Waialua is located at 21°34'31" North, 158°7'46" West, southwest of Haleiwa, reached on Waialua Beach Road or Kaukonahua Road. Kaukonahua Road turns eastward and, as State Rte. 803 then 801 runs up into the central plateau of Oahu to Wahiawā or to Schofield Barracks. Farrington Highway runs westward to Mokulēia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The total area is 8.30% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,761 people, 1,128 households, and 882 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,007.6 people per square mile. There were 1,219 housing units at an average density of 974.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 15.34% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.05% Native American, 51.85% Asian, 3.96% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 27.39% from two or more races. 6.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,128 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.71. In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,763, and the median income for a family was $51,801. Males had a median income of $29,607 versus $23,716 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,220. 11.7% of the population and 8.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.0% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service operates the Waialua Post Office at 67-079 Nauahi Street. The postal code is 96791. In 2017, the state approved NRG Energy, Inc., to build a 49 megawatt solar farm project near Waialua called Kawailoa Solar. HECO will buy electricity from this solar farm at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour for 22 years. On September 10, 2019, the 49 megawatt Kawailoa Solar developed by Clearway Energy Group began its operation. Originally started by the developer SunEdison, Hawaiian Electric broke its ties to the firm in February 2016 before SunEdison's bankruptcy proceedings. San Francisco-based Clearway's predecessor the NRG Energy's Community Solar division, took over the project at the end of November 2016. On January 22, 2019, the Clearway Energy Group obtained NRG Community Solar's assets.
Many of the current families living in Waialua are the results of agricultural industry which began in the early 20th century. There was an increased demand for workers as the industry grew, resulting in workers being brought in from China, Portugal, Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Spain and other areas. Upon arriving in Hawaii, many of these workers were assigned to work in the sugarcane plantations in Waialua. During the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the sugar production decreased as increasing labor and production costs caused producers to move overseas. Many of the families brought to Waialua during the sugar rush remained here and many of their descendants reside there today.
