Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · September 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: HI NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — September 2026
Hawaii's nonmetro wages lag even as labor stays tight.
Hawaii County's $1,190 average weekly wage trails every other county in the state even as statewide unemployment held at 2.5% in September, underscoring a widening gap between labor scarcity and compensation competitiveness in nonmetro markets.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Hawaii statewide unemployment: 2.5% — Down from 2.7% in August 2026
- Hawaii County avg weekly wage: $1,190 — Lowest of all Hawaii counties, Q1 2026
- Hawaii wage growth rank: 51st — Among all states, BLS Q1 2026
- Hospitality growth outlook, HI: 6.0% — Down from prior 11.3% projection through 2034
Key takeaways
Nonmetro wages are falling further behind the rest of Hawaii.
Hawaii County's $1,190 average weekly wage trails Maui's $1,250 and Kauai's $1,220, and statewide wage growth ranks 51st among states. Compensation strategies built on metro Honolulu comparisons risk understating retention risk in nonmetro roles.
Hospitality's growth outlook just got cut nearly in half.
Accommodation and food services growth projections dropped from 11.3% to 6.0% through 2034, reflecting a softer international visitor recovery. Recruiters should treat hospitality sourcing as a longer-term rebuild, not a seasonal dip.
Healthcare is the one bright spot — and the scarcest talent pool.
Healthcare and social assistance is projected to grow 11.2% through 2034, well above the 8.4% national rate, while Hawaii County healthcare jobs already grew 3.7% in Q1. Current conditions suggest prioritizing benefits design and career-path clarity over base pay alone to compete for this shrinking labor pool.
The minimum wage glide path is quietly compressing pay bands.
January's increase to $16/hour, with $18/hour set for 2028, is squeezing the gap between entry-level and experienced-tier pay in low-wage-dominant nonmetro labor markets. Payroll audits scheduled now may avoid compliance exposure tied to Act 115's new $500 civil penalty minimum for wage/hour violations.
Median advertised pay by role — HI NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst | $56,029 | $59,532 | $74,481 | Moderate decline | $101,727 |
| HR Business Partner | $60,000 | $81,000 | $92,500 | Significant increase | $83,766 |
| Benefits Manager * | $85,005 | $129,162 | $131,028 | Significant increase | $117,888 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $89,576 | $110,979 | $137,450 | Significant increase | $97,555 |
| HR Coordinator | $43,502 | $47,840 | $52,998 | Moderate decline | $50,000 |
| Recruiter | $54,576 | $60,892 | $67,579 | Significant increase | $68,167 |
| Payroll Specialist | $55,080 | $64,428 | $66,324 | Stable | $59,855 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Hawaii's statewide unemployment rate eased to 2.5% in September from 2.7% in August, but nonmetro counties like Hawaii County continue to lag the state on wages, posting the lowest average weekly pay ($1,190) of any county even as healthcare and retail drive modest job gains. Softer international visitor recovery is compressing hospitality hiring plans island-wide, while light construction and healthcare remain the only sectors adding headcount at any real pace.
What it means
Tight labor supply paired with weak wage growth creates a bind for nonmetro employers: workers have few alternatives locally, but statewide wage growth ranking 51st among states means retention can't rely on pay momentum alone. HR leaders in Hawaii County should expect continued difficulty filling hospitality and tourism-adjacent roles as that sector's growth outlook softens, while healthcare roles face the opposite problem — high demand against a shallow talent pool. Consider reviewing total rewards packages for healthcare and construction roles now, before the 2028 minimum wage step to $18/hour compresses pay bands further from the bottom up.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: September's statewide unemployment dip to 2.5% followed a rise to 2.7% in August that marked the highest jobless count since 2024 — watch whether nonmetro counties mirror this volatility or continue lagging the statewide recovery.
Emerging pressure point: Private building permit values fell 34% statewide through the first seven months of 2026, even as construction payrolls grew 3.3%. A pipeline slowdown could flip Hawaii County's construction hiring gains into contraction within two quarters.
Expected: Hawaii County is forecast to post a net job decline for 2026, driven by lagging tourism-sector recoveries. Workforce plans built around 2025 hospitality staffing levels should be stress-tested against this downgrade.
Potential inflection point: TDI contribution caps and benefit maximums rose in 2026, adding incremental payroll cost pressure ahead of the 2028 minimum wage step. Benefits budgeting cycles for 2027 should model both changes together, not in isolation.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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