The Town Files

Laie, Hawaii

Community in Honolulu County · population 5,963 (2020 Census)

Laie, Hawaii
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Jiang assumed (based on copyright claims). (public domain, Wikimedia Commons)
Median home
$940,800
Household income
$125,202
Jan low / Jul high
66° / 82°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
2
Median age
23.3

Laie is a community of 5,963 people in Honolulu County, Hawaii. The median home is worth $940,800, above the typical Hawaii town ($802,600). It ranks better for cycling than 100% of Hawaii towns, better for young professionals than 99% of Hawaii towns, better for a vacation home than 96% of Hawaii towns.

Map: where Laie is in HawaiiLaie
Laie in our rankings:

How Laie ranks

Percentile among Hawaii towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Hawaii towns.

Laie lifestyle rankings vs other Hawaii townsRetirement19th pctFamilies46th pctQuiet10th pctWalkability57th pctFirst-time buyersbottomYoung professionals99th pctVibrancy82nd pctHip & trendy82nd pctCollege town94th pctUpscale86th pctVacation homes96th pctSeaside character82nd pctCycling100th pctTransit92nd pctDrivingbottomtypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Laie is worth $940,800, above the typical Hawaii town ($802,600). Homes cost about 7.5 times the median household income of $125,202, which is more affordable than 55% of Hawaii towns. Median rent is $2,339 a month. 40.9% of households own their home.

Laie vs Honolulu County vs typical Hawaii townLaieHonolulu CountyTypical Hawaii townHome value$940,800$897,500$802,600Household income$125,202$106,195$95,243Monthly rent$2,339$2,083$1,931
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Hawaii towns with 500+ people.
HousingLaieTypical Hawaii town
Median home value$940,800$802,600
Median rent$2,339$1,931
Median household income$125,202$95,243
Home value ÷ income7.5×7.7×
Homeownership40.9%71.0%
Median year built19761983
Seasonal / vacation homes13.3%—

Who lives in Laie

PeopleLaieTypical Hawaii town
Median age23.342.2
Age 65 and over5.0%21.1%
Under 1822.3%—
Bachelor's degree or higher44.9%30.4%
Below the poverty line12.2%10.1%
Veterans2.7%—
Born outside the U.S.23.4%—
Work from home10.9%8.1%
Average commute16.1 min29.1 min
Homes with broadband97.1%93.2%

Weather in Laie

July highs average 82.2°F and January lows 65.9°F. About 32.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical Hawaii town: 0.0 in). Expect about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 0 nights at or below freezing.

Laie monthly temperatures and precipitation60°70°80°90°77°66°Jan77°66°Feb77°67°Mar78°69°Apr80°70°May81°73°Jun82°73°Jul83°75°Aug83°74°Sep82°73°Oct80°71°Nov78°69°DecPrecipitation (in)2.83.33.92.02.01.51.82.02.33.14.04.0
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Kii-Kahuku 911 station (2.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Laie since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical Hawaii town. The strongest, an F0, struck on September 26, 1985 about 1.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on September 26, 1985.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Laie by decade01950s11960s01970s11980s01990s02000s02010s02020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Severe weather in Honolulu County since 1996

Storm events in Honolulu County since 1996 by typeFlood85Drought149Wildfire79High Surf1,434High Wind88Lightning12Heavy Rain571Waterspout13
NOAA Storm Events Database, Honolulu County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 14 deaths recorded.

Honolulu County has been included in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, tsunami.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
October 7, 2026HurricaneDR-4951: Hurricane Lala
September 25, 2026Tropical StormEM-3654: Tropical Storm Nolo
April 7, 2026FloodDR-4909: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
August 19, 2025FireFM-5609: Kunia Road Fire
February 15, 2022Severe StormDR-4639: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides

Jobs and pay in Honolulu County

Honolulu County had 453,193 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $69,851 a year. Unemployment was 2.7% in 2023; in Laie itself the ACS puts it at 6.1%.

Largest industries in Honolulu CountyHotels & restaurants63,590 jobs · $42,145Health care & social assistan…56,169 jobs · $76,763Retail41,501 jobs · $44,589Construction27,772 jobs · $95,804Administrative & support25,813 jobs · $51,512Transportation & warehousing22,587 jobs · $83,123
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Honolulu County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023Honolulu 2.7%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Laie

1 public school with 685 students, about 17.6 students per teacher.

SchoolGradesStudentsPer teacher
Laie Elementary SchoolPK-668517.6

Towns near Laie

Laie questions

Is Laie, Hawaii a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Laie scores better for retirees than 19% of Hawaii towns and quieter than 10%. 5.0% of residents are 65 or older (median age 23.3).

How much does a house cost in Laie?

The median owner-occupied home in Laie is valued at $940,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $125,202, so homes cost about 7.5 times income. Median rent is $2,339 a month.

What is the weather like in Laie?

July highs average 82.2°F and January lows 65.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 32.6 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Laie get tornadoes?

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Laie since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F0 on September 26, 1985. The typical Hawaii town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Laie's Census boundary (GEOID 1543250). Comparisons use the median of Hawaii towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.