Livability Report
HakubaLivability Score
Nagano·Pop. 8,375
Hakuba is a village in north-western Nagano Prefecture, bordering Toyama Prefecture across the Hakuba Range. This article reads the village through five axes (safety, cost, convenience, welfare and economy) and a supplementary indicator, the residency rate. The name comes from Mount Shirouma: a snow pattern that appears on the slopes when paddies are harrowed looked like a horse from the village, so the peak was called Shirouma-dake, later written with the characters for white horse. The present centre, Hakuba-cho, grew up as a settlement when the Itoigawa road was opened. Climbers arrived in the Meiji era, skiing spread to the foothills in the Taisho era, and a farming village of rice and silkworms became a village whose main industry is tourism. It hosted events of the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and in winter it lies under the snow of a designated special heavy-snow area.
Published 2026-04-12 · Article updated 2026-10-09 · Data updated 2026-10-08
Where in Japan
Overall Score
43.9
—
58.4
38.4
46.9- ※ Cost is not scored because rent data is unavailable
- ※ Retail and restaurant figures are per resident and include shops serving tourists
- ※ Fewer people actually live here than are registered, so the population may vary widely by season
* 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
Safety43.9CostNot scoredConvenience58.4Welfare38.4Economy46.9Basic Information
Population
8,375
Prefecture
Nagano
Q&A with Kai
Alex, Yuki, and Kai discuss what it's really like to live here.
The snow-pattern mountain and the road village
Alex
Does the name Hakuba have anything to do with a white horse?
Yuki
When did climbers and skiers start coming in numbers?
Alex
Have people here always worked mainly in tourism?
Kai
It comes from the mountain. Mount Shirouma in the Hakuba Range gave the village its name. A snow pattern that appears on the slopes when paddies are harrowed looked like a horse from the village, so the peak was called Shirouma-dake. Later written with the characters for white horse and read Hakuba, it named the village and station.
Safety
Alex
With so many winter visitors, what is the guide for residents on crime?
Yuki
If a visitor is involved in an incident, where does it get counted?
Kai
The crime rate. Nagano Prefectural Police figures by municipality put recorded penal code offences in 2025 at 6.69 per 1,000 residents, an average level among Japan's larger municipalities. It counts offences recorded by the police and excludes traffic accidents and harm the police never recorded.
Cost of living
Yuki
What is the rent statistic for this village?
Alex
If I buy land and build, how much is the land?
Kai
We have no rent statistic for this village. Rent figures from the Housing and Land Survey are not available at village level, so the cost axis, which combines rent and land price, is not assessed here. For finding a home, the village runs a vacant house and land bank that links properties registered by their owners with new users.
Convenience
Alex
What means of transport do people use to commute or go to school in the village?
Yuki
How is the number of shops in the village calculated?
Kai
The statistic covers commuting and school travel. In the 2020 Census, 4.0% of commuters and students used rail or bus, lower than the median for larger municipalities. The village's relocation guide says the main means of transport is the private car, and since fiscal 2024 it has run the Hakuba on-demand shared taxi as local public transport.
Welfare
Alex
If I fall ill suddenly, how is medical care set up in the village?
Yuki
What are the village schools like?
Kai
The village has clinics. JaScore divided the 2023 Survey of Medical Institutions count of hospitals and clinics by the 2025 Census population, giving 7.16 per 10,000 residents, an average level among larger municipalities in Japan. The village guide says the general hospital is in neighbouring Omachi, with a duty-doctor rota for the northern Hakuba and Otari area on holidays.
Economy
Alex
What is work like in a tourism village?
Yuki
Has the village population moved in a long-running pattern?
Alex
How do the present population movements look in the statistics?
Kai
The village guide says many jobs are tourism-related and many are seasonal. On income, the FY2025 taxation survey puts taxable income per taxpayer at 4,105,750 yen, higher than the median for larger municipalities. It is the average for residents registered and paying tax in the village, separate from wages in local jobs.
Share of people living here
Yuki
What does the residency rate at the end compare?
Alex
How should I take that gap as someone living here?
Kai
Two populations; it is a supplementary indicator, not an axis. It divides the 2025 Census population by the Basic Resident Register population as of 1 January 2026, and Hakuba is at 85.9%, lower than the median for larger municipalities. The Census counts people living there and the register counts registrations, so timing and method differ.
Who this city suits
Families with children
Elementary and junior high schools and the prefectural Hakuba High School are in the village, and the village lists a children's medical subsidy; check eligibility on its pages, and school districts on the board of education's pages. The caution is snow: clearing your own plot is up to you.
Young singles
The share commuting by rail or bus is lower than the median for larger municipalities in Japan, and the village guide names the private car as the main means of transport. The village says many jobs are tourism-related and seasonal. Omachi is about 30 minutes by car or the Oito Line, according to the village. Check your daily commuting route and the terms of seasonal work.
Seniors
Medical care in the village is at clinics, the general hospital is in neighbouring Omachi, and a duty-doctor rota covers holidays in the northern area. Medical facilities per capita are at an average level among larger municipalities in Japan. The caution is winter travel, so check whether the on-demand shared taxi, running since fiscal 2024, serves your district.
Remote workers
Under its furusato telework programme the village set up Hakuba Norway Village as a telework base and says fibre internet is available throughout. When choosing a home, check the connection service offered at each property and the lines you can contract.
Disaster risk and hazard maps
The village hazard map booklet maps the expected extent of damage from earthquakes, floods and sediment disasters, and was partly revised in December 2022. The flood map assumes rainfall of a scale expected roughly once in 1,000 years (the maximum assumed scale) and shows the inundation depths expected if rivers overflow; the sediment disaster map shows the warning areas and special warning areas designated by Nagano Prefecture. For earthquakes it states that a quake on the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line fault zone is predicted to bring seismic intensity 5-lower to 7 across the whole village, and records that the Nagano-ken Kamishiro Fault Earthquake of 22 November 2014, centred on Hakuba, shook the village at intensity 5-upper. A separate map of large-scale embankment sites is also published. When choosing a home, confirm address-level assumptions on the official maps.
Notes on the data
- ※ The crime rate is the number of penal code offences recorded by Nagano Prefectural Police for the municipality where they occurred, per 1,000 residents in the 2025 Census. It excludes offences not recorded by police and traffic accidents.
- ※ "Higher or lower than the median" compares each indicator with the median of municipalities with 50,000 or more residents in the 2025 Census. Hakuba has fewer than 50,000 residents and is not part of that pool; the median is used only as a reference. Values within the middle half are described as an average level.
- ※ The cost axis is not assessed for this village because rent figures from the Housing and Land Survey are not available at village level. Land price is the simple average of residential survey points in the 2026 official land price survey, and with few points it swings with their composition.
- ※ Retail, restaurant and medical-facility counts are JaScore figures: the number of establishments in the village divided by the 2025 Census population. Shops serving tourists are counted, and tourists are not in the denominator. The residency rate is lower than the median, so the Basic Resident Register population and the Census population differ.
- ※ Indicator years are not aligned. Commuting modes are from the 2020 Census, establishments from the 2021 Economic Census, medical facilities from 2023 and school counts from FY2024. Village measures and hazard information are based on village pages as of October 2026; the relocation guide was last updated in May 2024.
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Detailed Data
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Crime Rate (per 1,000) | 6.69 | 2025 |
| Avg. Land Price (¥/m²) | 18,185 | 2026 |
| Public Transit Usage (%) | 4.0 | 2020 |
| Retail Establishments | 97 | 2021 |
| Retail Establishments (per 1,000) | 11.58 | 2021 |
| Restaurant Establishments | 126 | 2021 |
| Restaurant Establishments (per 1,000) | 15.05 | 2021 |
| Residency Rate (%, census ÷ resident register) | 85.9 | 2025 |
| Medical Facilities (per 10,000, hospitals + clinics) | 7.16 | 2023 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 2023 |
| Hospitals (per 10,000) | 0.00 | 2023 |
| Clinics | 6 | 2023 |
| Clinics (per 10,000) | 7.16 | 2023 |
| Schools (elementary + junior high + high) | 4 | 2024 |
| Schools (per 1,000) | 0.478 | 2024 |
| Schools (per habitable km²) | 0.070 | 2024 |
| Taxable Income per Capita (¥) | 4,105,750 | 2025 |
| Net Migration | -105 | 2025 |
| Net Migration Rate (%) | -1.25 | 2025 |
| Total Population | 8,375 | 2025 |
| crime_count | 56 | 2025 |
| crime_count_pref | 8,085 | 2025 |
| crime_rate_pref_per_1000 | 4 | 2025 |
| habitable_area_km2 | 57 | 2024 |
| resident_registry_population | 9,751 | 2026 |
- ※ Cost is not scored because rent data is unavailable
- ※ Retail and restaurant figures are per resident and include shops serving tourists
- ※ Fewer people actually live here than are registered, so the population may vary widely by season
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 municipalityNagano 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 |
| 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 (19)
- 白馬村 白馬村の概要（位置・人口・気候等）
- 白馬村 白馬の歴史（古代～大正）
- 白馬村 白馬村への移住
- 白馬村 防災マップ・ハザードマップ
- 白馬村 防災ハザードマップ PDF（2022年12月改訂）
- 白馬村 長野県神城断層地震
- 白馬村 大規模盛土造成地について
- Wikipedia 白馬村
- 長野県警察 警察署・市町村別 刑法犯認知件数（令和7年 確定値）PDF
- e-Stat 令和7年国勢調査 人口等基本集計（統計表ID 0004065881）
- e-Stat 令和2年国勢調査 通勤・通学利用交通手段（統計表ID 0003454513）
- e-Stat 令和3年経済センサス‐活動調査 産業別民営事業所数（統計表ID 0004005684）
- e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系 学校数（学校基本調査、統計表ID 0000020205）
- e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系 医療施設数（医療施設調査、統計表ID 0000020209）
- e-Stat 住民基本台帳人口移動報告 転入超過数（統計表ID 0003419945）
- 国土交通省 国土数値情報 地価公示データ（L01、令和8年）
- 総務省 市町村税課税状況等の調（令和7年度）
- 総務省 住民基本台帳に基づく人口、人口動態及び世帯数調査（令和8年）
- 国土地理院 重ねるハザードマップ
Data years: mainly 2025 (2020–2026 by indicator)
Published 2026-04-12 · Article updated 2026-10-09 · Data updated 2026-10-08