Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
Table 5-4. Hawai‘i County Industry Job Counts and Average Annual Wages.
5.3.5 Economy
Industry
Hawai‘i County
Job Counts
(2009)
Average Annual
Wage (2008)
Nat. resources, mining, construction 3,850
Mining $82,014
Construction $62,056
Manufacturing 1,350 $38,800
Trade, transportation & utilities 13,100
Wholesale trade 1,600 $48,001
Retail trade 8,850 $27,038
Information 650 $54,979
Financial activities 2,750
Finance & insurance 1,150 $56,485
Real estate, rental, leasing n/a $40,562
Professional & business services 4,450 $61,909
Education & health services 7,600
Education services 1,250 $34,047
Health care & social assistance 6,400 $43,753
Leisure & hospitality 12,550
Government 12,850 $49,682
Agriculture 2,300 $30,538
Source: State of Hawai‘i Data Book 2009, HDBEDT.
The economy of the Island of Hawai‘i, and the State as a whole, is primarily driven by the
visitor/tourist industry. The Hawai‘i DBEDT (2009) estimates 6,713,436 visitors traveled to the
Hawaiian Islands in 2008. Of this total, 73 percent came from the continental United States and
27 percent from other countries. The largest percentage of domestic visitors (50.6 percent) came
from the Pacific United States including Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington. Of the
passengers arriving from outside the United States, the largest number of visitors came from Japan
(1,175,199), Canada (359,580), and Australia (137,812). Visitor related expenditures contributed
$10.7 billion to the State in 2008 and 141,500 jobs (HDBEDT 2009).
The tourism industry became the primary economic generator for Hawai‘i County during the 1980s
(County of Hawai‘i 2006). Although visitor arrivals have fluctuated over the years, it remains the key
industry for the island. During 2008, 1,321,277 individuals visited the Island of Hawai‘i, of which
1,026,048 were domestic and 295,229 were international. In 2006, the average length of stay was
6.68 days (County of Hawai‘i 2007). The largest proportion of the Hawai‘i Island visitors were from
the continental western U.S. (513,078), eastern U.S. (406,490), and Japan (214,066).
In the first half of 2007, total visitor spending was highest on the Island of Hawai‘i compared to other
islands in the State. Estimated expenditures of total visitors in 2004 was $5,478.2 million (County of
Hawai‘i 2007). Hotels on the island generate employment for 6,000 residents and have an annual
payroll of over $163 million (Research Solutions, LLC and Gopalakrishnan 2002).
Chapter 5. Social and Economic Environment 5-23