Population
1,989 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Hawaii
City profile · Hawaii · Census ACS 2023
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Kealakekua - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
Kealakekua - the verdict
Nationally, Kealakekua sits in the 61st percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
1,989 people live in Kealakekua, Hawaii - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $79,332 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. Typical homes in Kealakekua are valued around $574,600, and the median resident age is 47.7 years. 27.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 58.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 5 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
Hawaii carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Hawaii at 110.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,076 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Hawaii's average monthly utility costs around $280 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 98.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
Population
1,989 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Hawaii
Median Household Income
$79,332 /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.0 (US=100)
Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, Hawaii average
Where Kealakekua sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Each percentile compares Kealakekua against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Hawaii only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Hawaii-relative analysis
Among the 160 Hawaii cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Kealakekua ranks #108 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Kealakekua only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Hawaii only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
61st percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Kealakekua's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$574,600 12th percentile more affordable than 12% of 15,600 US cities
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Based on 856 workers 16 and over.
State-average estimates for Hawaii - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Estimates reflect Hawaii state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Cost of living is a Hawaii state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Kealakekua sits in
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Kealakekua's 1,989 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Kealakekua's $79,332 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Kealakekua (this city) | 1,989 | $79,332 |
| Kapaau | 2,029 | $74,583 |
| Waimea CDP (Kauai County) | 2,070 | $87,222 |
| Princeville | 1,794 | $106,938 |
The population of Kealakekua, HI stands at 1,989 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
Kealakekua households earn a median of $79,332 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Kealakekua; the closest available measure is the Hawaii state average, a cost of living index of 110.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Hawaii vary by metro area.
Homes in Kealakekua carry a median value of $574,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.