Hawaiʻi sets a single statewide minimum wage and bars Honolulu and the other counties from enacting higher local floors, with the rate scheduled to climb from $14.00 in 2026 to $18.00 by January 1, 2028.
HRS §387-2 establishes Hawaiʻi's minimum wage and locks counties out of setting independent rates above it. The 2022 indexing law (Act 114) phases the floor through $12.00 (October 2022), $14.00 (January 2024), $16.00 (January 2026), and $18.00 (January 2028). Honolulu cannot pass a $20 city minimum the way Seattle, Los Angeles, or Berkeley have done. Tipped employees may be paid up to $1.50 below the standard rate provided actual tips bring total compensation at least $7.00 above the minimum. The Wage Standards Division of DLIR enforces the law statewide.
Underpayment claims are filed with DLIR Wage Standards. Employers face back wages, liquidated damages up to double the unpaid amount, civil penalties, and possible criminal misdemeanor charges for willful violations.
Honolulu, HI
Honolulu hotel workers earn wages set primarily through collective bargaining with UNITE HERE Local 5 and the statewide minimum wage law, since Hawaiʻi preem...
Honolulu, HI
Hawaiʻi has no statewide paid family or sick leave statute; workers rely on the federal FMLA, the state Family Leave Law (unpaid), and Temporary Disability I...
See how Honolulu's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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