#University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization

Hawaiʻi’s economy is moving beyond last year’s mild recession, but the recovery will be gradual, according to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s first quarter forecast for 2026 released on Feb. 27. Maui is the standout, as ongoing recovery from the disastrous 2023 wildfires will continue to propel rising tourism activity, if at a slower pace than last year.

A new report shows Hawaiʻi’s wages and productivity have lagged the rest of the country for more than three decades, placing the state among the most economically distressed in the U.S.

The report shows that people with disabilities, both pre-existing and newly acquired after the disaster, continue to face disproportionate hardship two years after the fires. 

UHERO forecasts a mild recession in the islands over the next year, with the weakening US economy threatening a potentially deeper downturn. The Maui condo market has seen a large plunge in activity, with the value of resales down nearly 50% compared with mid-2023. This reflects in part uncertainty over Bill 9.

The contentious debate over the future of thousands of short-term vacation rentals in Maui County is heading to a much-anticipated public hearing Monday, June 9, before the Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee. The committee posted an agenda for a meeting beginning at 10 a.m. Monday in the Council Chambers on the eighth […]

The deadly Maui wildfire disaster displaced 5,000 people and has now left Hawaiʻi with the dubious distinction of having the nation’s highest rate of homelessness, according to a report released today by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization. The UHERO report also underscores that the wildfires aggravated Maui County’s already acute shortage of housing. […]

The UHERO second quarter forecast for 2025 reports: “sharp increases in US import tariffs, sweeping federal layoffs, and volatile fiscal and immigration policies are undermining consumer confidence, raising inflation expectations, and worsening the business outlook—both nationally and in Hawaiʻi’s visitor-dependent economy.”

Mayor Richard Bissen and his Communications Office have provided point-by-point responses to Monday’s release of the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s analysis of the mayor’s proposed phase-out of thousands of vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts. The phase-out proposal has gone through Maui County planning commissions. Now, it’s pending before the Maui County Council, which […]

The LahainaTown Action Committee, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, invites residents and visitors to finish their holiday shopping at the Kōkua for Maui: Shop Local and Show Aloha event on Sunday, Dec. 22, and Monday, Dec. 23, at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa.

Maui’s economy will only gradually recover from its post-wildfire downturn while visitor industries in other counties across the state will continue to operate at high levels, according to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s (UHERO) third quarter forecast for 2024.

Earlier this summer, UHERO published its analysis of Maui’s legislation to regulate Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) properties, stating, “If the policy is enacted in full, it would increase Maui’s long-term residential housing stock by 13%, representing a dramatic increase in housing supply,” said UHERO’s economists. “Reductions in tourism or property tax revenues would also present serious challenges to Maui County… Understanding the broad impacts of this policy will be key to understanding future economic conditions on Maui.”

Hawaiʻi residents living in rural areas face significantly more health challenges than those who live in urban areas, according to a first-of-its-kind report by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO). Released on Sunday, the report also found that the challenges are even greater for rural residents with disabilities and for those living in poverty.

A new report by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization identifies potential opportunities to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy by analyzing a variety of industries across counties in the US and the state.

The Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee will receive a presentation at its meeting Tuesday at 9 a.m. regarding the wildfire impacts and forecasts on Maui County’s economy from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.

Hawaiʻi’s economy has been sustained by a resilient US economy and the gradual return of international visitors. According to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s first quarter forecast for 2024, with the islands’ post-pandemic recovery now largely complete, the economy will downshift this year, and growth will increasingly come from local sources, including a robust construction sector bolstered by the rebuilding of Lahaina, Maui.

Seventy percent of all jobs in Hawaiʻi in 2031 will require postsecondary education beyond high school and 36% will require at least a bachelorʻs degree, according to a new report by Georgetown University, “After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031.”

The House Committee on Health and Homelessness will hold an informational briefing on Wednesday to discuss the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study. The study is a collaborative effort between the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization, the College of Social Sciences, the John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Cancer Center and community-based organizations. The hearing […]

A college education from the University of Hawaiʻi 10 campuses offers a significant return on investment, no matter the degree type—and has gotten more affordable over the last decade, according to a UH Economic Research Organization (UHERO) report released Jan. 16, 2024.

The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization launched a publicly available, interactive housing data dashboard on Sept. 26, that allows users to customize their data reports based on location, with information such as property and rental market, demographics, zoning and housing stock. UHERO designed the dashboard to inform discussions on the way forward for housing in Hawaiʻi.

Recent developments bring both “promise and peril” for Hawaiʻi, according to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s second quarter forecast for 2023 released today.