Hawaii small business statistics
Hawaii logged 19,558 business applications in 2025, up 8.6% from 2024 and 34.8% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline. Health care and social assistance led both private-sector establishment and job growth since 2019.
Business applications, employment, lending, tax, bankruptcy, and contracting records cover different parts of Hawaii's business economy.
At a glance
Hawaii logged 19,558 business applications in 2025, up 8.6% from 2024 and 34.8% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline.
Through May 2026, total applications were down 9.8% from the same months in 2025; high-propensity applications were down 8.4%.
Honolulu filed 12,822 applications in 2025, the largest county total in Hawaii. Maui led the high-volume counties after adjusting for population.
Health care and social assistance led both private-sector establishment and job growth since 2019.
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Hawaii businesses reached $81.0M in FY2025 across 254 loans, led by health care and social assistance, accommodation and food services, construction, professional services, and retail trade.
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Hawaii counties fell from 51 to 48 in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2026.
New business formation
Hawaii business applications reached 19,558 in 2025, up 8.6% from 2024. Through May 2026, applications were 9.8% lower than in the same months of 2025.
Why compare with 2019
2019 is the last full year before the pandemic. The shutdown period and the business churn that followed changed EIN filing patterns. High-propensity applications totaled 2,352 through May 2026, down 8.4% from Jan-May 2025. Projected business formations within eight quarters fell 10.9% over the same period.
Census BFS counts applications for employer identification numbers. Applications are early filings; confirmed operating-business counts arrive later.
Where applications are concentrated
Honolulu is the largest application market by raw volume. Among the high-volume counties shown below, Maui stands out most after adjusting for population.
Applications relative to population
Each rate divides 2025 Census BFS applications by the county’s Census Vintage 2025 resident population estimate. Honolulu still has the most total filings, while Maui has the highest application volume relative to resident population among these high-volume counties.
Census BFS counts EIN applications. The denominator is 2025 resident population, which adjusts the filing count for scale. Startup conversion requires a business-based denominator.
| County | 2025 applications | Change vs 2024 | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 12,822 | +11.5% | +32.7% |
| Hawaii | 3,007 | +9.1% | +53.2% |
| Maui | 2,582 | -3.6% | +22.8% |
| Kauai | 1,143 | +6.4% | +48.4% |
Jobs, establishments, and wages
In 2024, Hawaii had 57,568 private-sector establishments and 516,956 private-sector jobs. The establishment count was 36.7% higher than in 2019, and employment was 3.6% lower.
Health care and social assistance led establishment growth.
Health care and social assistance added 1,679 establishments from 2019 to 2024. Health care and social assistance added 2,028 jobs over the same period.
BLS QCEW counts employer establishments and jobs, along with wages, payroll, and local industry structure.
| Industry | 2024 establishments | Change vs 2019 | 2024 jobs | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional services | 6,602 | +1,666 (+33.8%) | 26,867 | +1,968 (+7.9%) |
| Health care and social assistance | 6,023 | +1,679 (+38.7%) | 74,940 | +2,028 (+2.8%) |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,122 | +858 (+20.1%) | 105,166 | -7,604 (-6.7%) |
| Other services | 4,922 | +742 (+17.8%) | 25,592 | -1,602 (-5.9%) |
| Construction | 4,444 | +493 (+12.5%) | 38,682 | +1,702 (+4.6%) |
| Administrative services | 3,476 | +637 (+22.4%) | 36,402 | -3,866 (-9.6%) |
| Real estate and rental | 2,264 | +135 (+6.3%) | 11,929 | -1,379 (-10.4%) |
| Wholesale trade | 2,155 | +67 (+3.2%) | 17,188 | -1,097 (-6.0%) |
| Finance and insurance | 2,006 | +267 (+15.4%) | 14,936 | -1,184 (-7.3%) |
| Information | 1,599 | +841 (+110.9%) | 7,921 | -807 (-9.2%) |
SBA lending
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Hawaii businesses totaled $81.0M in FY2025 across 254 loans. The SBA files report 1,959 jobs supported for those approvals.
Health care and social assistance drew the most SBA capital.
Health care and social assistance drew $12.5M in FY2025 SBA approvals. Accommodation and food services, construction, professional services, and retail trade received the next-largest approval totals.
SBA fiscal year 2025 ran from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025. The published files were current as of April 28, 2026.
| Sector | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 23 | $12.5M | 310 |
| Accommodation and food services | 45 | $12.3M | 454 |
| Construction | 37 | $11.5M | 177 |
| Professional services | 21 | $8.2M | 89 |
| Retail trade | 29 | $8.1M | 157 |
| Manufacturing | 12 | $6.7M | 77 |
| Other services | 27 | $6.4M | 204 |
| Administrative services | 22 | $4.6M | 259 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 7 | $3.4M | 33 |
| Wholesale trade | 9 | $3.2M | 110 |
| County | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 166 | $52.7M | 1,442 |
| Maui | 46 | $15.8M | 253 |
| Hawaii | 29 | $10.1M | 185 |
| Kauai | 13 | $2.4M | 79 |
The unincorporated business economy
IRS SOI data show 125,160 Hawaii Schedules C and partnership returns/forms in Tax Year 2023. Those businesses reported $18.0B in gross receipts and $2.4B in the combined income/profit measure.
Sole proprietors account for most returns.
Hawaii had 113,729 nonfarm sole-proprietor Schedules C in Tax Year 2023, with $7.2B in gross receipts and $1.7B in net profit.
Partnerships reported more gross receipts.
Hawaii partnerships filed 11,431 Forms 1065 in Tax Year 2023 and reported $10.8B in gross receipts.
| County | Returns/forms | Gross receipts | Combined income/profit metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 78,669 | $13.4B | $1.6B |
| Hawaii | 20,326 | $1.8B | $325.1M |
| Maui | 18,176 | $1.8B | $317.7M |
| Kauai | 7,989 | $929.7M | $180.4M |
Business stress signals
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Hawaii counties fell from 51 to 48 in the 12 months ending March 31, 2026. Chapter 11 accounted for 13 cases.
Why county totals can jump
Honolulu had the largest business-bankruptcy count in the latest F-5A table. Related business cases filed in the same venue can create a sudden change in one county’s total.
Definition: U.S. Courts classifies debt as business when the debtor is a corporation or partnership, or when business-related debt predominates.
| County | Business cases, 12 months ending Mar. 31, 2026 | Change vs prior 12 months | Chapter 11 cases | All bankruptcy cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 21 | -13 | 6 | 858 |
| Maui | 12 | +4 | 4 | 134 |
| Hawaii | 9 | +1 | 2 | 136 |
| Kauai | 6 | +5 | 1 | 49 |
National credit backdrop
The 2026 Fed Small Business Credit Survey appendix reported that 94% of U.S. employer firms faced a financial challenge in 2025, 38% applied for financing, and 52% of applicants were fully approved.
Federal contract demand
USAspending reports $4.2B in FY2025 federal procurement obligations to recipients located in Hawaii. USAspending assigns these obligations to the recipient’s state and includes award type codes A, B, C, and D.
| NAICS | Federal procurement category | FY2025 obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 237990 | Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | $1.8B |
| 236220 | Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | $762.9M |
| 541330 | Engineering Services | $322.8M |
| 336611 | Ship Building and Repairing | $144.4M |
| 541715 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $136.4M |
| 541519 | Other Computer Related Services | $102.0M |
| 561612 | Security Guards and Patrol Services | $68.4M |
| 561210 | Facilities Support Services | $59.6M |
| 541513 | Computer Facilities Management Services | $59.5M |
| 237120 | Oil and Gas Pipeline and Related Structures Construction | $55.4M |
How the numbers fit together
Hawaii's business applications rose 8.6% in 2025. Since 2019, private establishments have grown 36.7% while private-sector employment has fallen 3.6%, leaving more workplaces with fewer jobs overall.
Sources and definitions
Each dataset updates on its own schedule. Annual figures use the latest complete year, and partial-year comparisons are labeled beside the relevant number.
- Census BFS monthly CSV
Updated June 10, 2026, 14:00 GMT - Census BFS county workbook
Updated June 10, 2026, 14:22 GMT - Census county population estimates
Vintage 2025 county resident population estimates - BLS QCEW annual area files
2019 and 2024 annual API files - SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA package
Updated April 28, 2026, 14:42 GMT - IRS SOI Tax Year 2023 unincorporated tables
Tax Year 2023 county combined, sole proprietor state, and partnership state tables - U.S. Courts F-5A bankruptcy XLSX
12 months ending March 31, 2026 - Fed SBCS Main Street Metrics appendix
Last updated March 23, 2026 - USAspending API
FY2025 procurement obligations
Alex Morgan turns Census, BLS, SBA, IRS, court, Federal Reserve, and USAspending records into state-by-state business comparisons.