Unemployment in Maui County, Hawaii, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties

In Maui County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
2nd
of 5 counties in Hawaii
26score /100

Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.

What drives Maui County's score

In Maui County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 94.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 14.2. The typical household earns $98,820 a year (2024), more than in 94% of U.S. counties.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Maui 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, Maui County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (32.3%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.6%, 2020 to 2024).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    94.7 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      26.6% · 2020 to 2024
      90th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      32.3% · fiscal year 2027
      98th percentile

  • Late payments

    25.7 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      4.2% · August 2025
      28th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      3.8% · August 2025
      29th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      31.8% · second quarter of 2026
      19th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    24.7 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      16.4% · August 2025
      24th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      79.2 · 2025
      25th percentile

  • Jobs

    23.7 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      6th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      19.3% · 2020 to 2024
      41st percentile

  • Income and safety net

    14.2 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      9.9% · 2024
      21st percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      11.3% · 2024
      19th percentile
    • People with a disability
      11.9% · 2020 to 2024
      14th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      4.1% · 2020 to 2024
      9th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $98,820 · 2024
      5th percentile

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.

How Maui County has changed

The number of jobs located in Maui County rose by about half to 74,407, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025

Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 74,407. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Maui County, Hawaii.

040,00080,000 51,07274,407 19901995200020052010201520202025 040,00080,000 51,07274,407 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/hawaii/maui-county-hi/
Download data (CSV)
MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 4.5% 2025 2.7% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 7.3% 2024 9.9% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1993 $38,521 2024 $98,820 Census SAIPE

Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.

Dated events in Maui County's history

  1. 1905

    Founded in 1905. Wikipedia

  2. 2003

    A flash flood in April 2003 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 2009

    Heavy rain in November 2009 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 164,754, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  5. 2021

    A flash flood in March 2021 did $14.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. 2026

    A flash flood in March 2026 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  7. Since 1968

    21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Maui County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA

Maui County beside its neighbors

Of the four counties that border Maui County, one scores higher.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Hawaii County, HI 43 1st of 5 15.7% 25.4%
Maui County, HI 26 2nd of 5 9.9% —
Honolulu County, HI 20 3rd of 5 8.8% 16.1%
Kauai County, HI 16 4th of 5 9.5% 20.3%
Kalawao County, HI 12 5th of 5 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: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.

Is Maui County the poorest county in Hawaii?

No, Maui County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Maui County ranks 2nd of 5 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Maui 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.

Hawaii foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Maui County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Maui County, Hawaii, scores 26 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/hawaii/maui-county-hi/

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.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.