Maui County unemployment rises to 3.1%; adjusted state rate reaches 2.8%

Maui County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.1% in September from 2.9% in August, according to figures the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism released Monday.

The county’s rate stood at 2.4% in September 2025. County and island rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Maui County breakdown

• Maui island: The unemployment rate was 3.1% in September, up from 2.9% in August and 2.3% a year earlier.
• Molokaʻi: The rate was 3.5%, down slightly from 3.6% in August. It was 5.8% in September 2025, the highest of the three Maui County areas a year ago.
• Lānaʻi: The rate rose to 4.2% from 3.4% in August. A year ago, it was 2.2%.

Lānaʻi had the highest unemployment rate in Maui County in September, followed by Molokaʻi.

Maui jobs

The seasonally adjusted payroll estimate for the Kahului-Wailuku metropolitan area was 74,800 nonagricultural jobs in September, down 400 from 75,200 in August, according to DBEDT. That is 1,000 more than the 73,800 jobs estimated for September 2025, an increase of about 1.4%.

By comparison, the Honolulu metropolitan area added 600 jobs from August to September but had 800 fewer jobs than a year earlier.

Statewide figures

Hawaiʻi’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.8% in September, compared with 2.7% in August and 2.1% in September 2025, DBEDT reported.

The state had 675,450 employed people and 19,450 unemployed people in September, for a seasonally adjusted labor force of 694,900.

The state’s not seasonally adjusted rate was 3.2% in September, up from 2.9% in August.

The national seasonally adjusted rate was 4.2% in September, up from 4.1% in August, according to DBEDT, which used U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics methodology.

Other counties

Not seasonally adjusted rates in September were:

• Honolulu: 3.0%, up from 2.9% in August
• Hawaiʻi County: 3.5%, up from 3.4%
• Kauaʻi: 5.1%, up from 2.5%

Kauaʻi’s rate more than doubled in one month, the largest increase among the counties. Hurricane Lowell, a Category 2 storm, caused catastrophic damage in Kauaʻi County on the night of Sept. 7, and more than 90% of residents lost power, according to the National Weather Service. Kauaʻi County officials later reported 10 homes destroyed and 67 damaged. DBEDT’s release did not give a reason for the change. DBEDT researchers confirmed that the Kaua‘i increase in unemployment was due to Hurricane Lowell’s impact on the island.

Statewide jobs

In a separate measure of employment, total nonagricultural jobs statewide were unchanged between August and September at 642,400, DBEDT said. Year over year, nonfarm jobs rose by 400, or 0.1%.

Leisure and hospitality added 1,000 jobs, the largest monthly gain. DBEDT said the increase largely reflected a smaller-than-typical seasonal decline in food services and drinking places, in part because it followed a rare August job decline in the unadjusted figures. Trade, transportation and utilities added 300 jobs, financial activities added 200, and private education and health services added 100. Within that last sector, private educational services gained 600 jobs while health care and social assistance lost 500.

Construction lost 700 jobs, which DBEDT attributed to bad weather in the first half of the month. Manufacturing lost 200 jobs, and professional and business services lost 100. Employment was unchanged in information and other services.

Government employment fell by a net 600 jobs. State government lost 700 jobs, mostly because of the release of primary election workers, DBEDT said, while local government added 100. Federal employment was unchanged.

Compared with a year ago, federal government employment in Hawaiʻi fell by 2,700 jobs, to 32,100. Private education and health services added 2,000 jobs, and leisure and hospitality added 2,100.