Hawaiʻi Dashboard › Economy & Workforce
Economy & Workforce
Hawaii Unemployment Rate
Hawaii’s unemployment rate was 2.5% in 2026, the third-lowest in the nation (50-state rank: #3).
View interactive chart →How states compare (2026)
| Rank | State | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Best performing | ||
| #1 | South Dakota | 2.1% |
| #2 | North Dakota | 2.4% |
| #3 | Hawaiʻi | 2.5% |
| #4 | Vermont | 2.6% |
| #5 | New Hampshire | 3.0% |
| Worst performing | ||
| #46 | Washington | 5.1% |
| #47 | Delaware | 5.1% |
| #48 | Nevada | 5.1% |
| #49 | Oregon | 5.2% |
| #50 | California | 5.2% |
50-state median: 4.1%. #1 = best performing state; lower values are better. All 50 states →
By county (2024)
| County | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|
| Honolulu | 2.5% |
| Hawaiʻi | 3.0% |
| Maui | 4.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2.4% |
Recent state trend
| Year | Hawaii |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.5% |
| 2025 | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 2.8% |
| 2023 | 2.9% |
| 2022 | 3.2% |
| 2021 | 6.0% |
Why this matters
Unemployment shows how many people who want work still cannot find it. Hawaiʻi has about 660,000 people in the labor force, so each percentage point on this rate represents roughly 6,600 workers actively seeking jobs.
Related Hawaii data
Open the full interactive chart → for the historical series, US-state rankings, and rank history.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Series covers 1976–2026.