Waipahu is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Hawaii. With a population of 39,794 people and 13 constituent neighborhoods, Waipahu is the fifth largest community in Hawaii.
Housing costs in Waipahu are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Hawaii.
Unlike some towns, Waipahu isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Waipahu are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Waipahu is a town of service providers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Waipahu who work in maintenance occupations (12.20%), food service (12.20%), and office and administrative support (11.81%).
Waipahu is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
One downside of living in Waipahu, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 35.87 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.
Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Waipahu is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the bus helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Waipahu area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.
In terms of college education, Waipahu is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 17.02% of adults 25 and older in Waipahu have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Waipahu in 2010 was $23,170, which is lower middle income relative to Hawaii and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $92,680 for a family of four. However, Waipahu contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Waipahu is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Waipahu home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Waipahu residents report their race to be Asian, followed by Native Hawaiian. Important ancestries of people in Waipahu include Portuguese, German, Irish, Turkish, and Norwegian.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Waipahu's cultural character, accounting for 41.58% of the town’s population.
The most common language spoken in Waipahu is English. Other important languages spoken here include Pacific Island languages and Tagalog.
