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Community & Economy

Hawaii deserves a diverse and growing economy that allows people to earn incomes and build assets while also affording opportunities for a good quality of life.

Hawaii Business Change Reports

Hard Work
is Not Enough

Lanae Anakalea, her husband and their two young daughters are not what most people would envision as a family in economic distress.

Both parents are fully employed. He’s a valet at a major hotel on Kauai, with full health benefits and a 401(k). She works at a foundation promoting Native Hawaiian culture. Their combined yearly take home pay of $60,000 is in line with what the U.S. Census Bureau says is an average U.S. household income, and over twice the federal poverty level.

Hawaii Community Foundation has partnered with Hawaii Business magazine to produce the CHANGE Reports.

Read this edition online
The Data

The CHANGE framework is a curated set of statewide data that begins to identify the gaps where help in our community is needed, opportunities where help will do the most good, and areas where sustainable data need to be gathered. By working from a common set of sustainable data, our community can create shared goals and consistently and reliably track the progress of our collective efforts over time.

Diverse and Healthy Economy

Diverse & Healthy Economy

The data for this subsector is calculated through four major indicators:

Economic Health

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Per capita real GDP is $56,880
  • Reference Data Point: U.S.: $56,749
  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2018)

Economic Diversity

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Total traded cluster non-tourism and hospitality employment equaled 49,184 jobs
  • Reference Data Point: From 2015: Down by 2.4%
  • Source: University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) (2016)

Economic Opportunities with Higher Wages

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: 38% of jobs pay a living wage, which equates to more than $20 per hour
  • Reference Data Point: Not available
  • Source: Aloha United Way, Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Report (2017)

Unemployment of Discouraged Workers

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Under construction
  • Reference Data Point: Under construction
  • Source: Under construction
Wealth, Income, and Asset Building

Wealth, Income, & Asset Building

The data for this subsector is calculated through two major indicators:

Median Income

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Median earnings for a single adult are $34,730
  • Reference Data Point: Half of single adults earn less than $34,730; half earn more
  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2018)

Wealth Accumulation

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Among households that accumulate wealth: 57% own their own home & 29% are liquid poor (do not have savings to weather 3 months of financial emergency)
  • Reference Data Point: Home Ownership - U.S.: 63% & Emergency Savings - U.S.: 43.5%
  • Source: Prosperity Now Scorecard (2016)
Housing Affordability & Cost of Living

Housing Affordability & Cost of Living

The data for this subsector is calculated through two major indicators:

Cost of Living

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: 48% of households do not meet the Survival Budget level and struggle to afford living in Hawaii
  • Reference Data Point: Based on Survival Budget: $28,128 needed for single adult & $72,336 needed for family of 4
  • Source: Aloha United Way, Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Report (2017)

Housing Cost Burden

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: 56.1% of renters and 40.3% of homeowners are burdened by housing costs (housing is a "cost burden" if it accounts for more than 30% of a household budget)
  • Reference Data Point: Renters - U.S.: 50.6% & Homeowners - U.S.: 29.5%
  • Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2017)
Safe and Sustainable Communities

Safe & Sustainable Communities

The data for this subsector is calculated through four major indicators:

Crime Rate

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Violent crime - 242 offenses per 100,000 residents & Property crime - 2,965 offenses per 100,000 residents
  • Reference Data Point: Violent crime - U.S.: 386 offenses & Property crime - U.S. 2,451 offenses
  • Source: State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (2018)

School Safety

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: 9.3% of students did not go to school because they felt unsafe, either at school or on their way to or from school
  • Reference Data Point: U.S.: 6.7%
  • Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (2017)

Commute Time

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Residents spend 27.4 minutes on average traveling to work
  • Reference Data Point: U.S.: 26.4 minutes
  • Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2017)

Liveability

  • HI State Baseline Data Point: Hawaii has a Livability Index Score of 53 out of 100 (measures 7 livability categories: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity)
  • Reference Data Point: Not available
  • Source: AARP Livability Index (2019)
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— MARGARET MEAD