Honolulu

Is Honolulu safe?

Yes, and safer than most big American cities on the numbers that usually worry people. The Honolulu Police Department, which polices the whole island of Oahu and about a million people, recorded 15 homicides in 2025, a rate of 1.5 per 100,000. That is about a third of the US rate. Violent crime as a whole was little more than half the national level.

What goes wrong for visitors here is different: a smashed rental car window at a lookout, a crash on a fast road, or, most seriously, the ocean. We score Honolulu 74, ahead of San Francisco (72) and Los Angeles (65), held back by the roads and the sea.

Car break-ins and theft

Overall property crime on Oahu fell sharply in 2025 and is now slightly below the US average, according to FBI data. Car theft is the clear exception. Honolulu police recorded 2,913 vehicles stolen in 2025, a rate of 295 per 100,000, about half again the national rate. Cars left for hours at beaches, lookouts and trailheads are tempting targets, and rental cars are easy to spot.

The fix is simple: leave nothing in the car, not even in the boot, and do not load the boot in the car park where you leave it. Phone and wallet go with you, even to the beach, in a waterproof pouch if needed.

The ocean is the biggest risk

Drowning is the leading cause of injury death for Hawaii's visitors, according to the state Department of Health. About 800 people drowned in the ocean across Hawaii between 2015 and 2024, and roughly half were visitors. On Oahu, residents made up more than half.

Calm-looking water can be dangerous. Shore breaks, currents and waves that sweep people off rocks catch swimmers, snorkellers and people taking photos on ledges. Civil Beat's reporting on the Department of Health data mentions places such as Sandy Beach, which it calls one of Oahu's most dangerous, the Halona Blowhole, the Makapuu tide pools and the coast near Kaena Point.

How to stay safe in the water:

• Swim at beaches with lifeguards, and ask them about conditions before you go in.
• Respect warning signs and closed beaches, and stay off wet rocks and ledges when the surf is up.
• In winter, the North Shore's big waves are for watching, not swimming.
• Never swim or snorkel alone, and do not go in after drinking.

Roads and getting around

2025 was a bad year on Oahu's roads. By 28 December police had counted 82 traffic deaths, against 54 at the same point in 2024 and well above the island's average of about 60 a year since 2003. Speed is the biggest factor; Civil Beat reports that it played a part in 58% of Hawaii's road deaths in 2023, the highest share of any state. Pedestrians made up 35% of Hawaii's road deaths in 2024.

For visitors, that means care on the H-1 freeway and fast roads such as Nimitz Highway, where the island's 82nd death of 2025 happened, and extra care crossing wide streets at night. Waikiki is easy to explore on foot and by bus.

Night safety, health and hazards

Waikiki's main streets are lit and busy late. Incidents do happen, including a man slashed in a Waikiki hotel in September 2026. Stick to busy streets after dark and take a car back to your hotel from outlying bars. Gallup's 2025 report puts the US at 71% feeling safe walking alone at night.

Honolulu's air is among the cleanest of any US city; the EPA's downtown monitor averaged 4.1 µg/m³ of PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary over 2023–2025. Sunburn and dehydration are the everyday risks on exposed hikes such as Diamond Head. Care is good but expensive, so travel insurance matters.

Natural hazards are real but well managed. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes that the Pacific hurricane season normally runs from May to November and can affect Hawaii, and that NOAA forecast an above-normal season in the central Pacific in 2026. Tsunamis are the other threat. In July 2025 a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Kamchatka sent waves of 0.33 m to Honolulu and 1.21 m to Haleiwa, according to NOAA. Learn the evacuation route from your hotel. For the national picture, see our United States page.

How we scored it

Violent crime (88) and health and environment (88) are Honolulu's strongest factors, thanks to a low murder rate and very clean air. Natural hazards (55) and traffic (58) are the weakest; the first reflects drownings, hurricanes and tsunamis, the second the 2025 rise in road deaths. Theft (70) is held back by car crime.