PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Urban Honolulu, HI

43.6
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#286
of 387 metros
26%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Urban Honolulu ranks #286 of 387 US metros, ahead of 26% - carried by its environment (92/100) and held back most by cost of living (2/100).

92
strongest: Environment
90
then: Wages
2
weakest: Cost of Living
7
weighted dimensions

Where Urban Honolulu sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

44 26th percentile higher than 26% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Urban Honolulu Life Score

Urban Honolulu's composite score of 43.6 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #286 of 387, ahead of 26% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (92/100) and Wages (90/100), which pull the composite upward, while Cost of Living (2/100) and Rent (3/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 111.0 (rent-RPP 135.5). BLS median salary $73,986, 420,760 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $2,642/mo (studio $1,877).

FBI UCR (HI): 230 violent, 2053 property/100K. NCES: 14.1:1 ratio, 12.5% charter. DOL infant childcare $15,330/yr. EPA: 4 Superfund sites (HI). Ranks #283-#289 below.

Dimension detail

How Urban Honolulu scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 2/100 (20%)
Wages 90/100 (20%)
Rent 3/100 (15%)
Safety 75/100 (15%)
Schools 28/100 (10%)
Childcare 16/100 (10%)
Environment 92/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

111.0
Cost Index (RPP)
$73,986
Avg Median Salary
$2,642
2BR Fair Market Rent
230
Violent Crime/100K (HI)
14.1:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$15,330
Infant Childcare/yr (HI)
4
Superfund Sites (HI)
420,760
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Urban Honolulu With...

Urban Honolulu vs Kahului Compare → Urban Honolulu vs Wildwood Compare → Urban Honolulu vs Waterloo Compare → Urban Honolulu vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Urban Honolulu outranks 26% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#283 Redding, CA 43.7 C
#284 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 43.7 C
#285 Ann Arbor, MI 44.0 C
#286 Urban Honolulu, HI 43.6 C
#287 New Haven, CT 43.6 C
#288 Chambersburg, PA 43.4 C
#289 Yuba City, CA 43.3 C

HI Metro Scores

Kahului-Wailuku, HI D 37.7

Using Urban Honolulu's Life Score

Urban Honolulu is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is environment (92/100) and its weakest is cost of living (2/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Urban Honolulu head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Urban Honolulu lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Urban Honolulu's biggest strengths? ▼
Urban Honolulu's strongest dimensions are Environment (92/100), Wages (90/100), Safety (75/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Urban Honolulu's weakest areas? ▼
Urban Honolulu's lowest-scoring dimensions are Cost of Living (2/100), Rent (3/100), Childcare (16/100). Cost of Living weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Urban Honolulu compared to the national average? ▼
Urban Honolulu's Regional Price Parity is 111.0 (11.0% more than national); rent RPP 135.5.
What is the average salary in Urban Honolulu? ▼
Urban Honolulu median salary: $73,986, 420,760 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Urban Honolulu's 43.6/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.