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.
Kauai County is a county of Hawaii with 73,731 residents. Its economy produced $5,552 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 5 counties) and had 32,830 jobs with an average annual pay of $59,731 (#3 for pay). The unemployment rate was 5.1% in 2026M09. It is part of the Kapaa, HI micropolitan area (central county).
Kauai County produced about $5,552 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 5.3% of the combined output of the 3 counties of Hawaii that BEA reports (about 5.1% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 3 on that measure. Per resident that is $75,306, 4% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $72,522. In current dollars output grew 4.5% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 32,830 jobs located in Kauai County on average in 2024, spread over 3,468 employer sites (about 9 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 $59,731, 11% below the average of all counties in the state ($59,731 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 1.6% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (24.4% of private jobs, $70,813 a year on average), construction (19.2% of private jobs, $83,249 a year on average), administrative and waste services (17.6% of private jobs, $48,373 a year on average). Together they hold 61.3% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $102,596 a year, followed by construction ($83,249).
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Kauai County was 5.1%, 59% above the average of the state's counties (5.1% against 3.2%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 38,646. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.1% (2025M09) to 5.1% (2026M09); 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 $97,668 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($97,668 against $100,389). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Kapaa. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Kauai County in output are Honolulu County, Hawaii County, Maui County, Kalawao County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 5 counties of Hawaii ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 73,731 | 4 of 5 |
| GDP 2024 | $5,552 million | 3 of 3 |
| GDP per resident | $75,306 | 2 of 3 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 32,830 | 4 of 4 |
| Average annual pay | $59,731 | 3 of 4 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.6% | 2 of 4 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 5.1% | 4 of 4 |
| Median household income | $97,668 | 2 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 Kauai County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapaa | 11,094 | $89,477 | $2,020 | $861,300 | 29.7% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 2,673 | 24.4% | $70,813 | 0.57 |
| Construction | 2,105 | 19.2% | $83,249 | 1.22 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,926 | 17.6% | $48,373 | 1.00 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,186 | 10.8% | $51,613 | 1.20 |
| Professional and technical services | 878 | 8.0% | $102,596 | 0.38 |
| Real estate and rental | 692 | 6.3% | $63,376 | 1.36 |
| Wholesale trade | 482 | 4.4% | $70,498 | 0.37 |
| Finance and insurance | 391 | 3.6% | $70,435 | 0.29 |
| Educational services | 278 | 2.5% | $49,163 | 0.41 |
| Information | 189 | 1.7% | $158,616 | 0.31 |
| Management of companies | 138 | 1.3% | $109,296 | 0.25 |
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 | 38,646 |
| Employed residents | 36,693 |
| Unemployed residents | 1,953 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 32,830 |
| Employer sites | 3,468 |
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 |
73,731 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$5,552 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
5.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
32,830 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $59,731 (BLS QCEW).