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 43,485 people and 23 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 where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Waipahu is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Waipahu is a town of service providers, sales and office workers, and construction workers and builders. There are especially a lot of people living in Waipahu who work in sales jobs (12.25%), office and administrative support (11.37%), and maintenance occupations (10.30%).
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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
One downside of living in Waipahu, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 35.61 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.
Like elsewhere in America, most people in Waipahu use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Waipahu‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the bus. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.
In terms of college education, Waipahu is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 17.15% of adults 25 and older in Waipahu have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Waipahu in 2018 was $25,012, which is lower middle income relative to Hawaii and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $100,048 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, English, and French.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Waipahu's cultural character, accounting for 41.12% 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.