Kealakekua is an unincorporated community of 2,480 in Hawaii County, about 55 miles west of Hilo · Updated November 2026
Is Kealakekua, HI safe?
Yes, crime in Kealakekua is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Kealakekua sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 49% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 834 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
49% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Kealakekua as a whole, and 51% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Kealakekua scores 834.
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.
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 Kealakekua, HI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Kealakekua, 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
What stands out in Kealakekua
Thefts run high for an A-graded city. Kealakekua has 22.3 thefts a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of an A-graded US city, the figure is 8.3.
Crime rates and types in Kealakekua
CrimeGrade™ estimates Kealakekua has about 51 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 37% more than the US as a whole and 54% 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Kealakekua, about 44% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 Kealakekua compares with nearby cities
Kealakekua has more crime than 4 of its 6 nearest cities. Honaunau-Napoopoo and Captain Cook have the least crime nearby.
Crime costs Kealakekua about $1,266 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 5% 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 $2.8 million a year, or $1,120 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$69,000
$28
Rape
$120,000
$48
Robbery
$29,000
$12
Assault
$400,000
$162
Burglary
$65,000
$26
Theft
$280,000
$114
Vehicle theft
$110,000
$46
Arson
$8,400
$3
Vandalism
$76,000
$31
Total
$1.2 million
$471
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 Kealakekua 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
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.
Schools in Kealakekua, HI average a SchoolGrade of D+: 39% of students test proficient, against 22% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Kealakekua on SchoolGrade
