HOURLY WAGE INDEX

Let’s talk wages in Hawaii

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$16.00

What is the minimum wage in Hawaii?

As of January 1, 2026, the minimum wage in Hawaii is $16.00 per hour. This is greater than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, so employees in Hawaii are entitled to be paid the higher state minimum wage. The Hawaii minimum wage is set to increase to $14.00 per hour on January 1, 2024, $16.00 per hour on January 1, 2026, and $18.00 per hour on January 1, 2028.

There are some exceptions to the Hawaii minimum wage law. For example, tipped employees may be paid a lower wage, as long as they receive enough tips to bring their total earnings up to the minimum wage. Additionally, some employees, such as those who are under 18 years old, may be paid a lower minimum wage.

If you are an employee in Hawaii and you believe that you are not being paid the minimum wage, you can file a complaint with the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

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$29.57

What is the average wage in Hawaii?

The average wage in Hawaii is $29.57 per hour. The median wage is $25.84 per hour. Wages vary depending on the occupation, industry, experience, and education level. 

For example, the median wage for office and administrative support occupations is $21.75 per hour, while the median for management occupations is $46.95 per hour. 

The median wage for accommodation and food services workers is $19.17 per hour, while the median wage for workers in the information industry is $37.50 per hour.

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$29.92

What is the living wage in Hawaii?

The living wage in Hawaii is $17.90 per hour for a single adult with no children. The living wage differs depending on the number and ages of family members. 

For example, the living wage for a single adult with one child is $32.73 per hour, while the living wage for a single adult with two children is $38.55 per hour.

A guide to hourly labor laws in Hawaii

  • Standard Minimum Wage: $16.00 with increases reaching $18 by 2028 (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 387-2).
  • Tipped Minimum Wage: $14.75, totaling at least $7 above minimum wage after tips. Employers can pay tipped employees up to $1.25 less per hour if their wages plus tips exceed the state's minimum wage by at least $7 — or $19.75 per hour (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 387-2).
  • Overtime: Employers must pay 1.5 times the normal rate for hours worked over 40 per workweek (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 387-3).
  • Meal Breaks: Hawaii law requires that minors under 16 be provided a 30-minute meal break after five consecutive hours of work. Adult employee meal breaks are not required under state law (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 390-2). No meal breaks are required under federal law. Federal law allows unpaid, non-working, bona-fide meal breaks over 30 minutes; exceptions may apply (29 C.F.R. § 785.19) (DoL).
  • Rest Breaks: No Hawaii state or federal law requiring rest breaks. However, breaks lasting 5–20 minutes must be paid (29 C.F.R. § 785.18).
  • Wage Deductions: Hawaii's employers can only make wage deductions that are required by law or authorized in writing by the employee. Deductions for shortages and breakages generally require authorization. Third-party deductions benefitting the employer may not reduce wages below the applicable minimum (29 C.F.R. § 4.168) (29 US Code § 203) (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 388-6).
  • Final Paychecks: Termination/resignation: By the next payday (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 388-3).
  • Wage Payment Frequency: Regular semi-monthly paydays (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 388-2).
  • Paid Sick Leave: No state/federal law. Policies are determined by the employer or through collective bargaining agreements (DoL).
  • Paid Family and Medical Leave: No Hawaii paid leave law. For eligible employees, the FMLA provides up to 12 unpaid weeks in one year (FMLA).
  • Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children Under 16:
    • School days: Up to three hours per school day and 18 hours per school week.
    • Non-school days: Up to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week.
    • Hours: No work when required to attend school. No more than six consecutive days per week. No work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. except during the summer when minors may not work from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 390-2).
  • Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children 16 and 17: No Hawaii state law. Federal law does not restrict 16- and 17-year-olds’ working hours in non-hazardous occupations (DoL).

 

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gross wages and net wages?

It's important to remember that the Hourly Wage Index data above reflects gross wages, or the amount of money an employee earns before accounting for payroll deductions like taxes, benefits, or wage garnishments. Due to variability in tax rates across locations, slightly lower gross wages in a certain location might result in higher take home pay, or vice versa.

What is a good hourly wage?

This question is a difficult one to answer, as a "good hourly wage" is highly subjective according to experience, work responsibilities, cost of living, and other factors. We recommend using Hourly Wage Index data as a starting point. Once you have established a baseline for certain positions, do further research into similar businesses in your area. Lastly, consider surveying your employees. They're the best resource to help you know what is a good hourly wage, what competitive pay looks like in your location, and how competitive wages change in your industry over time.

Offering competitive pay is one of my top priorities—what other resources do you have that might help?

We know that getting applicants to pay attention to your business can be extremely challenging, and that offering competitive pay is a huge part of that. Wages aren’t everything, however! Applicant experience is another important factor that can help set you apart from your competition. A few examples include:


  • Short, easy to understand job descriptions
  • Mobile-friendliness
  • Quick communication
  • Streamlined interview stages
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Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Information

Before we discuss the right to limit and the right to opt-out, we must first define personal information and how it relates to sensitive personal information.

Personal information is any data that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you or your household. A few examples of personal information include:

  • Name or nickname
  • Email address
  • Purchase history
  • Browsing history
  • Location data
  • Employment data
  • IP address
  • Profiles businesses create about you, including pseudonymous profiles (“user1234”)
  • Sensitive personal information

Sensitive personal information or “SPI” is a subset of personal information, defined as:

  • Identifying information (e.g. social security number, driver’s license)
  • Financial data (e.g. debit or credit card numbers)
  • Precise geolocation (within a radius of 1,850 feet)
  • Demographic or protected-class information (e.g. race/ethnicity, religion, union membership)
  • Biometric and genetic data (e.g. fingerprints, palm scans, facial recognition)
  • Communications and content (e.g. mail, email, text messages)
  • Health and sexual orientation (e.g. vaccine records, health history)

Right to Opt-Out

Californians have the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information. That means you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties (e.g. data brokers, advertisers). You also have the right to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information to prevent the targeting of ads across different businesses, websites, apps, or services.

CCPA-covered businesses must provide a link to allow you to exercise this right. It is usually found at the bottom of a webpage and will say “do not sell or share my personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Sometimes businesses offer privacy choices through a pop-up window or form

To opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information, click on the link or use the toggle provided by the business and follow the directions. Doing this on every website you visit can feel burdensome, but to ease the burden you can automatically select your privacy preferences for every website by using an opt-out preference signal, or OOPS for short.

An OOPS is a user-friendly and straightforward way for consumers to automatically exercise their right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information with the businesses they interact with online. An OOPS, such as the Global Privacy Control. It can either be a setting on your internet browser or a browser extension. With an OOPS, consumers do not have to submit individual requests to opt-out of sale or sharing with each business.

Right to Limit

Californians also have the right to direct businesses to limit the use and disclosure of their sensitive personal information.

Businesses covered under the CCPA must provide a link on their website that allows you to request the limiting of your SPI, if they plan on using it in certain ways. That link will also typically be at the bottom of a webpage and will say: “limit the use of my sensitive personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Once you send this request, the business must stop using your SPI for anything other than to:

  • Provide requested goods or services
  • Ensure security and integrity
  • Prevent fraud
  • Maintain system functionality
  • Comply with legal obligations

Bringing it Together

In summary, the CCPA gives you the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information and gives you additional rights to further limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information.

When you exercise these rights together, you exert greater control in protecting your personal data which is important for your identity, safety, and financial health.

If you are on a business’s website and you can’t find the links to exercise your rights, remember to check their privacy policy. The privacy policy should tell you how you can exercise your rights under the law.

If you find your rights being violated, you can submit a complaint to CalPrivacy.

Next in the LOCKED series, we will explore the right to correct and right to know. Follow us on social media to get live updates or check back in one week for the next post.

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Personalization

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Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information

You also have the right to limit how we use sensitive personal information (such as precise geolocation, financial data, etc.).

Your preference has been saved. We will not sell or share your personal information.