Livability Report
HachinoheLivability Score
Aomori·Pop. 205,130
Hachinohe lies in southeastern Aomori Prefecture, facing the Pacific. A plain ringed by gentle terraces is crossed by the Mabechi and Niida rivers, and a fishing port, an industrial port and a commercial port line their mouths. In the Edo period it became the castle town of the Hachinohe domain, split off from the Morioka domain, and streets named for market days such as Mikkamachi and Jusannichimachi are still the city centre. In 1929 the towns of Hachinohe, Konakano and Minato and the village of Same merged into one city, and paper and smelting plants spread behind the port. The city is known for its morning markets, alleys and flour-based food culture, and describes itself as having little snow and long sunshine hours for northern Tohoku.
Published 2026-10-23 · Article updated 2026-10-27 · Data updated 2026-10-27
Where in Japan
Overall Score
64.0
57.5
52.2
51.8
41.0* These scores are based on statistical analysis of public data and do not represent a definitive assessment of any area. Actual livability varies depending on individual values and lifestyle.
5-axis scores
Safety64.0Cost57.5Convenience52.2Welfare51.8Economy41.0Basic Information
Population
205,130
Prefecture
Aomori
Q&A with Kai
Alex, Yuki, and Kai discuss what it's really like to live here.
A castle town and a port town became one
Yuki
Did Hachinohe start as a castle town or as a port town?
Alex
And the port side, when did that become a town?
Yuki
How did the river mouth turn into an industrial zone?
Kai
Both. Two towns that grew separately later became one. In the medieval period Ne Castle, said to have been built by Nanbu Moroyuki, was the Nanbu clan's seat. In the Edo period the Hachinohe domain was split from the Morioka domain, with its castle where Sanpachijo Park stands today. Streets named for market days still form the city centre.
Reading safety as a rate in a port and factory town
Alex
Before renting, is there a number I can use as a guide to safety?
Yuki
In a town where people commute in from outside to the port and factories, how should I read that rate?
Kai
The usual guide is a rate based on penal-code offences recognised by the police. Aomori Prefectural Police municipal statistics put recognised offences in 2025 at 3.61 per 1,000 residents, a lower level than the median of Japan's major municipalities. Traffic accidents are not included, and the figure covers all offence types together.
Housing costs across the plain and the terraces
Alex
I'm torn between buying and renting. How should I read land prices?
Yuki
Are the city centre and the area around the Shinkansen station different places to live?
Kai
In the 2026 official land price survey, residential land averaged 32,927 yen per square metre, a lower level than the median of Japan's major municipalities. The built-up area spreads over a plain ringed by terraces, with survey points scattered from the centre up onto the terraces. Treat the citywide average as a rough guide and check each district's points.
Two stations, buses, the morning market and the alleys
Alex
How much are trains and buses used for commuting and school?
Yuki
Where do people do their daily shopping and eating out?
Alex
How many places are there to eat in the evening?
Kai
In the 2020 census, 6.3% of commuters and students used rail or bus, an average level among Japan's major municipalities. The city's transport portal points to the Tohoku Shinkansen, the JR Hachinohe Line and the Aoimori Railway. Hon-Hachinohe, near city hall, and the Shinkansen's Hachinohe Station are separate, and buses connect Hachinohe Station with the centre.
The city hospital and the family centre
Alex
With a small child, I'd like to know about hospitals and the city's consultation services.
Yuki
How should I read the number of medical facilities for a city this size?
Alex
What about the number of schools and help with children's medical costs?
Kai
The main public hospital is Hachinohe City Hospital, designated as a regional medical support hospital and a regional cancer care hospital, among others. Check its website for departments. In April 2024 the city opened a Children and Families Centre linking maternal health and child welfare, a consultation point from pregnancy through child-rearing.
Port industries, migration and the food-city declaration
Yuki
What industries does Hachinohe's economy rest on?
Alex
Are more people moving in for work or more moving out?
Yuki
Has the city announced anything new recently?
Kai
The port is the foundation. The coastal zone holds paper, smelting and shipbuilding plants, a feed-grain complex and an LNG terminal. Hachinohe fishing port is a designated type-3 port of special importance to fisheries. As an income guide, the 2025 municipal tax survey puts taxable income per taxpayer at 3,101,118 yen, below the median of Japan's major municipalities.
Share of people actually living here
Yuki
Aren't the registered population and the number of people actually living here the same?
Alex
How should I take that gap when choosing where to live?
Kai
No. The residency rate divides the 2025 census population by the Basic Resident Register population as of 1 January 2026, and for Hachinohe it is 96.6%, a lower level than the median of Japan's major municipalities. Because the two counts differ in timing and method, the gap cannot be pinned on a single cause.
Who this city suits
Families with children
The city has a Children and Families Centre and a children's medical cost subsidy; check the city's page for eligibility and applications. Average rent for rented housing in the 2023 Housing and Land Survey was 45,041 yen a month, an average level among Japan's major municipalities. Walk the school zone and route to check the slopes between plain and terrace.
Young singles
Restaurants per 1,000 residents are at a higher level than the median of Japan's major municipalities, and the city presents its alleys and early-opening bathhouses as port-town culture. Note that Hon-Hachinohe, near city hall, and the Shinkansen's Hachinohe Station are separate stations; check your route to work on the city's public transport portal.
Seniors
Hospitals and clinics per 10,000 residents are at an average level among Japan's major municipalities, and the City Hospital is a designated regional medical support hospital. Note that seaside districts fall within the tsunami hazard map; check the distance and route to an evacuation site before choosing a home.
Remote workers
The city describes itself as having little snow and long sunshine hours for northern Tohoku; the Tohoku Shinkansen serves Hachinohe Station and a daily ferry to Tomakomai sails from the port. Note that 6.3% of commuters and students use rail or bus, so check how you would shop and reach clinics in each district.
Disaster risk and hazard maps
On its Hazard Maps page, Hachinohe publishes tsunami, flood, landslide, inland flooding and reservoir hazard maps. The tsunami map assumes the inundation area when a major tsunami warning is issued and was revised to reflect Aomori Prefecture's new inundation estimates. Tsunami evacuation buildings are designated as emergency, temporary refuges for when evacuation beyond the inundation zone is not possible in time. The flood map assumes rises on the Mabechi, Niida, Asamizu, Gonohe and Oirase rivers, and the inland flooding map assumes a maximum-scale rainfall of 120 mm per hour. Landslide warning zones and special warning zones are shown on the landslide map. When choosing a home, check down to the block on the city's official maps and the GSI overlay hazard map.
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Detailed Data
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Crime Rate (per 1,000) | 3.61 | 2025 |
| Avg. Land Price (¥/m²) | 32,927 | 2026 |
| Avg. Rent (¥) | 45,041 | 2023 |
| Public Transit Usage (%) | 6.3 | 2020 |
| Retail Establishments | 1,869 | 2021 |
| Retail Establishments (per 1,000) | 9.11 | 2021 |
| Restaurant Establishments | 1,197 | 2021 |
| Restaurant Establishments (per 1,000) | 5.84 | 2021 |
| Residency Rate (%, census ÷ resident register) | 96.6 | 2025 |
| Medical Facilities (per 10,000, hospitals + clinics) | 9.17 | 2023 |
| Hospitals | 21 | 2023 |
| Hospitals (per 10,000) | 1.02 | 2023 |
| Clinics | 167 | 2023 |
| Clinics (per 10,000) | 8.14 | 2023 |
| Schools (elementary + junior high + high) | 81 | 2024 |
| Schools (per 1,000) | 0.395 | 2024 |
| Schools (per habitable km²) | 0.396 | 2024 |
| Taxable Income per Capita (¥) | 3,101,118 | 2025 |
| Net Migration | -720 | 2025 |
| Net Migration Rate (%) | -0.35 | 2025 |
| Total Population | 205,130 | 2025 |
| crime_count | 741 | 2025 |
| crime_count_pref | 4,665 | 2025 |
| crime_rate_pref_per_1000 | 4 | 2025 |
| habitable_area_km2 | 204 | 2024 |
| resident_registry_population | 212,279 | 2026 |
Data sources
| Indicator | Source | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 2025 Population CensusStatistics Bureau of Japan | 2025 | |
| Crime Rate (per 1,000) | Reported penal code offenses by municipalityAomori Prefectural Police | 2025 | Counted where offenses occur; per 1,000 uses the 2025 census population |
| Avg. Land Price (¥/m²) | Official land prices (National Land Numerical Information L01)Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | 2026 | Residential sites only; simple average of sites |
| Avg. Rent (¥) | 2023 Housing and Land SurveyStatistics Bureau of Japan | 2023 | Monthly rent of rented housing; next survey in 2028 |
| Public Transit Usage (%) | 2020 Population Census (means of commuting)Statistics Bureau of Japan | 2020 | To be updated when the 2025 census commuting tables are published |
| Retail Establishments (per 1,000) | 2021 Economic Census for Business ActivityMIC and METI | 2021 | Next survey in 2026 |
| Restaurant Establishments (per 1,000) | 2021 Economic Census for Business ActivityMIC and METI | 2021 | Next survey in 2026 |
| Medical Facilities (per 10,000, hospitals + clinics) | Survey of Medical Institutions (System of Social and Demographic Statistics)Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | 2023 | Hospitals and clinics combined |
| Schools (per habitable km²) | School Basic Survey and habitable area (System of Social and Demographic Statistics)MEXT and Statistics Bureau of Japan | 2024 | Elementary, junior high and high schools per habitable km² |
| Taxable Income per Capita (¥) | Survey on municipal tax assessmentMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications | 2025 | Taxable income per taxpayer |
| Net Migration Rate (%) | Report on Internal MigrationStatistics Bureau of Japan | 2025 | |
| Residency Rate (%, census ÷ resident register) | Census population ÷ resident register populationMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications | 2025 | Resident register population as of January 1, 2026 |
Sources (36)
- Hachinohe City: Overview of Hachinohe
- Wikipedia (ja): Hachinohe
- Hachinohe City: Ne Castle, a restored medieval castle
- Hachinohe City: About Hachinohe (vacant house guide)
- Aomori Prefecture: Port of Hachinohe
- Mitsubishi Paper Mills: History
- Hachinohe City: Fishing ports
- Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen: Silver Ferry routes and timetable
- Hachinohe City: Rail (public transport portal)
- Hachinohe City: Gyosai retail market
- VISIT Hachinohe: Tatehana Wharf morning market
- Hachinohe City: Tourism Promotion Plan 2025-2029 (PDF)
- Hachinohe City Hospital: Designations
- Hachinohe City: Children and Families Centre (maternal health)
- Hachinohe City: Children's medical cost subsidy
- Hachinohe City: Relocation support grant
- Hachinohe City: Food City Hachinohe declaration event
- Hachinohe City: Hazard Maps
- Hachinohe City: Tsunami Hazard Map (major tsunami warning)
- Hachinohe City: Tsunami evacuation buildings
- Hachinohe City: Flood hazard map
- Hachinohe City: Landslide hazard map
- Hachinohe City: Inland flooding hazard map
- Aomori Prefecture: Check your local hazard maps
- GSI: Overlay Hazard Map
- Aomori Prefectural Police: Penal-code offences by municipality, 2025 (final, PDF)
- e-Stat: 2025 Census, basic population tabulation (table 0004065881)
- e-Stat: 2023 Housing and Land Survey, monthly rent of rented housing (table 0004021452)
- e-Stat: 2020 Census, means of transport to work or school (table 0003454513)
- e-Stat: 2021 Economic Census, private establishments by industry (table 0004005684)
- e-Stat: Number of schools (School Basic Survey, table 0000020205)
- e-Stat: Number of medical facilities (Survey of Medical Institutions, table 0000020209)
- e-Stat: Basic Resident Register migration report, net migration (table 0003419945)
- MLIT National Land Numerical Information: Official land prices (L01, 2026)
- MIC: Municipal tax assessment survey (FY2025)
- MIC: Population based on the Basic Resident Register (2026)
Data years: mainly 2025 (2020–2026 by indicator)
Published 2026-10-23 · Article updated 2026-10-27 · Data updated 2026-10-27