Wailua (literally, "two waters" in Hawaiian) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,359 at the 2020 census, up from 2,083 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Wailua is located at (22.058631, -159.341761), on the east side of the island of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest islan ...

. It is bordered to the north by

Kapaa Kapaa (Kauai dialect: Tapaa) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. It is the most populous town in the island of Kauai, with a population of 11,652 as of the 2020 census, up from ...

, to the west by the Wailua Homesteads CDP, to the south by the Wailua River, and to the east by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

. Nounou Mountain, also known as the "Sleeping Giant", is about tall and divides coastal Wailua (the Wailua CDP) from inland Wailua (the Wailua Homesteads CDP). Inland Wailua is often referred to as a bedroom community, since it is home to many, but lacks any commercial or government facilities. Coastal Wailua is a significant commercial center, with many hotels and condominiums for visitors. The Wailua River is the only navigable river in the state of Hawaii and is a center of activity for locals (water skiing, kayaking) and visitors (boat tour of Fern Grotto). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the Wailua CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 17.27%, are water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 2,083 people, 781 households, and 549 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,211 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 29.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.5% Native American, 34.8% Asian, 8.5%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.6% from other races, and 25.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 7.1% of the population. There were 781 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.16. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $45,875, and the median income for a family was $52,083. Males had a median income of $34,615 versus $25,380 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $20,231. About 8.7% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

References

{{Kauai County, Hawaii Census-designated places in Kauai County, Hawaii Populated places on Kauai Populated coastal places in Hawaii