CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

21.48° N · 158.04° W · GEOID 1580600

Wheeler AFB

Honolulu County, Hawaii · part of the Urban Honolulu, HI metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_home_value

HawaiiWheeler AFB, HIWheeler AFBWheeler AFB

The short answer

Wheeler AFB is home to 2,097 people. Median household income is $91,667 a year and median rent is $2,867 a month, 37.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $897,500, about 9.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,867
110% above the median place
Median household income
$91,667
14% above the median place
Median home value
$897,500
181% above the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
4% below 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 Wheeler AFB

  • The median rent takes 37.5% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • The median resident is 24.1 years old, younger than in 98% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • 79% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 54 Hawaii places.
  • Only 4% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 95% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • The median home is worth 9.8 years of the median household's income, more than in 98% of places its size.
01

Moving to Wheeler AFB

Honolulu County loses about 7.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in39,254
Moved out45,084
Net−5,830

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$74K
Leavers$71K

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

Who moves here
24.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 21.4% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Honolulu County report $73,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $70,600.
Income you would need
$114,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,867 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,111 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $897,500.
Getting to work
14 minutes each way on average; 4.1% work from home; 4.9% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Laie, HI matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
21.4%
above the median place (median 2.0%)
Moved here in the past year1
24.4%
325% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-7.3
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWheeler AFBAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year124.4%325% above
Moved from another state121.4%above (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-7.3below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$73,5704% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$70,5700% above
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 37.5%, 84% above the median place.

Wheeler AFB37.5%
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
$114,680
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
37.5%
84% above the median place
Home price to income
9.8x
158% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
37%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$54,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Wheeler AFB, $2,867 a month, and local prices for everything else (105.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Wheeler AFB, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Laie, HI22.4% vs 37.5%$37,600Compare
Elmsford, NY25.4% vs 37.5%$31,200Compare
East Kapolei, HI20.5% vs 37.5%$35,200Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Wheeler AFB? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
79.0%
56% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.3%
69% below the median place
Median year built1
1973
0% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWheeler AFBAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,867110% above
Rent to income137.5%84% above
Property tax rate10.3%69% below
Home price to income19.8x158% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure111.010% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,54257% above
HUD area median income4County figure$133,40024% above
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$2,55322% below
Median home value1County figure$897,500181% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.4%56% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure36.9%28% below
Homeownership1County figure59.8%10% below
Renters paying 30%+179.0%56% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure$3,11166% above
Vacant homes16.4%10% below
Median year built119730% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 14 min, 42% below the median place.

Mean commute1
14 min
42% below the median place
Works from home1
4.1%
67% below the median place
Median household income1
$91,667
14% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWheeler AFBAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$91,66714% above
Income per person1$37,8016% below
Unemployment1County figure4.7%4% below
Average annual pay6County figure$73,14411% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.7%27% above
Jobs6County figure455,202202% above
Poverty rate1County figure9.2%14% below
Mean commute114 min42% below
Works from home14.1%67% below
Commutes by transit1County figure4.9%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
24.1
38% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
98.8%
7% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.4 −3%
Born abroad10.0% +13%
Bachelor's or higher33.1% +3%
All 8 people measures
MeasureWheeler AFBAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,0976646th largest
Median age124.138% below
Bachelor's or higher133.1%3% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size12.43% below
Born abroad110.0%13% above
No health insurance1County figure3.3%48% below
Homes with broadband198.8%7% above
05

Life in Wheeler AFB

176 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 15 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi3.0 14.4×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars25.1 +21%
Shops26.3 −13%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.9 −29%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.2 −5%
Child care centers1.7 −26%

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

Public school students11
111,011
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools11
186
above the median place (median 9)
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
25.1
21% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureWheeler AFBAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure186above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure111,011above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure14.37% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure25.121% above
Shops per 10k8County figure26.313% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.929% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure19.25% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.726% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi93.0above (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure176above (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 Wheeler AFB. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
0.0
below the median place (median 90.1)
Good air days13
97.3%
42% above the median place
Median air quality index13
29
33% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureWheeler AFBAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk12County figure98.87% above
Hurricane risk12County figure73.34% above
Tornado risk12County figure33.259% below
Wildfire risk12County figure99.062% above
Heat wave risk12County figure0.0below (median 90.1)
Median air quality index13County figure2933% below
Good air days13County figure97.3%42% above
08

Wheeler AFB in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 37% of the median income in 2030, down from 38% 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$2,867/mo (2024)$3,600/mo$2,950 to $4,380/mo+3.9%
Median household income$91,667 (2024)$117,500$99,500 to $139,000+4.2%

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

09

Places like Wheeler AFB

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

PlaceRentIncome
Laie, HI$2,339$125,202Compare
Elmsford, NY$2,546$120,179Compare
Seaside, CA$2,409$85,311Compare
Maili, HI$2,420$111,542Compare
Maili, HISeaside, CAElmsford, NYLaie, HIWheeler AFB, HIWheeler AFBLaieElmsfordSeasideMailiWheeler AFBLaieElmsfordSeasideMaili

Common questions

Is Wheeler AFB a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median rent takes 37.5% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 55 Hawaii places. The median resident is 24.1 years old, younger than in 98% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Wheeler AFB expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 37.5% 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 $897,500.

What salary do you need to live in Wheeler AFB?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $114,680 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Wheeler AFB?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Laie, HI, Elmsford, NY, Seaside, CA and Maili, HI.

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. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. 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 Wheeler AFB with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Wheeler AFB itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/wheeler-afb-hawaii

Citytistics. “Wheeler AFB, Hawaii.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/wheeler-afb-hawaii/

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