What skilled trades pay in Hawaii, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 39 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is electrical lineworker at a $134,340 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Hawaii pay page.
How Hawaii compares
37 of the 37 trades we track in Hawaii pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for paving equipment operator (+123%), drywall installer (+95%) and heavy equipment operator (+94%), and the biggest gaps for auto mechanic (+7%) and septic & sewer technician (+7%). Prices in Hawaii's metros run about 10% above the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,990 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Hawaii
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $45,920.
Every trade in Hawaii
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Maintenance Technician: 8,030 jobs
- Landscaper: 7,040 jobs
- Carpenter: 4,810 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 4,580 jobs
- Electrician: 3,070 jobs
Hawaii metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Honolulu: -1.7% (27,908 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
24.8% of Hawaii workers belong to a union (26.0% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Hawaii who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in welder (96%), machinist (90%) and rigger (89%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 56 wage cases against construction employers in Hawaii, recovering $1,168,603 in back wages for 658 workers.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2025. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, Hawaii's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 144 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 52% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (5 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Hawaii metros with the most federal major disasters are Kahului (8) and Honolulu (4) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Hawaii, 90 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in Hawaii?
Electrical Lineworker pays the most of the trades we track, with a $134,340 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by heavy equipment operator and paving equipment operator.
Which trade has the most jobs in Hawaii?
maintenance technicians, with about 8,030 jobs statewide, followed by landscapers and carpenters.
Which Hawaii city pays the trades best?
Kahului, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Honolulu.
Is construction hiring growing in Hawaii?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were down 1.7% from a year earlier in Honolulu, the fastest-changing large market in the state.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Hawaii 2026, payby.trade/report/hi/.”