The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Honolulu County is a county of Hawaii with 1,001,146 residents. Its economy produced $87,066 million in 2024 (ranked #1 of 5 counties) and had 453,193 jobs with an average annual pay of $69,851 (#1 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.0% in 2026M09. It is part of the Urban Honolulu, HI metropolitan area (central county).
Honolulu County produced about $87,066 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 83.1% of the combined output of the 3 counties of Hawaii that BEA reports (about 69.3% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 1st of 3 on that measure. Per resident that is $86,967, 20% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $72,522. In current dollars output grew 5.5% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 453,193 jobs located in Honolulu County on average in 2024, spread over 31,849 employer sites (about 14 jobs per site). That is 0.45 jobs for every resident, close to the 0.45 of the typical county in Hawaii, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $69,851, 4% above the average of all counties in the state ($69,851 against $66,995). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are accommodation and food services (17.7% of private jobs, $42,145 a year on average), health care and social assistance (15.6% of private jobs, $76,763 a year on average), retail trade (11.5% of private jobs, $44,589 a year on average). Together they hold 44.9% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $103,501 a year, followed by finance and insurance ($102,148). The county is specialised in an industry: accommodation and food services (1.5 times the US share, 63,590 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($42,145), retail trade ($44,589). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Honolulu County was 3.0%, 7% below the average of the state's counties (3.0% against 3.2%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 484,553. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.1% (2025M12) to 3.1% (2026M06); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $106,195 (ACS 2020–2024), 6% above the state median ($106,195 against $100,389). The guide covers 27 cities with this as the main county: Urban Honolulu, East Honolulu, Pearl City, Waipahu, Kailua, Kaneohe, Mililani Town, Ewa Gentry. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,277 in Waianae to $3,501 in Hickam Housing, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Honolulu County in output are Hawaii County, Kauai County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 5 counties of Hawaii ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,001,146 | 1 of 5 |
| GDP 2024 | $87,066 million | 1 of 3 |
| GDP per resident | $86,967 | 1 of 3 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 453,193 | 1 of 4 |
| Average annual pay | $69,851 | 1 of 4 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.1% | 3 of 4 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.0% | 1 of 4 |
| Median household income | $106,195 | 1 of 5 |
Federal jobs in Hawaii (384) →All cities of HawaiiState guide: Hawaii
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Honolulu County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu | 345,482 | $86,504 | $1,823 | $843,400 | 41.5% |
| East Honolulu | 51,360 | $159,518 | $3,313 | $1,212,000 | 59.9% |
| Pearl City | 44,547 | $118,112 | $2,316 | $901,500 | 39.0% |
| Waipahu | 40,482 | $103,895 | $1,658 | $868,600 | 20.1% |
| Kailua | 39,640 | $148,582 | $3,093 | $1,353,700 | 55.5% |
| Kaneohe | 37,355 | $125,613 | $2,269 | $1,029,700 | 37.1% |
| Mililani Town | 27,668 | $127,363 | $2,384 | $923,900 | 43.8% |
| Ewa Gentry | 26,563 | $135,684 | $2,580 | $816,000 | 30.5% |
| Kapolei | 22,232 | $128,324 | $2,311 | $744,200 | 29.9% |
| Mililani Mauka | 21,278 | $138,942 | $2,350 | $988,100 | 51.5% |
| Makakilo | 20,735 | $118,550 | $2,276 | $867,200 | 36.4% |
| Wahiawa | 17,996 | $87,143 | $1,546 | $806,200 | 22.1% |
| Ocean Pointe | 17,085 | $149,767 | $3,424 | $900,200 | 50.6% |
| Schofield Barracks | 16,270 | $80,388 | $3,230 | n/a | 31.9% |
| Halawa | 14,385 | $110,400 | $1,739 | $1,051,900 | 31.3% |
| Ewa Beach | 14,376 | $124,323 | $2,522 | $748,800 | 21.9% |
| Royal Kunia | 13,555 | $135,361 | $2,921 | $862,400 | 32.8% |
| Waimalu | 13,061 | $89,232 | $1,931 | $597,800 | 36.3% |
| Waianae | 12,918 | $81,733 | $1,277 | $518,300 | 13.2% |
| Nanakuli | 12,383 | $86,597 | $1,690 | $488,600 | 10.8% |
| Maili | 11,570 | $111,542 | $2,420 | $640,600 | 22.9% |
| Kaneohe Base | 10,919 | $69,418 | $3,410 | $352,000 | 39.0% |
| Waipio | 10,870 | $109,877 | $2,219 | $749,500 | 29.3% |
| Makaha | 10,066 | $64,970 | $1,868 | $394,000 | 19.7% |
| Hickam Housing | 9,425 | $121,667 | $3,501 | n/a | 51.9% |
| Aiea | 9,087 | $140,308 | $2,844 | $1,065,700 | 40.0% |
| Ahuimanu | 8,452 | $135,438 | $2,635 | $910,600 | 50.0% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 63,590 | 17.7% | $42,145 | 1.54 |
| Health care and social assistance | 56,169 | 15.6% | $76,763 | 0.86 |
| Retail trade | 41,501 | 11.5% | $44,589 | 0.92 |
| Construction | 27,772 | 7.7% | $95,804 | 1.17 |
| Administrative and waste services | 25,813 | 7.2% | $51,512 | 0.97 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 22,587 | 6.3% | $83,123 | 1.18 |
| Professional and technical services | 21,856 | 6.1% | $103,501 | 0.69 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 18,833 | 5.2% | $50,833 | 1.38 |
| Wholesale trade | 13,491 | 3.8% | $78,936 | 0.76 |
| Finance and insurance | 12,235 | 3.4% | $102,148 | 0.67 |
| Educational services | 11,455 | 3.2% | $51,091 | 1.22 |
| Manufacturing | 9,375 | 2.6% | $62,620 | 0.25 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 8,343 | 2.3% | $36,588 | 1.10 |
| Real estate and rental | 7,917 | 2.2% | $75,449 | 1.13 |
| Management of companies | 7,740 | 2.2% | $109,341 | 1.01 |
| Information | 6,408 | 1.8% | $98,890 | 0.75 |
| Utilities | 2,384 | 0.7% | $126,068 | 1.38 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 1,624 | 0.5% | $45,981 | 0.44 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 238 | 0.1% | $110,201 | 0.14 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 484,553 |
| Employed residents | 469,917 |
| Unemployed residents | 14,636 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 453,193 |
| Employer sites | 31,849 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu County | 1,001,146 | $87,066 million | $86,967 | 453,193 | $69,851 | 3.0% |
| Hawaii County | 205,769 | $12,193 million | $59,256 | 74,029 | $57,868 | 3.5% |
| Maui County | 164,522 | n/a | n/a | 73,656 | $61,830 | 3.1% |
| Kauai County | 73,731 | $5,552 million | $75,306 | 32,830 | $59,731 | 5.1% |
| Kalawao County | 67 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
1,001,146 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$87,066 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.0% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
453,193 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $69,851 (BLS QCEW).