Best Places96797, HI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96797, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
96797 ranks 6,280th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 96797
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
96797's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96797 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 96797 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,434 a month, better than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96797
A household needs to earn about $196,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96797 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $116,214, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 96797's effective rate of 0.29%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 96797
96797 runs older than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 96797.
Who works in 96797, and how
Work in 96797 centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in 96797
96797 has more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes and less late-night activity than most zip codes. The coast is about 8 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 96797 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 96797, month by month
96797 sees roughly 150 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 78, with lows near 62. The comfortable stretch runs October through June.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 78° | 69° | 62° |
| April | 80° | 72° | 64° |
| July | 84° | 76° | 69° |
| October | 83° | 75° | 67° |
Flying in and out of 96797
Daniel K Inouye International sits about 8 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 10.5 million passengers in 2025, with 65 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 96797
Schools across 96797 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mililani Uka Elementary SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Kanoelani Elementary SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Waikele Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mililani Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Highlands Intermediate SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Kapolei Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Mililani High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Pearl City High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Waipahu High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96797 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96797 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 96797 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 96797 suits
Families
Schools land around the 45th percentile and crime safety beats 83%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 7% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 96797
Is 96797 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96797 ranks 6,280th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, clean air, and low property taxes, and lowest on civic engagement and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 96797 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $804,729. The overall cost of living runs about 69% above the national average. Set against a $116,214 median income, cost of living beats 18% of zip codes.
Is 96797 safe?
Yes, 96797 is safer than 83% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $232 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 96797?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 78 with lows near 62. That works out to about 150 pleasant days a year, more than 89% of zip codes.
Is 96797 good for families?
Schools beat 45% of zip codes, crime safety beats 83%, and childcare runs $1,434 a month.
Compare 96797 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96797. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96797 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
96797 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96797: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96797: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96797: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96797: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96797 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.