While Hawaii’s skyline may be shaped by cranes and concrete, the true story of its construction industry is found in the numbers, where it fuels 65,000 jobs statewide, offers the nation's highest wages for managers, and is powering a sustainable economic future with $9.8 billion in annual spending.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Hawaii's construction industry employed 28,450 workers, representing 4.2% of total state employment
- The average annual wage for construction laborers in Hawaii was $58,270 in 2022, 32% above the national average
- Hawaii construction managers earned a mean hourly wage of $52.14 in May 2023, highest in the nation for the occupation
- In 2022, Hawaii construction contributed $4.8 billion to state GDP, 5.1% of total
- Construction permits issued in Hawaii generated $12.3 billion in valuation in 2023
- Hawaii construction industry tax revenues totaled $620 million in FY2023
- Total construction spending in Hawaii reached $9.8 billion in 2023, up 6.5% YoY
- Residential building permits in Honolulu County: 4,200 units valued at $2.1 billion in 2023
- Highway construction contracts awarded: $850 million in Hawaii FY2023
- In 2022, Hawaii construction fatality rate was 12.4 per 100,000 workers, above national 9.6
- Fall from height incidents: 45% of construction fatalities in Hawaii 2022
- OSHA citations issued to Hawaii contractors: 1,240 in FY2023, fines totaling $2.1 million
- Hawaii construction employment projected to grow 8.2% by 2030 to 31,200 workers
- Sustainable building permits expected to rise 25% by 2025 in Hawaii
- Infrastructure spending forecast: $15 billion over next 5 years from IIJA
Hawaii's construction industry is thriving with high wages and strong job growth.
Construction Volumes and Spending
- Total construction spending in Hawaii reached $9.8 billion in 2023, up 6.5% YoY
- Residential building permits in Honolulu County: 4,200 units valued at $2.1 billion in 2023
- Highway construction contracts awarded: $850 million in Hawaii FY2023
- New single-family home starts: 1,850 units in Hawaii 2023, average size 2,100 sq ft
- Commercial building permits: 320 projects valued at $1.4 billion across Hawaii islands 2023
- Public school construction spending: $420 million in Hawaii DOE projects 2023
- Multi-family housing starts: 2,450 units valued at $1.8 billion in 2023
- Federal aid for wastewater infrastructure: $150 million spent on 12 projects in 2023
- Hotel renovation projects: 15 major ones totaling $650 million in Hawaii 2023
- Affordable housing units permitted: 1,200 units under HHFDC programs 2023
- Renewable energy construction: 250 MW solar farms built, $900 million investment 2023
- Airport improvement program spending: $320 million at HNL and ITO 2023
- Flood control projects: 8 dams and channels upgraded for $180 million in 2023
- Office building square footage added: 450,000 sq ft in Oahu 2023
- Heavy civil engineering contracts: $1.1 billion awarded statewide 2023
- Hospital expansions: $280 million in healthcare facilities constructed 2023
- Retail center developments: 6 projects adding 200,000 sq ft for $240 million 2023
Construction Volumes and Spending Interpretation
Hawaii is simultaneously patching its potholes, cramming in condo towers, and chasing sunbeams with solar panels, all while trying to convince both tourists and residents that the island can be more than a pretty postcard.
Economic Impact
- In 2022, Hawaii construction contributed $4.8 billion to state GDP, 5.1% of total
- Construction permits issued in Hawaii generated $12.3 billion in valuation in 2023
- Hawaii construction industry tax revenues totaled $620 million in FY2023
- Multiplier effect: each construction job in Hawaii supports 2.8 additional jobs statewide
- Residential construction spending in Hawaii: $3.2 billion in 2023, up 7.4%
- Supplier purchases by Hawaii contractors: $2.1 billion annually in 2022
- Construction wages paid in Hawaii: $1.9 billion in 2023
- Induced economic output from construction: $1.4 billion in Hawaii 2022
- Hawaii construction exports of services: $180 million in 2023, mainly to Pacific islands
- Property value increase from new construction: $8.5 billion in Hawaii 2023
- Construction industry supported 65,000 total jobs in Hawaii economy via direct, indirect, induced effects in 2022
- Federal funding to Hawaii construction: $1.2 billion in infrastructure grants 2023
- Tourism-related construction spending: $950 million in Hawaii 2023
- Employee compensation from construction: 28% of industry value added in Hawaii 2022
- Construction R&D spending in Hawaii: $45 million in 2023, focused on sustainable materials
- Number of construction firms in Hawaii: 2,850 in 2022, generating $15.7 billion revenue
- Construction payroll taxes contributed $210 million to Hawaii state budget in FY2023
- Impact on household income: construction boosted median income by 4.2% in affected counties 2022
- Hawaii construction industry establishment count grew 2.7% to 3,120 in 2023
Economic Impact Interpretation
Though the endless symphony of jackhammers might sound like an annoyance to some, it's actually the percussive beat driving Hawaii's economy, generating billions, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, and quite literally building the state's financial future from the ground up.
Employment and Workforce
- In 2023, Hawaii's construction industry employed 28,450 workers, representing 4.2% of total state employment
- The average annual wage for construction laborers in Hawaii was $58,270 in 2022, 32% above the national average
- Hawaii construction managers earned a mean hourly wage of $52.14 in May 2023, highest in the nation for the occupation
- There were 4,120 construction supervisors employed in Hawaii in 2022, up 3.8% from 2021
- Women comprised 8.7% of Hawaii's construction workforce in 2023, higher than the national 10.9% but growing at 2.1% annually
- Hispanic or Latino workers made up 12.4% of Hawaii construction employees in 2022
- Apprenticeship programs in Hawaii construction trained 1,250 new workers in 2023, focusing on carpentry and electrical trades
- Union membership in Hawaii construction stood at 24.6% in 2022, above the state average of 21.8%
- The construction industry in Hawaii had a labor force participation rate of 65.3% for workers aged 25-54 in 2023
- Turnover rate in Hawaii construction firms averaged 18.2% in 2022, driven by housing costs
- 6,340 self-employed construction workers operated in Hawaii in 2023
- Electrical power-line workers in Hawaii numbered 890 in 2022 with wages averaging $92,450 annually
- Construction unemployment rate in Hawaii was 4.1% in December 2023, below national 4.7%
- 2,150 construction estimators worked in Hawaii in 2023, earning $78,920 mean wage
- Veteran employment in Hawaii construction reached 9.2% of workforce in 2022
- Plumbers and pipefitters in Hawaii: 1,780 employed, mean wage $84,310 in 2023
- Hawaii construction added 1,200 jobs in 2023, primarily in residential building
- Age distribution: 35% of Hawaii construction workers under 35 in 2022
- Operating engineers in Hawaii: 1,450 employed, $72,840 average wage 2023
- Disability employment rate in construction: 3.4% in Hawaii 2022
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
Hawaii’s construction industry is a high-wage, tight-knit, and paradoxically tight-lipped sector, where the workforce is both highly paid and squeezed by housing costs, slowly diversifying while building the state’s future one costly but meticulously planned project at a time.
Future Projections and Trends
- Hawaii construction employment projected to grow 8.2% by 2030 to 31,200 workers
- Sustainable building permits expected to rise 25% by 2025 in Hawaii
- Infrastructure spending forecast: $15 billion over next 5 years from IIJA
- Housing shortage to drive 12,000 new units annually through 2030
- Prefab construction adoption projected at 15% market share by 2028
- BIM usage in Hawaii projects to reach 70% by 2026
- Labor shortage: 5,000 unfilled construction jobs projected by 2027
- Green energy projects: 500 MW additional renewables by 2030, $3B investment
- Sea level rise adaptations: $2.5B in coastal defenses planned 2025-2035
- Modular housing growth: 20% annual increase through 2028
- Drone surveying adoption: 40% of firms by 2025, reducing costs 12%
- Construction costs inflation forecast: 4.5% annually to 2028 due to materials
- EV charging station builds: 2,500 new sites by 2030, $400M spend
- Workforce upskilling programs to train 3,000 in digital tools by 2027
- Resilient infrastructure bonds: $1B issued for 2024-2029 projects
- AI in project management: 25% adoption by large contractors 2026
- Water infrastructure upgrades: $800M planned 2025-2030
- Tourism facility modernizations: $1.5B pipeline through 2030
- Supply chain localization: 30% materials sourced locally by 2030
- Construction GDP share to rise to 6.2% by 2030
Future Projections and Trends Interpretation
Hawaii's construction industry is frantically building a sustainable, high-tech fortress against climate change and housing crises, all while desperately trying to train enough people to wield the digital hammers.
Safety and Regulations
- In 2022, Hawaii construction fatality rate was 12.4 per 100,000 workers, above national 9.6
- Fall from height incidents: 45% of construction fatalities in Hawaii 2022
- OSHA citations issued to Hawaii contractors: 1,240 in FY2023, fines totaling $2.1 million
- Lost workday injury rate: 2.1 per 100 workers in Hawaii construction 2023
- Heat-related illnesses reported: 180 cases in construction sites 2023
- Crane accidents: 3 incidents in Hawaii ports 2022-2023
- Hawaii DLNR construction permit compliance rate: 92% in 2023 audits
- Silica exposure violations: 56 citations, $450,000 fines in 2023
- Electrical safety training completed by 85% of Hawaii workers 2023
- Trenching collapse incidents: 2 fatalities, 12 injuries in 2022
- Contractor licensing revocations: 45 for safety violations in 2023
- PPE usage compliance: 94% on audited sites, up from 88% in 2022
- Hurricane preparedness drills conducted on 420 sites in 2023
- Lead paint abatement regulations enforced on 150 projects
- Vehicle-related construction accidents: 210 incidents, 15 fatalities 2022
- Ergonomic injury claims: 320 in construction insurance 2023
- Fire safety violations: 78 citations in multi-story builds 2023
- Scaffolding failures: 5 major incidents causing 22 injuries 2022-2023
- Hawaii construction safety grant funding: $4.2 million from OSHA 2023
- Hearing conservation programs implemented on 95% of large sites 2023
Safety and Regulations Interpretation
While Hawaii’s construction industry may boast a sky-high compliance rate on paper, the sobering truth is that its fatality rate is still climbing faster than a worker on faulty scaffolding.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 2LABORlabor.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 3DBEDTdbedt.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 4AGCHAWAIIagchawaii.orgVisit source
- Reference 5CENSUScensus.govVisit source
- Reference 6DOLdol.govVisit source
- Reference 7UHEROuhero.hawaii.eduVisit source
- Reference 8TAXtax.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 9BEAbea.govVisit source
- Reference 10QPUBLICqpublic.schneidercorp.comVisit source
- Reference 11TRANSPORTATIONtransportation.govVisit source
- Reference 12NCSESncses.nsf.govVisit source
- Reference 13FILESfiles.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 14HIDOThidot.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 15HONOLULUhonolulu.govVisit source
- Reference 16HAWAIIPUBLICSCHOOLShawaiipublicschools.orgVisit source
- Reference 17EPAepa.govVisit source
- Reference 18HAWAIIBUSINESShawaiibusiness.comVisit source
- Reference 19ENERGYenergy.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 20AIRPORTSairports.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 21DLNRdlnr.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 22COLLIERScolliers.comVisit source
- Reference 23HANDShands.netVisit source
- Reference 24HDOAhdoa.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 25JLLjll.comVisit source
- Reference 26OSHAosha.govVisit source
- Reference 27CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 28HAWAIIhawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 29CCAcca.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 30DODdod.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 31HEALTHhealth.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 32NHTSAnhtsa.govVisit source
- Reference 33FSSfss.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 34WHITEHOUSEwhitehouse.govVisit source
- Reference 35MCKINSEYmckinsey.comVisit source
- Reference 36CLIMATEclimate.hawaii.govVisit source
- Reference 37CONSTRUCTIONDIVEconstructiondive.comVisit source
- Reference 38WWW TURNERCONSTRUCTIONwww Turnerconstruction.comVisit source
- Reference 39HAWAIIhawaii.eduVisit source
- Reference 40BOARDOFWATERSUPPLYboardofwatersupply.comVisit source
- Reference 41AGRICULTUREagriculture.hawaii.govVisit source