Unemployment in Honolulu County, Hawaii, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Honolulu County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Honolulu County's score
In Honolulu County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 93.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 10.3. About one in 30 people (3.3%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Honolulu County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Honolulu County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.3%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.0% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.3% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 22.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88 · 202529th percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.8% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 18.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20263rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 10.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance3.3% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$104,305 · 20244th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Honolulu County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Honolulu County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Honolulu County
Hawaii
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Honolulu County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 16.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Honolulu County, Hawaii, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 16.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Honolulu County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 6.6% in 2010 to 7.3% in 2011; 7.9% in 2012 to 8.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Honolulu County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 10.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 7.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Honolulu County, Hawaii.
How Honolulu County has changed
Honolulu County's population had its largest rise, from 603,438 in 1969 to 698,033 in 1974.
Honolulu County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 998,747
High on the chart: 1,019,013 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Honolulu County, Hawaii.
The number of jobs located in Honolulu County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 464,869 in 2015 to 406,489 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Honolulu County rose 12% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 464,869 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Honolulu County, Hawaii.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.2% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,908 | 2024 $104,305 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Honolulu County's history
1907
Consolidated city-county established April 30, 1907 by city charter, formerly known as O'ahu County. Wikipedia
2004
A flash flood in October 2004 did $80 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,016,508, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
A flash flood in February 2026 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A flash flood in March 2026 did $1 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A flash flood in March 2026 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Honolulu County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Honolulu County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Honolulu County, two score higher. Of the group, Honolulu County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Hawaii County gets the largest, at 25.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii County, HI | 43 | 15.7% | 25.4% |
| Maui County, HI | 26 | 9.9% | — |
| Honolulu County, HI | 20 | 8.8% | 16.1% |
| Kauai County, HI | 16 | 9.5% | 20.3% |
| Kalawao County, HI | 12 | 0.0% | — |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Honolulu County the poorest county in Hawaii?
No, Honolulu County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, the lowest of 4 in Hawaii (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hawaii County, at 15.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Honolulu County ranks 3rd of 5 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Honolulu County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Hawaii Homeownership Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Hawaiian Community Assets, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Hawaii
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Hawaii
Legal aid
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Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Honolulu County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Honolulu County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.