Kapaa, Hawaii
Area Profile
11,094 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Kapaa, in Kauai County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 11 sourcesKapaa ranks in the top 4% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 2.4% and median household income of $89,477. The unemployment rate is published for Kauai County, HI, which contains Kapaa, rather than for Kapaa alone.
In the public schools here, 32% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 16.7 students for every teacher.
Residential permitting has slowed: 119 units authorized over the past twelve months, 18% below the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Kauai County, HI, which contains Kapaa, rather than for Kapaa alone.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Kauai County, HI, which contains Kapaa, is 2.4%, lower than in 99% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Kauai County, HI, which contains Kapaa, grew 0.5% over the past year, to 37,674 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsKauai County, HI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $90,795 | 76th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftKauai County, HI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $75,811 | 57th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$13,4772024 ACS 5-Year | $89,477 | Top 25%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$3,2592024 ACS 5-Year | $41,091 | Top 30%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.8% | Top 37%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±2.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.6 min | Bottom 36%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.7% | Top 31%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.4% | 32nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentKauai County, HI’s figureJuly 2026 | 37,674 | Bottom 40%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Kauai County, HI’s figureJuly 2026 | +3.6% | Top 10%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Kauai County, HI’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.5% | Top 26%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceKauai County, HI’s figureJuly 2026 | 38,601 | 40th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.6% | Top 37%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.9% | 83rd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Kauai County, HI’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.4% | Bottom 23%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateKauai County, HI’s figureJuly 2026 | 2.4% | Top 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.6% | 40th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Kauai County, HI, which contains this city.
32% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 45% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 16.7 students for every full-time teacher across 3 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapaa High School | Hawaii Department of Education | 1,005 | 17.3 | 32% | 52% |
| Kapaa Elementary School | Hawaii Department of Education | 844 | 16.2 | 35% | 39% |
| Kapaa Middle School | Hawaii Department of Education | 507 | 16.4 | 27% | 40% |
44.2% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Hawaii’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Hawaii is up 48% over five years, and up 2.2% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,832 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.21% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,332, some 15% above the $2,020 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,332 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $93,300 a year, about 104% of the median household income here of $89,477.
The typical renter household here spends 33% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,020 a month.
A median home at $861,300 costs 9.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $92,946, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.
The figures above are measured against Kapaa’s median household income of $89,477, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Hawaii’s figure2026 Q2 | +2.2% | 35th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Hawaii’s figure2026 Q2 | +47.6% | 69th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Hawaii’s figure2026 Q2 | +98.6% | 60th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±22024 ACS 5-Year | 9.3 | Bottom 1%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 69.0% | 36th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3082024 ACS 5-Year | 4,169 | 87th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,777 | Bottom 30%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $2,866 | Bottom 24%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $2,332 | Bottom 20%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$1862024 ACS 5-Year | $2,020 | Bottom 8%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$39,8612024 ACS 5-Year | $861,300 | 97th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$3912024 ACS 5-Year | $1,832 | 52nd percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$18,3612024 ACS 5-Year | $92,946 | Top 33%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.21% | 1st percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 32.5% | Bottom 29%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±872024 ACS 5-Year | 175 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.2% | 79th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.3% | 57th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±1972024 ACS 5-Year | 522 | 90th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 119 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Kauai County, HI, which contains Kapaa, rather than for Kapaa alone.
Federal tax returns show Kauai County, which contains Kapaa, lost about 0.5% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $90,795, above the $75,811 of households that moved out.
At 1.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Kauai County, HI, which contains Kapaa, rather than for Kapaa alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Los Angeles County, CA 77 people · 4.1% of arrivals
- San Diego County, CA 56 people · 3.0% of arrivals
- Orange County, CA 55 people · 2.9% of arrivals
- Clark County, NV 42 people · 2.2% of arrivals
- Riverside County, CA 39 people · 2.1% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Clark County, NV 83 people · 3.8% of departures
- San Diego County, CA 52 people · 2.4% of departures
- Los Angeles County, CA 50 people · 2.3% of departures
- King County, WA 47 people · 2.2% of departures
- Orange County, CA 42 people · 1.9% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Kauai County, HI. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Kapaa, HI is not one. This is the figure for Kauai County, HI, which contains this city.
Weather & climate
10 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 66°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 36.2 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 36.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 0.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 66°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 85°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 10 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 8°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tsunami and wildfire, with inland flooding alone responsible for 78% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: hurricane, coastal flooding, earthquake, drought, tornado, strong wind, cold wave, volcanic activity, hail, heat wave, winter weather, ice storm, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Kauai County has a modeled homicide rate of about 1.9 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 3.0 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 14.9 per 100,000 residents in Kauai County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Kapaa (Kauai County) rather than Kapaa itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Kawaihapai Airfield at 82 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 93.2% | Top 34%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 82 mi | Bottom 3%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 8%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.4% | Top 27%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kawaihapai Airfield | HDH | 82 mi | 9,007 ft |
| Kalaeloa (John Rodgers Fld) | JRF | 98 mi | 8,365 ft |
| Daniel K Inouye Intl | HNL | 106 mi | 12,360 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
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Moving to Kapaa from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Kapaa
1 ZIP areaEvery ZIP area in Kapaa with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Kapaa closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96746 | 19,329 | $88,802 | $882,400 | — |