CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

19.74° N · 155.10° W · GEOID 1578950

Wainaku

Hawaii County, Hawaii · part of the Hilo, HI metro

Limited data population under 5,000

HawaiiWainaku, HIWainakuWainaku

The short answer

Wainaku is home to 967 people. Median household income is $69,205 a year and median rent is $1,583 a month, 27.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $536,100, about 7.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,583
16% above the median place
Median household income
$69,205
14% below the median place
Median home value
$536,100
68% above the median place
Unemployment
6.0%
23% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Wainaku

  • The median home is worth 7.8 years of the median household's income, more than in 95% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • The median rent takes 27.4% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 90% of places its size.
  • Households average 2.90 people, larger than in 84% of places its size.
  • 19% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 83% of places its size.
01

Moving to Wainaku

Hawaii County gains about 6.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,086
Moved out6,143
Net+943

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Hawaii, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within HawaiiOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$85K
Leavers$63K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Hawaii County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.3% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Hawaii County report $84,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $62,500, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$63,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,583 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,350 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $536,100.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 8.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
North Auburn, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
3.3%
69% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
6.0
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6
$84,921
20% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWainakuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.6%20% below
Moved from another state1County figure3.3%69% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure6.0above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$84,92120% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$62,52311% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.3%, 68% below the median place.

Wainaku27.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$63,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
27.4%
34% above the median place
Home price to income
7.8x
104% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
28%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$50,000
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Wainaku, $1,583 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Wainaku.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Wainaku? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.3%
68% below the median place
Vacant homes1
16.2%
129% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,547
53% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureWainakuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,58316% above
Rent to income127.4%34% above
Property tax rate10.3%68% below
Home price to income17.8x104% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$2,08129% above
HUD area median income3County figure$98,3008% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,54753% below
Median home value1$536,10068% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.1%92% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure58.5%14% above
Homeownership174.4%12% above
Renters paying 30%+147.7%6% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,35026% above
Vacant homes116.2%129% above
Median year built119690% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
20 min
21% below the median place
Works from home1
8.8%
29% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$69,205 −14%
Income per person$37,892 −5%
Poverty rate10.3% −4%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWainakuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$69,20514% below
Income per person1$37,8925% below
Unemployment1County figure6.0%23% above
Average annual pay5County figure$61,7576% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure6.7%81% above
Jobs5County figure74,16851% below
Poverty rate110.3%4% below
Mean commute120 min21% below
Works from home18.8%29% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 84.9%, 8% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
84.9%
8% below the median place
Median age1
44.7
15% above the median place
Household size1
2.9
16% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Born abroad19.4% 2.2×
Bachelor's or higher27.7% −14%
High school or higher91.4% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureWainakuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19676646th largest
Median age144.715% above
Bachelor's or higher127.7%14% below
High school or higher191.4%1% below
Household size12.916% above
Born abroad119.4%120% above
No health insurance1County figure4.5%30% below
Homes with broadband184.9%8% below
05

Life in Wainaku

99 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 8 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.5 +8%
Shops31.2 +3%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.2 +2%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.3 −14%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools9
55
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students9
27,129
above the median place (median 4,897)
Child care centers per 10k7
2.0
13% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureWainakuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure55above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure27,129above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher9County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure22.58% above
Shops per 10k7County figure31.23% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure4.22% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure17.314% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.013% below
National Register listings8County figure99above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 0.0, below the median place (median 90.1).

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Wainaku. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk10
0.0
below the median place (median 90.1)
Tornado risk10
7.4
91% below the median place
Median air quality index11
32
26% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureWainakuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk10County figure98.57% above
Hurricane risk10County figure68.33% below
Tornado risk10County figure7.491% below
Wildfire risk10County figure98.361% above
Heat wave risk10County figure0.0below (median 90.1)
Median air quality index11County figure3226% below
Good air days11County figure86.0%26% above
08

Wainaku in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 27% of the median income in 2030, down from 27% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,583/mo (2024)$1,980/mo$1,630 to $2,420/mo+3.8%
Median household income$69,205 (2024)$88,500$75,000 to $105,000+4.2%
Median home value$536,100 (2024)$817,000$593,000 to $1,125,000+7.3%

The median home would be worth 9.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Wainaku

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
North Auburn, CA$1,742$71,056Compare
Coral Terrace, FL$1,759$80,353Compare
Oceano, CA$1,584$71,598Compare
Hurricane, UT$1,426$75,016Compare
Hurricane, UTOceano, CACoral Terrace, FLNorth Auburn, CAWainaku, HIWainakuNorth AuburnCoral TerraceOceanoHurricaneWainakuNorth AuburnCoral TerraceOceanoHurricane

Common questions

Is Wainaku a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median home is worth 7.8 years of the median household's income, more than in 95% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. The median rent takes 27.4% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 90% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 37 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Wainaku expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 27.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $536,100.

What salary do you need to live in Wainaku?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $63,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Wainaku?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are North Auburn, CA, Coral Terrace, FL, Oceano, CA and Hurricane, UT.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  11. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Wainaku with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Wainaku itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/wainaku-hawaii

Citytistics. “Wainaku, Hawaii.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/wainaku-hawaii/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.