Waipahu is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Hawaii. With a population of 43,485 people and 23 associated neighborhoods, Waipahu is the fifth largest community in Hawaii.

Housing costs in Waipahu are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Hawaii.

Waipahu is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

In Waipahu, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 33.33 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Waipahu is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the bus helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Waipahu area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

The education level of Waipahu citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 20.07% of adults 25 and older in Waipahu have a college degree.

The per capita income in Waipahu in 2022 was $31,626, which is lower middle income relative to Hawaii and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $126,504 for a family of four. However, Waipahu contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Waipahu is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Waipahu home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Waipahu residents report their race to be Asian, followed by Native Hawaiian. Important ancestries of people in Waipahu include Portuguese, German, English, Italian, and Irish.

Waipahu also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 43.13%.

The most common language spoken in Waipahu is English. Other important languages spoken here include Pacific Island languages and Tagalog.