Hawaiʻi stands at a crossroads. With the recent passage of the so-called “big beautiful bill,” coupled with federal cutbacks and rising tariffs, the burden on local families will only grow heavier. We can no longer ignore the painfully obvious truth: Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage is far too low to support the basic dignity of work and the cost of living in our islands.
Even with scheduled increases, the current minimum wage leaves tens of thousands of workers struggling to make ends meet. The math is impossible. Rents in Hawaiʻi rival — and often surpass — those of West Coast cities like Seattle and San Francisco, yet our wage floor is far behind.
If we adjusted for cost of living, Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage today should be in the range of $25 to $27 per hour, and even higher if compared to cities like Denver and Portland.
We cannot fix Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis by building alone. While we absolutely must increase our housing supply, the crisis is equally an income problem. Even if we could build 50,000 new units tomorrow, many residents still could not afford them on current wages. Raising the minimum wage is a faster, more efficient way to stabilize working families, reduce homelessness, and ease the strain on public assistance programs.
Of course, higher wages have consequences. Some businesses, particularly smaller ones, will struggle to absorb higher labor costs. But higher wages also mean more customers with money to spend, a healthier economy and more resilient communities. The state and counties can play a role in helping small businesses adjust, offering transition support or targeted incentives…