Finding a Job in Hawaii Before You Move

Written by Tina Haines who has made this move both directions.

When planning to relocate to Hawaii, one of the main priorities is finding a job in Hawaii before you move. Those who move with a remote job already secured tend to thrive financially while those who attempt to find local work after arriving often find themselves draining their savings within their first year.

When we moved to Hawaii, I already had a remote job and my wife secured a job on the island within her career field (her career field is actually in high demand there.) Hawaii’s job market is small. The civilian labor force is under 700,000. That is smaller than a single mainland county like Sacramento County.

Today we’ll cover which industries actually hire, real salary numbers, why remote work has become the dominant relocation strategy, as well as practical tips for landing a job before you move.

Also read: How to Set Up Utility Accounts and Mail Forwarding in Hawaii

Quick Answer

As of mid-2026, the average salary in Hawaii is around $54,752 a year. The best-paying local industries include healthcare, law, government, and military with salaries often exceeding $100,000 a year. Yet, remote work has become the most reliable financial strategy for new residents. Hawaii wages weren’t built to cover 2026 housing costs so existing remote income helps.

Key Takeaways

• Hawaii’s average salary sits around $54,752/year (or roughly $26.32/hour) as of mid-2026
• A salary of $60,000-$80,000 is generally considered comfortable for a single person
• The best-paying local fields are law, healthcare, government, and military
• Hawaii-based tech and software jobs typically pay less than equivalent mainland roles
• Applying with a Hawaii address (even a family member’s) and calibrating salary expectations to local data meaningfully improves your odds of landing local work

Why Remote Work Is the Most Reliable Strategy

I can attest to remote work being a reliable strategy when making the move to Hawaii. People who move with a remote job tend to do well with relocating to Hawaii. Those who hope to find local work after moving often struggle within the first 12 months.

A $75,000 salary in Hawaii is about the equivalent of $45,000 on the mainland after you factor in housing, electricity, gas, and groceries. Local wages cannot make up that gap. I recommend securing a remote job or starting a remote job search before finalizing a move date.

Having a remote job before we made the move to Oahu helped us tremendously. My wife was able to land a job on the island before we moved and my job was already secure. It offered quite a relief when we finally moved into our apartment.

Which Industries Actually Hire Locally

It’s helpful to know which fields have the strongest local job prospects when deciding which Hawaiian island to move to. These include healthcare, law, government and military, education, and tourism/hospitality. There is a large pay ceiling difference within the job fields. Law, healthcare, and government/military positions can exceed $100,000 a year. Tourism and other service-industry roles like fast food, retail, etc., will sit on the lower end of the pay scale.

The fields that will have more consistent local demand moving forward include education and health services. The most limited local industries are manufacturing and media/entertainment.

Real Salary Numbers to Calibrate Your Expectations

Category	Typical Range
Hawaii average salary (overall)	~$54,752/year
“Comfortable” single-person salary	$60,000-$80,000/year
Law, healthcare, government, military	$100,000+/year
Lowest-paying local roles (service industry)	Minimum wage to low $30Ks
Remote roles based in Hawaii (varies widely by field)	$79,000-$188,000+/year

It’s ideal to have realistic salary expectations for Hawaii. Research Hawaii-specific pay data on sites like Glassdoor, Salary.com, or Hawaii DLIR wage data before applying.

How to Job Search Before You Move

Apply with a Hawaii Address (if possible)

Many employers will deprioritize applicants with a mainland address. Either use a family member’s address or note in a cover letter about your relocation timeline.

Network on LinkedIn Before Your Move

Reach out to a local network in Hawaii. It may help with Hawaii’s small, close-knit professional community.

Calibrate Your Salary Expectations

Use actual Hawaii salary data versus your current mainland salary. It is highly likely that the salary will be lower in Hawaii.

Consider Working with a Local Job Agency or Recruiter

Doing so may carry more weight than submitting online applications in such a small job market.

Use Hawaii-Specific Job Boards

Besides using job search sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, using local job boards can help you find listings that don’t always make it to national platforms.

What If You Can’t Line Up a Job Before You Move?

You’ll have to be prepared to deal with the possibility of spending a bulk of your savings while job searching. It will help to budget for several months of living expenses as a buffer. You’ll have to take into account Hawaii’s higher cost of living. Another option is to consider a temporary or part-time tourism/service work position as a bridge while searching for a role in your career field.

Also read: Reasons Not to Move to Hawaii: What Nobody Tells You

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

We were fortunate to already have jobs before we moved to Hawaii. With the high cost of living in Hawaii, it would have been that much harder to have to search for a job after arriving there. Because my wife’s career field is in demand on the island, there wasn’t an issue with letting employers know that we weren’t currently on island and planned to relocate.

My remote job was flexible with relocation which made it easy for me. I highly recommend securing a job before making the move. Grocery prices alone can drain whatever savings you have quickly. This is especially true if you are moving with your family.