Department of Numbers

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Kahului rose 0.8 percentage points in October 2023 to 5.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 2.2 percentage points higher than the Hawaii rate. The unemployment rate in Kahului peaked in April 2020 at 33.4% and is now 28.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.8% in September 2021, the unemployment rate has now grown by 2.3 percentage points. You can also compare Kahului unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate October 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.9% +0.1 +0.2
Hawaii 2.9% +0.1 -0.8
Kahului 5.1% +0.8 +1.5
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with October 2023 data as November metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Kahului, Hawaii, National

Kahului, Hawaii monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Kahului, Hawaii Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Kahului peaked in April 2020 at 29,088. There are now 24,598 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 2,370 in October 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown by 2,120.

Unemployed Persons October 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Kahului 4,490 +752 +1,366

Number of Unemployed Persons

Kahului, Hawaii Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
Hawaii
Unemployment Rate
Kahului
Unemployment Rate
Kahului
Unemployed
November
2023
3.7%
October
2023
3.9% 2.9% 5.1% 4,490
September
2023
3.8% 2.8% 4.3% 3,738
August
2023
3.8% 2.8% 3.2% 2,751
July
2023
3.5% 2.8% 2.8% 2,444
June
2023
3.6% 3.0% 3.0% 2,585
May
2023
3.7% 3.1% 3.1% 2,722
April
2023
3.4% 3.3% 3.3% 2,873
March
2023
3.5% 3.5% 3.4% 2,973
February
2023
3.6% 3.6% 3.4% 2,983
January
2023
3.4% 3.6% 3.5% 3,041
December
2022
3.5% 3.7% 3.6% 3,121

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers.