Moving to
Hilo.

All Hilo data Compare Hilo

50,404people live here $81,779median household incomeNear US average $1,427median rent per monthNear US average $483,000median home value▲ 45% above US

Hilo is an unincorporated community in Hawaii County, HI. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Hilo

Hilo is a large unincorporated community in Hawaii with county unemployment below the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Hilo deals with home prices well above the national average, very rainy, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Short commutes
Clean air
Growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

High home prices
Very rainy — 120" of rain per year
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Hilo compares

Median household income

Hilo$81,779

Hawaii avg$100,389

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Hilo$1,427

Hawaii avg$1,971

US$1,413

Median home value

Hilo$483,000

Hawaii avg$839,100

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Hilo

Based on Hilo's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,854

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $57,080 a year
47% of Hilo renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$96,600

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $48,300
Homes cost 5.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,427/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,427 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $483,000. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $483,000 · 47% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

2.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Hawaii County is 2.7%, well below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Hawaii County (county-wide)

Safety

287 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Hilo doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Hawaii Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1924/100k · Policed by Hawaii Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 22% below US

20 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.3 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

72%

Carpool

14%

Work from home

8.9%

Other

2.5%

Walk

2.3%

Public transit

0.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 65°F. It's a wet climate overall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforceNear US average

35% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

15 public schools inside the boundary

There are 15 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (36 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Hilo's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and very rainy. A year of median rent ($1,427/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low) and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for Hilo →·All Hawaii cities →