Unemployment in Kauai County, Hawaii, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Kauai County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kauai County's score
In Kauai County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.4. About one in nine people (10.7%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kauai 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, Kauai County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.9 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 27.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.3% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 16.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.8% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.9 · 202515th percentile
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- 13.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20262nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 13.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,815 · 202410th 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 Kauai 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 Kauai County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kauai County
Hawaii
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Kauai County had its largest rise, from 15.3% in 2004 to 19.5% in 2009.
In Kauai County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Kauai County, Hawaii, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kauai County getting SNAP food aid rose most in three steps: 7.0% in 2010 to 8.0% in 2011; 8.0% in 2011 to 9.0% in 2012; 10.3% in 2021 to 11.3% in 2022.
The share of households in Kauai County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 11.9%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 11.9% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kauai County, Hawaii.
How Kauai County has changed
Kauai County's population had its largest rise, from 49,847 in 1989 to 56,478 in 1994.
Kauai County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 73,840, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 73,840. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kauai County, Hawaii.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kauai County rose by about a third to 33,298, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 33,298 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kauai County, Hawaii.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,331 | 2024 $89,815 |
The table uses 2.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Kauai County's history
1905
Founded in 1905. Wikipedia
2006
A flash flood in March 2006 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in April 2018 did $17.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 73,298, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in March 2020 did $30.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in March 2021 did $30.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kauai County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kauai County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Kauai County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kauai County ranks 2nd of the three; Hawaii County is highest, 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 Kauai County the poorest county in Hawaii?
No, Kauai County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 3rd highest 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, Kauai County ranks 4th of 5 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kauai 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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LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF HAWAII - Lihue Branch
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.
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 Kauai County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.