The local economy of Hawaii and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
2.7%
+0.6 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Kauai County 2.5%, highest Hawaii County 3.4%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,387
+1.7%vs a year ago
643,896 jobs at 64,578 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
3,333
-4.7%this year vs last year
Most in Honolulu County 1,560, Hawaii County 1,066.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-6,432
-5.6 per 1,000residents
48,085 moved in and 54,517 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Hawaii gas price
$5.64
+$1.17vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Honolulu County $5.57, highest Kauai County $5.89. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Hawaii, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
33K
+0.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
520K
+2.5%vs 2022
Largest sector: Accommodation and Food Services (18.8%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$30.3B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$58,199
Highest sector: Utilities $124,628.
Per employee per year
Share of Hawaii's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 57,327 | $29,655 |
| Employment Services | 48,144 | $51,557 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 34,749 | $63,080 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 18,407 | $94,222 |
| Grocery Stores | 13,278 | $34,705 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 10,304 | $37,014 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 10,091 | $37,525 |
| Clothing Stores | 9,463 | $27,286 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 9,256 | $59,074 |
| Scheduled Air Transportation | 9,167 | $75,359 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 9,119 | $82,123 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 8,694 | $86,728 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $90,251 a year in 275 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Hawaii, up 1.3% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Civil Engineers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$90,251
+1.3%vs 2024
Middle half: $74,480 to $123,212.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
275
0.0%vs 2024
290 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$91,000
Civil Engineers, 25 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$54,610
+36.6%vs 2024
124 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in Hawaii, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | 25 | $91,000 |
| Physicians, All Other | 13 | $86,382 |
| Software Developers | 13 | $124,000 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 9 | $65,000 |
| Electrical Engineers | 9 | $102,523 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 8 | $80,000 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 7 | $52,000 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | 7 | $111,096 |
| Astronomers | 6 | $84,424 |
| Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 6 | $65,021 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaii | 52 | 2 |
| Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii | 24 | 6 |
| Nan, Inc. | 19 | 2 |
| Kapi'olani Medical Specialists | 11 | 3 |
| Queen's University Medical Group | 10 | 2 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 8 | 3 |
| Hitachi Rail Honolulu JV | 6 | 1 |
| Association of Universities For Research In Astronomy | 4 | 2 |
| Accenture LLP ACN | 3 | 1 |
| AECOM Technical Services, Inc. | 3 | 1 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 192 | $92,038 | $76,575 to $124,044 |
| Hilo | 20 | $80,000 | $70,086 to $105,097 |
| Pearl City | 8 | $95,488 | $92,204 to $117,690 |
| Aiea | 6 | $97,873 | $76,034 to $118,750 |
| Kamuela | 6 | $74,638 | $53,321 to $125,625 |
| Ewa Beach | 5 | $281,857 | $248,144 to $386,826 |
| Lihue | 5 | $86,382 | $78,874 to $115,627 |
| Kailua-Kona | 4 | $89,000 | $78,875 to $117,750 |
| Laie | 4 | $73,672 | $62,169 to $85,257 |
| Kaneohe | 3 | $83,762 | $60,902 to $86,798 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of Hawaii added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
Hawaii has had 77 declared disasters and emergencies since 1955, 54 of them since 2000, most often Fire. Flood insurance has paid $167.9 million on 6,285 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 1992 ($35.9 million).
Declared disasters
54
24 major disasters. Most often Fire (29 since 1955).
Since 2000, all types; 77 since 1955
Flood claims paid
$58.2M
1,155 claims. Biggest year 1992 ($35.9M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
61,150
Average premium $785 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
30
Hawaii County, latest Oct 7, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for Hawaii, 1955 to today
Claims paid in Hawaii by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1955
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 4 of 4.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu County | 3,069 | $69.9M | 39,347 |
| 2 | Kauai County | 1,495 | $47.7M | 4,452 |
| 3 | Maui + Kalawao County | 819 | $26.1M | 11,981 |
| 4 | Hawaii County | 800 | $23.4M | 4,068 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in Hawaii, from official public data.
Official public data lists 1,899 facilities in Hawaii with records since 2010, 1,880 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Navy Public Works Center in Pearl Harbor ($8,776,250). 37 large facilities reported 6.71 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 4.0% from 2022.
Facilities with records
1,899
1,880 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$8.78M
Navy Public Works Center, Pearl Harbor.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
6.71M t
-4.0%vs 2022
37 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
2.08M t
Hawaiian Electric CO INC Kahe Generating Station, Kapolei.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Navy Public Works Center Pearl Harbor | $8,776,250 | 10 |
| Schnitzer Steel Hawaii Corp Kapolei | $1,550,000 | 2 |
| Hammerhead Metals Recycling Puunene | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Hanapepe Unpermitted Grading Hanapepe | $660,000 | 2 |
| Abf Freight System, INC. (1) Honolulu | $535,000 | 0 |
| US Marine Corps Base Hawaii M C B H Kaneohe Bay | $240,250 | 0 |
| Hawaii Electric CO Waiau Power Plant Pearl City | $235,400 | 2 |
| Hawaiian Electric CO INC Kahe Generating Station Kapolei | $235,400 | 3 |
| Helco Puna Generating Station Keaau | $235,400 | 1 |
| Maui Electric CO (Meco) - Maalaea Generating Station Kihei | $235,400 | 2 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Hawaiian Electric CO INC Kahe Generating Station Kapolei | 2,081,849 |
| Hawaii Electric CO Waiau Power Plant Pearl City | 1,105,796 |
| Kalaeloa Cogeneration Plant Kapolei | 917,222 |
| Refinery Kapolei Kapolei | 620,476 |
| Maui Electric CO (Meco) - Maalaea Generating Station Kihei | 464,012 |
| Covanta Honolulu Resource Recovery Venture (H-Power) Kapolei | 233,988 |
| Hawaii Electric Light CO (Helco) - Keahole Generating Station Kailua Kona | 178,753 |
| Hawaiian Electric Company (Heco) Campbell Industrial Park Generating Station Kapolei | 166,345 |
| Maui Electric CO (Meco) - Kahului Generating Station Kahului | 159,452 |
| Hawaii Electric Light CO (Helco) - Kanoelehua Hill Generating Station Hilo | 145,662 |
Large facilities in Hawaii, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in Hawaii, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. HE | 12 | $706K | 4.50M |
| Delta Air Lines, Inc. DAL | 1 | $1,000 | - |
| FedEx Corporation FDX | 4 | $1,000 | - |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Hawaii, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Hawaii is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Hawaii, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Hawaii was 2.7% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 2.1% a year earlier. 673,939 people were employed out of a labor force of 692,738. Among its counties, Kauai County had the lowest rate (2.5%) and Hawaii County the highest (3.4%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Hawaii was $1,387 in Q1 2026, up 1.7% from a year earlier, across 643,896 jobs at 64,578 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 253 new homes in Hawaii in August 2026 (190 single-family and 47 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 2,389, down 4.7% from the same months last year, and 3,333 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Honolulu County (1,560), Hawaii County (1,066), Maui County (588) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 48,085 people moved to Hawaii and 54,517 moved away, a net loss of 6,432 (-5.6 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Texas, Washington, and most people who left went to California, Washington, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Hawaii averaged $5.64 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.17 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $7.25. Among its counties, Honolulu County had the lowest regular price ($5.57) and Kauai County the highest ($5.89).
Accommodation and Food Services (97,559 employees), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (71,783 employees), Health Care and Social Assistance (71,314 employees) were the largest sectors in Hawaii in 2023. In all, 32,911 business locations employed 520,043 people at an average pay of $58,199 a year.
$90,251 a year was the median pay offered in 275 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Hawaii in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 1.3% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $74,480 to $123,212. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
University of Hawaii (52), Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (24), Nan, Inc. (19), Kapi'olani Medical Specialists (11), Queen's University Medical Group (10) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in Hawaii in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Civil Engineers (25 filings, median $91,000), Physicians, All Other (13 filings, median $86,382), Software Developers (13 filings, median $124,000) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in Hawaii in fiscal year 2025.
$92,038 was the median offered pay in Honolulu, the highest among the Hawaii cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (192 filings).
$54,610 a year was the median pay offered in 124 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in Hawaii in fiscal year 2025.
77 disasters and emergencies have been declared for Hawaii since 1955, 54 of them since 2000 (24 major disasters). The most common type is Fire (29 declarations).
Hawaii County, with 30 declarations since 2000, followed by Maui County (29) and Honolulu County (19). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$167.9 million on 6,285 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 1992, with $35.9 million paid on 1,116 claims. Honolulu County received the most ($69.9 million).
$785 a year in 2025, across 61,150 flood insurance policies in Hawaii. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.