and 4th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 7th highest in the Aloha State.
3. Nanakuli
/10
Population: 12,383
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $86,597 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.2% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,257
More on Nanakuli: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Placing as the third poorest city, Nanakuli’s median income ranks as the 7th 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 18.23% 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. Wahiawa
/10
Population: 17,996
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $87,143 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.2% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,924
More on Wahiawa: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Wahiawa ranks as the fourth poorest place in Hawaii.
The town ranks as having the 8th lowest median household income and the 3rd 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: 50,404
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Median Income: $81,779 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.5% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,318
More on Hilo: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
The fifth poorest city in Hawaii is Hilo.
The city ranks as having the 5th 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. Waikoloa Village
/10
Population: 7,543
Rank Last Year: 30 (Up 24)
Median Income: $81,703 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 12.3% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 931
More on Waikoloa Village: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Waikoloa Village ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Aloha State.
It ranks as having the 11th highest incidence of poverty and the 8th highest unemployment rate.
7. Ewa Villages
/10
Population: 7,415
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Median Income: $88,813 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 15.3% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,138
More on Ewa Villages: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Ewa Villages places as the seventh poorest city in Hawaii.
The city of over 7,415 ranks as having the 5th 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. Kailua CDP (Hawaii County)
/10
Population: 21,818
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Income: $88,211 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.3% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,115
More on Kailua Cdp (Hawaii County): Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) 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. Urban Honolulu
/10
Population: 345,482
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $86,504 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 11.9% (16th highest)
People In Poverty: 41,146
More on Urban Honolulu: Data | Movers
Urban Honolulu couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Hawaii; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 6th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Urban Honolulu ranks as having the 16th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Hawaii.
10. Wailea
/10
Population: 6,352
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $90,000 (17th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.0% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 888
More on Wailea: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Hawaii is Wailea.
The city of 6,352 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 2026
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 2020-2024 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 2026”.
This report has been updated for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the poorest places in Hawaii.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Hawaii For 2026
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: Heeia
3rd Richest: Ewa Gentry
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 | 10,066 | 25.0% | $64,970 | 2,513 |
| 2 | Waianae | 12,918 | 16.2% | $81,733 | 2,092 |
| 3 | Nanakuli | 12,383 | 18.2% | $86,597 | 2,257 |
| 4 | Wahiawa | 17,996 | 16.2% | $87,143 | 2,924 |
| 5 | Hilo | 50,404 | 14.5% | $81,779 | 7,318 |
| 6 | Waikoloa Village | 7,543 | 12.3% | $81,703 | 931 |
| 7 | Ewa Villages | 7,415 | 15.3% | $88,813 | 1,138 |
| 8 | Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) | 21,818 | 14.3% | $88,211 | 3,115 |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu | 345,482 | 11.9% | $86,504 | 41,146 |
| 10 | Wailea | 6,352 | 14.0% | $90,000 | 888 |
| 11 | Lahaina | 10,162 | 11.5% | $88,889 | 1,168 |
| 12 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 13,203 | 10.4% | $88,348 | 1,378 |
| 13 | Kula | 6,791 | 12.3% | $100,433 | 837 |
| 14 | Waimea CDP (Hawaii County) | 9,286 | 12.3% | $100,198 | 1,144 |
| 15 | Iroquois Point | 5,158 | 14.9% | $109,561 | 766 |
| 16 | Wailua Homesteads | 5,431 | 9.9% | $89,717 | 537 |
| 17 | Kihei | 21,567 | 7.4% | $87,772 | 1,595 |
| 18 | Waimanalo | 6,054 | 14.9% | $116,581 | 899 |
| 19 | Makawao | 7,353 | 10.2% | $96,444 | 748 |
| 20 | Waipahu | 40,482 | 12.0% | $103,895 | 4,853 |
| 21 | Kapaa | 11,094 | 7.5% | $89,477 | 830 |
| 22 | Pukalani | 8,679 | 10.6% | $102,976 | 919 |
| 23 | Kahaluu-Keauhou | 5,150 | 8.6% | $96,212 | 442 |
| 24 | Waimalu | 13,061 | 6.8% | $89,232 | 890 |
| 25 | Kahului | 28,288 | 8.7% | $98,077 | 2,472 |
| 26 | Maili | 11,570 | 11.3% | $111,542 | 1,307 |
| 27 | Haiku-Pauwela | 9,178 | 8.3% | $101,396 | 766 |
| 28 | Waipio Acres | 5,332 | 6.6% | $94,861 | 352 |
| 29 | Laie | 5,699 | 12.2% | $125,202 | 694 |
| 30 | Schofield Barracks | 16,270 | 2.6% | $80,388 | 426 |
| 31 | Lihue | 7,901 | 6.3% | $92,850 | 496 |
| 32 | Halawa | 14,385 | 9.3% | $110,400 | 1,340 |
| 33 | Napili-Honokowai | 7,308 | 8.1% | $105,565 | 588 |
| 34 | Makakilo | 20,735 | 9.2% | $118,550 | 1,899 |
| 35 | Kaneohe | 37,355 | 9.7% | $125,613 | 3,634 |
| 36 | West Loch Estate | 5,544 | 8.3% | $122,422 | 458 |
| 37 | Waipio | 10,870 | 5.7% | $109,877 | 617 |
| 38 | Wailuku | 16,926 | 4.6% | $102,942 | 783 |
| 39 | Pearl City | 44,547 | 5.8% | $118,112 | 2,592 |
| 40 | Waihee-Waiehu | 10,988 | 6.0% | $126,735 | 655 |
| 41 | Kapolei | 22,232 | 6.3% | $128,324 | 1,409 |
| 42 | Ahuimanu | 8,452 | 6.4% | $135,438 | 538 |
| 43 | Kahaluu | 5,619 | 6.9% | $142,045 | 388 |
| 44 | Ewa Beach | 14,376 | 4.9% | $124,323 | 708 |
| 45 | Waikele | 7,528 | 3.7% | $120,525 | 276 |
| 46 | Royal Kunia | 13,555 | 4.7% | $135,361 | 638 |
| 47 | Aiea | 9,087 | 5.3% | $140,308 | 482 |
| 48 | Hickam Housing | 9,425 | 1.9% | $121,667 | 180 |
| 49 | Mililani Town | 27,668 | 3.2% | $127,363 | 877 |
| 50 | East Honolulu | 51,360 | 5.3% | $159,518 | 2,732 |
| 51 | Mililani Mauka | 21,278 | 3.3% | $138,942 | 706 |
| 52 | Kailua CDP (Honolulu County) | 39,640 | 4.0% | $148,582 | 1,573 |
| 53 | Ewa Gentry | 26,563 | 3.0% | $135,684 | 783 |
| 54 | Heeia | 5,144 | 3.3% | $176,250 | 168 |
| 55 | Ocean Pointe | 17,085 | 2.1% | $149,767 | 365 |