Waianae, HI (Makaha West)

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the Makaha West neighborhood in Waianae are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 61.3% of the neighborhoods in America. With 23.3% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 74.6% of U.S. neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the Makaha West neighborhood, 31.6% of the working population is employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 29.4% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (29.1%), and 11.2% in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the Makaha West neighborhood is English, spoken by 62.3% of households. Some people also speak Tagalog (the first language of the Philippine region) (3.6%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.

In the Makaha West neighborhood in Waianae, HI, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Spanish (6.2%). There are also a number of people of Asian ancestry (5.9%), and residents who report German roots (5.2%), and some of the residents are also of Portuguese ancestry (5.0%), along with some Native American ancestry residents (1.9%), among others. In addition, 30.0% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in Makaha West neighborhood spend between 45 minutes and one hour commuting one-way to work (54.6% of working residents), longer and tougher than most commutes in America.

Here most residents (43.2%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (21.7%) and 20.4% of residents also ride the bus for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.