Population
295 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Hawaii
City profile · Hawaii · Census ACS 2023
Pakala, HI
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Pakala - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 295
- Residents
- $2,332
- Median rent (state)
Pakala - the verdict
Hawaii's Pakala counts 295 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 90th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
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.
Data Snapshot: Pakala, HI
Pakala is a small town in Hawaii, home to 295 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 28.9 years. About 6.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 37.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Hawaii carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Hawaii scores 110.0 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,332 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $280 across Hawaii, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.4 out of 100 (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 12.1%
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.0 (US=100)
Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, Hawaii average
How does Pakala compare to other US cities?
Here's how Pakala stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 90% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Pakala's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Hawaii, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Pakala in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 6.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 37.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
295
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
28.9
Poverty Rate
12.1%
Labor force participation
37.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
6.9%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.0%
Carpool
10.0%
Public Transit
10.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 70 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Hawaii - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$220
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$280
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Hawaii state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
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 Pakala sits in
Cost of Living Index
110.0
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,332/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
84.4 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Hawaii
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Pakala's 295 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Pakala compares to nearby Hawaii cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS HI OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Pakala, HI?
What is the population of Pakala, HI? +
Pakala, HI has a population of 295 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Pakala? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Pakala; 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities EditorialEvery 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.