Hawaii Income Inequality Below U.S. Level: UHERO Puts 2024 Gini at 0.41 vs. 0.45, 80/20 Ratio at 2.8
HONOLULU, Hawaii — Hawaii has a more even distribution of income than the nation overall, according to a University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) analysis published Oct. 27. Hawaii's Gini coefficient in 2024 was 0.41, compared with 0.45 nationally, which the authors attributed in part to Hawaii having fewer extremely high earners than states with major technology and finance industries.
The UHERO Insights article, by UHERO Professor Peter Fuleky and University of Hawaii at Manoa economics PhD candidate Vanessa Pepino, used two measures of inequality. On the second measure, Hawaii earners at the 80th percentile earned about 2.8 times as much as those at the 20th percentile in 2024 — a ratio that has narrowed from 3.2 in 2012.
The report explained that the two measures can tell different stories: Hawaii's relatively lower incomes at the very top reduce its overall inequality score, while comparatively strong earnings among upper-middle-income households widen the 80/20 gap. The narrowing gap reflects factors including increases in the state minimum wage, relatively high unionization, government assistance and stronger labor markets that raised wages for lower-paid workers.
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Dean Hall, University of Hawaiʻi.jpg（CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: Dean Hall, University of Hawaiʻi.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
