Honolulu, HI elevation
Downtown Honolulu sits at 19 ft (6 m) above sea level. The city limits climb well above that: the highest of our USGS sample points is 2,882 ft, 5.4 mi from downtown.
USGS elevation downtown
19ft
6 m above sea level
Ground elevation at 21.30694, -157.85833 (GNIS populated-place coordinates (city center)).
Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program, via the Elevation Point Query Service
- Range inside city limits (sampled)
- 0 to 2,882 ft
- 0 to 879 m · 170 USGS points
- Source: USGS 3DEP + 2024 Census boundary
- Average of sampled points
- 535 ft (163 m)
- Source: USGS 3DEP
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made
Check your exact spot in Honolulu
Elevation changes from street to street. Use your location, search an address or click the map to get the USGS value for one point. Green pins mark the points named on this page.
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Elevation range inside the city limits
Honolulu covers 60.6 sq mi of land. Across it, USGS elevations at 170 sampled points run from 0 ft (0 m) to 2,882 ft (879 m), a spread of 2,882 ft. The average of those points is 535 ft, higher than downtown.
Method: Sampled: USGS 3DEP elevation at 170 points (the city center plus a regular grid about 1,006 m apart) inside the 2024 Census boundary. The true highest and lowest points can lie between grid points.
Life at 19 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for downtown Honolulu (19 ft). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 100 % of sea level
- Air is still 20.9% oxygen; there is just less air.
Sources: pressure from the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA, NASA, USAF); boiling point from the Antoine equation for water (Lange's Handbook of Chemistry); canning thresholds from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. Not medical or food-safety advice; follow the tested USDA recipe for your altitude.
Honolulu compared with nearby and similar-size cities
- Lincoln, NE1,202 ft
- St. Paul, MN789 ft
- Pittsburgh, PA765 ft
- Pearl City, HI197 ft
- Waiahole-Waikane, HI126 ft
- Anchorage, AK104 ft
- Honolulu (downtown)19 ft
- Kailua, HI12 ft
- Kaneohe, HI12 ft
- East Honolulu, HI9 ft
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Honolulu | 19 ft (6 m) | USGS 3DEP at GNIS populated-place coordinates |
| Highest sampled point | 2,882 ft (879 m) · 5.4 mi from downtown | USGS 3DEP grid sample |
| Lowest sampled point | 0 ft (0 m) · 1.6 mi from downtown | USGS 3DEP grid sample |
| Nearest public airport: Daniel K Inouye Intl (PHNL) | 14 ft (4 m) · 4.1 mi away | FAA field elevation |
Honolulu at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 344,967 (July 1, 2024) | U.S. Census Bureau estimate |
| Land area | 60.6 sq mi (157.0 km²) | Census 2024 Gazetteer |
| County | Honolulu | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Honolulu | USGS GNIS |
| Downtown coordinates | 21.30694, -157.85833 | USGS GNIS |
More places and tools
Nearest city pages
- Sacramento, CA — 27 ft, 2,460 mi (3,959 km) away
- Eugene, OR — 430 ft, 2,530 mi (4,071 km) away
- Truckee, CA — 5,817 ft, 2,543 mi (4,093 km) away
- South Lake Tahoe, CA — 6,238 ft, 2,545 mi (4,095 km) away
- Salem, OR — 157 ft, 2,561 mi (4,121 km) away
- All Hawaii elevations
Tools pre-filled for 19 ft
Frequently asked questions
What is the elevation of Honolulu, HI?
Downtown Honolulu is 19 ft (6 m) above sea level, from the USGS 3D Elevation Program at the city-center coordinates. Inside the city limits, USGS values at 170 sampled points run from 0 to 2,882 ft.
What is the highest point in Honolulu?
The highest of our 170 USGS sample points inside the 2024 Census city boundary is 2,882 ft (879 m), about 5.4 mi from downtown (21.3500, -157.7892). The true high point can be slightly higher because it may fall between grid points.
What is the lowest point in Honolulu?
The lowest sampled point is 0 ft (0 m), about 1.6 mi from downtown. That is 2,882 ft below the highest sampled point.
At what temperature does water boil in Honolulu?
At 19 ft, water boils at about 212.0 °F (100.0 °C) and standard air pressure is 29.90 inHg (1,013 hPa), so each breath holds about 100% of the oxygen it would at sea level. Cooking times for pasta, eggs and beans run a little longer than at sea level.
What is the elevation of the airport near Honolulu?
Daniel K Inouye Intl (PHNL), 4.1 mi from downtown, has an FAA field elevation of 13.5 ft (4 m).
Do I need to adjust canning times in Honolulu?
Downtown Honolulu is at 19 ft, so the USDA 0–1,000 ft column applies there. Parts of the city reach 2,882 ft, where the 1,001 ft and higher columns apply.
Sources
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) — downtown elevation and every sampled point
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files (places, states; 1:500,000) — city boundary used for sampling
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files (places) — land area and Census place match
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (cities and towns, July 1, 2024) — population
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Domestic Names — city-center coordinates, county and topo map name
- FAA Aeronautical Information Services, Airports (field elevation) — airport field elevation
- U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA/NASA/USAF); water boiling point by the Antoine equation (Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry) — boiling point, air pressure and oxygen
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning — canning altitude thresholds
How each number is produced: methodology and data sources.
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made