Crime in Hawaiian Beaches, HI

Hawaiian Beaches is an unincorporated community of 4,490 in Hawaii County, about 16 miles southeast of Hilo · Updated November 2026

Is Hawaiian Beaches, HI safe?

Crime in Hawaiian Beaches is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 65% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Hawaiian Beaches. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A- against B+.

B+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 742 of 1,000
Less safe than most US neighborhoods What this means

35% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Hawaiian Beaches as a whole, and 65% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Hawaiian Beaches scores 742.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.

B+
Violent crimeSafety score 718 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A-
Property crimeSafety score 781 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhood

How it works


Crime map of Hawaiian Beaches

Map of Hawaiian Beaches shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Hawaiian Beaches, HI at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Hawaiian Beaches, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports


Crime rates and types in Hawaiian Beaches

CrimeGrade™ estimates Hawaiian Beaches has about 42 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 13% more than the US as a whole and 27% more than Hawaii.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

The largest share of crime reported in Hawaiian Beaches is assault, about 39% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderAunder 10.040.05
RapeF71.50.38
RobberyA-under 10.190.62
AssaultB-7516.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryB+173.72.4
TheftB5913.213.1
Vehicle theftA132.82.7
ArsonB-20.420.12
VandalismA163.65.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


How Hawaiian Beaches compares with nearby cities

Hawaiian Beaches has more crime than 6 of its 7 nearest cities. Kurtistown and Mountain View have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hawaiian BeachesB+742B+A-4,490
Nanawale Estates 3 milesB+731BA-1,870
Hawaiian Paradise Park 5 milesA-843A-A13,500
Ainaloa 6 milesB+751B+A-4,470
Pahoa 7 milesA-818A-A-3,940
Show all 7
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Keaau 8 milesA-846AA-6,770
Kurtistown 10 milesA883AA2,840
Mountain View 13 milesA872AA7,590

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Hawaiian Beaches. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Hawaiian Beaches has more crime than 98% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hawaiian BeachesB+742B+A-4,490
Woodruff, WIA+980A+A+4,490
Butler, INA+968A+A+4,490
Crane, TXA+958A+A+4,490
Bell, FLA+956A+A+4,490
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Groton, NYA+954A+A+4,490
Dresden, TNA+937A+A+4,490
Sunrise Beach, MOA+930AA+4,490
Camanche, IAA+928AA+4,490
Capac, MIA921AA+4,490
Boyce, LAB+750B+A-4,490

Night lighting, jobs and walkability in Hawaiian Beaches

Two things set Hawaiian Beaches apart: it has 4 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and a Walk Grade of F (2 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.

Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.NoneUS: 78%Lower than for 99% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.4 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 98% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (2 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 97% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.4.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 94% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.12.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 93% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Hawaiian Beaches on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.


What crime costs Hawaiian Beaches

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Hawaiian Beaches about $1,381 a year per household, 15% more than the US figure of $1,205.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $7.7 million a year, or $1,705 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$350,000$78
Rape$420,000$93
Robbery$27,000$6
Assault$730,000$163
Burglary$150,000$33
Theft$300,000$68
Vehicle theft$190,000$43
Arson$45,000$10
Vandalism$120,000$26
Total$2.3 million$520

How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Hawaiian Beaches means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Hawaiian Beaches

Schools in Hawaiian Beaches, HI average a SchoolGrade of F: 24% of students test proficient, against 16% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Hawaiian Beaches on SchoolGrade