Best Places96816, HI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96816, 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.
96816 ranks 1,592nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 96816
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.
96816's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96816 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 96816 ranks low
- 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
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96816
A household needs to earn about $288,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96816 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $121,312, 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 96816's effective rate of 0.30%, 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 96816
96816 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 96816.
Who works in 96816, and how
Work in 96816 centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 96816
96816 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 74% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 70% of zip codes. The coast is about 2 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 96816 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 96816, month by month
96816 sees roughly 159 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 82, with lows near 67. The comfortable stretch runs December through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 82° | 75° | 67° |
| April | 84° | 77° | 70° |
| July | 89° | 81° | 75° |
| October | 88° | 80° | 73° |
Flying in and out of 96816
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 96816
Schools across 96816 average a B−, better than 64% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hokulani Elementary SchoolA+ · 77% proficient
- Waikiki Elementary SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Mayor John H Wilson Elementary SchoolA · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kaimuki Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
- William P Jarrett Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
- President George Washington Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Kalani High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Kaimuki High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96816 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96816 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 96816 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 96816 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 92% of zip codes and health care access beats 72%.
Common questions about living in 96816
Is 96816 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96816 ranks 1,592nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, clean air, and a strong job market, and lowest on state finances and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 96816 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,181,511. The overall cost of living runs about 77% above the national average. Set against a $121,312 median income, cost of living beats 23% of zip codes.
Is 96816 safe?
Yes, 96816 is safer than 77% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $254 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 96816?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 82 with lows near 67. That works out to about 159 pleasant days a year, more than 92% of zip codes.
Is 96816 good for families?
Schools beat 64% of zip codes, crime safety beats 77%, and childcare runs $1,434 a month.
Compare 96816 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96816. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96816 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.
96816 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96816: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96816: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96816: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96816: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96816 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.