NAICS 23

Construction in Urban Honolulu, HI

Metro Market Score 61.6 (Difficult), ranked #295 of 342 metros. 2,602 establishments, 27,772 jobs.

Metro Market Score 61.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

💰High-Cost Market

Urban Honolulu scores 61.6 on the Metro Market Score for construction, placing it in the bottom quartile. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

71.9

LQ: 1.17

Rank #246 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

97.7

$95,804 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 62.0

Employment growth index

Rank #131 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

39.1

YoY wage change index

2,602 Construction Firms in Urban Honolulu

2,602

Establishments

+2.8% YoY

27,772

Total Employment

+3.4% YoY

$95,804

Average Annual Wage

+6.6% YoY

1.17

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Hawaii

#1 of 2

construction metros in state

Hawaii state rank

#51 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

-6.5

better than median (68.1)

Urban Honolulu vs Hawaii Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Hawaii overall. The state ranks #51/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Urban Honolulu	HI Statewide
Overall Score	61.6 Difficult	61.1 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#295 of 342 metros	#51 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Urban Honolulu

Administrative and Support Services 54.2 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 56.7 Finance and Insurance 59.5 Retail Trade 60.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 61.2 Information 62.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 69.1 Accommodation and Food Services 70.3 Other Services 71.7

Construction in Other Hawaii Metros

Kahului-Wailuku 68.1 #322/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Urban Honolulu's 61.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Fond du Lac, WI 61.7 #296/342 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 61.5 #294/342 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 61.4 #293/342 Youngstown-Warren, OH 61.3 #292/342 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 61.1 #291/342 Omaha, NE 61.0 #290/342 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 60.9 #289/342 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 62.4 #297/342 Kennewick-Richland, WA 60.8 #288/342 St. Cloud, MN 62.4 #298/342

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Urban Honolulu's construction sector, the wage competitiveness component (97.7) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Urban Honolulu, HI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment