Best suburbs of Honolulu
We scored all 22 towns and communities of 10,000+ people in the Urban Honolulu, HI metro area on what most people weigh when they pick a suburb: what homes cost compared with local pay, household income, poverty, commute times, education, homeownership and how many families with kids live there. Ocean Pointe, Ewa Gentry and Mililani Mauka come out on top.
The top 25
| # | Place | Score | Population | Median home | Home vs income | Household income | Commute | Poverty | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean Pointe, HI | 76 | 17,085 | $900,200 | 6.0× | $149,767 | 36.9 min | 2.1% | 12 |
| 2 | Ewa Gentry, HI | 69 | 26,563 | $816,000 | 6.0× | $135,684 | 35.5 min | 2.9% | 12 |
| 3 | Mililani Mauka, HI | 68 | 21,278 | $988,100 | 7.1× | $138,942 | 29.0 min | 3.3% | 14 |
| 4 | East Honolulu, HI | 64 | 51,360 | $1,212,000 | 7.6× | $159,518 | 30.9 min | 5.3% | 9 |
| 5 | Kapolei, HI | 64 | 22,232 | $744,200 | 5.8× | $128,324 | 31.2 min | 6.3% | 14 |
| 6 | Royal Kunia, HI | 64 | 13,555 | $862,400 | 6.4× | $135,361 | 30.5 min | 4.7% | 13 |
| 7 | Mililani Town, HI | 63 | 27,668 | $923,900 | 7.3× | $127,363 | 29.9 min | 3.2% | 14 |
| 8 | Kaneohe Base, HI | 60 | 10,919 | $352,000 | 5.1× | $69,418 | 11.3 min | 10.0% | 10 |
| 9 | Kailua, HI | 56 | 39,640 | $1,353,700 | 9.1× | $148,582 | 29.1 min | 4.0% | 9 |
| 10 | Ewa Beach, HI | 53 | 14,376 | $748,800 | 6.0× | $124,323 | 38.0 min | 4.9% | 10 |
| 11 | Pearl City, HI | 49 | 44,547 | $901,500 | 7.6× | $118,112 | 26.6 min | 5.8% | 9 |
| 12 | Makakilo, HI | 49 | 20,735 | $867,200 | 7.3× | $118,550 | 32.8 min | 9.2% | 15 |
| 13 | Maili, HI | 49 | 11,570 | $640,600 | 5.7× | $111,542 | 43.1 min | 11.3% | 22 |
| 14 | Kaneohe, HI | 48 | 37,355 | $1,029,700 | 8.2× | $125,613 | 27.6 min | 9.7% | 7 |
| 15 | Waipio, HI | 47 | 10,870 | $749,500 | 6.8× | $109,877 | 27.4 min | 5.7% | 11 |
| 16 | Waimalu, HI | 45 | 13,061 | $597,800 | 6.7× | $89,232 | 26.3 min | 6.8% | 7 |
| 17 | Nanakuli, HI | 41 | 12,383 | $488,600 | 5.6× | $86,597 | 35.3 min | 18.2% | 20 |
| 18 | Halawa, HI | 36 | 14,385 | $1,051,900 | 9.5× | $110,400 | 23.8 min | 9.3% | 6 |
| 19 | Waianae, HI | 29 | 12,918 | $518,300 | 6.3× | $81,733 | 42.2 min | 16.2% | 23 |
| 20 | Waipahu, HI | 28 | 40,482 | $868,600 | 8.4× | $103,895 | 32.5 min | 12.0% | 11 |
| 21 | Wahiawa, HI | 22 | 17,996 | $806,200 | 9.3× | $87,143 | 31.7 min | 16.3% | 16 |
| 22 | Makaha, HI | 21 | 10,066 | $394,000 | 6.1× | $64,970 | 47.1 min | 25.0% | 26 |
Most affordable homes
- Kaneohe Base 5.1 years of income, $352,000
- Nanakuli 5.6 years of income, $488,600
- Maili 5.7 years of income, $640,600
- Kapolei 5.8 years of income, $744,200
- Ocean Pointe 6 years of income, $900,200
Most families with kids
- Kaneohe Base 56.5% of households
- Ocean Pointe 52.1% of households
- Maili 51.4% of households
- Nanakuli 48.3% of households
- Ewa Gentry 43.7% of households
How the score works
For each measure we rank the 22 places from worst to best within this metro area, then combine the ranks with these weights: home value compared with household income (20%), household income (15%), poverty rate (15%), average commute (15%), share of adults with a bachelor's degree (10%), homeownership (10%), households with children (10%) and population growth since 2020 (5%). Unincorporated communities have no official growth estimate, so they get the middle value for that part. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure.
Everything comes from the Census Bureau: the American Community Survey 2020-2024 and the 2025 population estimates. We leave out crime and school ratings because comparable official data for every town does not exist; check local school district and police data for the places on your shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best suburbs of Honolulu?
On our data-only score, Ocean Pointe, Ewa Gentry and Mililani Mauka rank highest among 22 places of 10,000+ people in the Urban Honolulu, HI metro area.
What is the most affordable suburb of Honolulu?
Kaneohe Base has the lowest ratio of median home value to household income (5.1 years), with a median home of $352,000.
Which Honolulu suburb has the shortest commute?
Kaneohe Base, where the average commute is 11.3 minutes each way.
Back to the Honolulu city profile, or see the best suburbs of other big cities.
Places are incorporated cities, towns and villages plus census-designated places with 10,000 or more residents, assigned to the metro area by county (OMB 2023 delineations). Distances are straight lines from the center of Honolulu. The Census Bureau caps published medians at $250,000 for income and $2,000,000 for home values, shown with a plus sign.