From Oil to LNG: Would It Really Lower Hawaii’s Electricity Rates?
By Michael J. Roberts Hawaiʻi’s electricity rates are the highest in the nation — roughly three times the U.S. average. The main reason is that…
The Housing Market Impacts of a New Honolulu Condo
By Justin Tyndall Housing policy discussions in Hawaiʻi often focus on how we can make newly built homes affordable. Yet new construction represents only a…
Are People Leaving Hawaiʻi Because of High Prices, or Low Incomes?
By Steven Bond-Smith and Erich Schwartz This post focuses on a key theme from our comprehensive report, “Beyond the Price of Paradise: Is Hawaiʻi being…
What Happens After Job Training Part II: Healthcare, Skilled Trades, and Technology Student Labor Market Trajectories
By Rachel Inafuku Hawaiʻi has long faced one of the highest costs of living in the nation, creating persistent financial pressure for local families. Housing…
The Lost Decade Never Ended in Hawaiʻi
By Steven Bond-Smith and Erich Schwartz This post focuses on a key theme from our comprehensive report, “Beyond the Price of Paradise: Is Hawaiʻi being…
Hawai‘i’s Fuel Cost Problem: What the LSFO–LNG Price Comparison Really Shows
By Michael J. Roberts Hawaiʻi’s electricity rates are the highest in the nation — roughly three times the U.S. average — and have been for…
The Vulnerability of Hawai‘i’s Nonprofit Sector to Cuts in Federal Funding
Hawai‘i’s nonprofit sector is facing budget cuts and program changes that could disrupt essential services statewide. A new analysis by UHERO and the Hawai‘i Community…
Considerations for understanding water availability in West Maui
This piece intends to highlight some of the inherent tradeoffs that make managing water in West Maui especially challenging. In particular, subtracting current/authorized use from…
Wealth by Association? How Social Networks Drive Inequality in Hawaii
Studies show that economic connectedness, a poor individual’s share of wealthy friends, significantly impacts economic mobility. Hawaii ranks highly in this metric compared to other…
Taxing Tourists to Generate Revenue to Address the Negative Impacts of Climate Change on Hawai‘i Natural Resources
There is widespread agreement among Hawai‘i residents that the state government needs to spend more money on natural resource stewardship. A critical question is how…
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Hawaii moves beyond recession, but slowly
By Carl S. Bonham, Byron Gangnes, Steven Bond-Smith, Peter Fuleky, Rachel Inafuku, Justin Tyndall, and Vanessa Pepino Hawaii’s economy is moving beyond last year’s mild…
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Mild recession and weak recovery in 2026
Hawaii’s economy continues to edge into a mild recession. A tourism downturn is now underway, and job losses will occur in a number of sectors…
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Deteriorating US outlook weighs on Hawaii prospects
Hawaii’s economic prospects remain poor. US trade policy is impacting key international visitor markets, and tariffs and uncertainty also weigh on the US economy. In…
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Federal policies push Hawaii toward mild recession
Hawaii’s economic outlook has taken a decisive turn for the worse, as expansive federal policy shifts look poised to tip the local economy into a…
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Federal cuts raise risk of Hawaii downturn
Hawaii’s economic growth is threatened by federal disruptions. While tax cuts may provide some stimulus this year, the Administration’s actions—including tariffs, mass deportations, and spending…
Public Views on Sea Level Rise in Hawaiʻi: Results from a Statewide Survey
By Ketty Loeb, Colin D. Moore, Zena Grecni, and Victoria Keener This statewide survey of Hawaiʻi residents is the first systematic effort to measure public…
Assessing the Risks of Sea Level Rise: Knowledge and Policy Preferences Among Hawaiʻi’s Civil Servants
By Ketty Loeb, Colin D. Moore and Sandeep Kandikuppa This survey captures the views of Hawaiʻi’s civil servants on the risks associated with SLR and…
Beyond the price of paradise: Is Hawai‘i being left behind?
By Steven Bond-Smith and Erich Schwartz Hawaiʻi is one of the most desirable—and most expensive—places to live in the world. But for 23 of the…
Recovery Through a Disability Lens: Impacts of the 2023 Maui Wildfires on Disability Equity and Shared Prosperity
By Daniela Bond-Smith, Ruben Juarez, and Alika Maunakea The August 2023 Maui wildfires devastated homes, disrupted livelihoods, and reshaped entire communities. For many Maui residents…
Economic Impact of the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services on the State of Hawai‘i in Fiscal Year 2024
By Paul Bernstein, Christopher Wada, and Kimberly Burnett The Department of Environmental Services (ENV) provides essential wastewater and solid waste services for the City and…
The Inter-regional Economic Impact of the Reduction in Tourism Following the Maui Wildfires
Hawai‘i’s economy, heavily specialized in tourism, is particularly vulnerable to shocks that disrupt tourism numbers. The Maui economy is even more dependent on tourists, and…
New MauiWES Study Published in JAMA Psychiatry
A new study led by UHERO’s Ruben Juarez has been published in JAMA Psychiatry. The article finds mental health consequences of wildfire exposure, housing displacement,…
New MauiWES Study Published in JAMA Network Open
A new paper in JAMA Network Open, a journal of the American Medical Association, led by Dr. Ruben Juarez, Dr. Alika Maunakea, Dr. Daniela Bond-Smith,…
Publication: Shadows and Donuts: The Work-From-Home Revolution and The Performance of Cities
In this article, we set out the relationships between the behavioral and spatial responses to working from home. The analytical framework centres explicitly on the…
Publication: Vog: Using Volcanic Eruptions to Estimate the Impact of Air Pollution on Student Test Scores
We pair variation stemming from volcanic eruptions with the census of Hawaii’s public schools’ student test scores to estimate the impact of PM2.5 and SOM2…