Nearly 60% of Hawaii households lost income since March 13, the highest rate of any state, according to a new survey by the U.S. Census Bureau that aims to gather data on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic shutdowns.
Nationally, 47.5% of households lost income during that time period.
Hawaii also tops the list of states where residents expect to lose money in the coming weeks.
More than than half said yes to a survey question about whether they expect someone in their household to lose income in the next four weeks. Nationally, 37% of respondents expect income loss.
Hawaii was fifth in the nation for housing insecurity. Nearly a third of respondents said they missed their last rent or mortgage payment or are not confident that they can pay next month’s.
Hawaii’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate shot up to 22.3% in April as hotels closed and multiple industries collapsed due to statewide stay-at-home orders. That’s nine times higher than the state’s unemployment rate of 2.4% the previous month.
Rural areas in Hawaii have been hit particularly hard, especially on the neighbor islands. Widespread job loss is causing people to lose their health insurance, wait in line for food and wait weeks for unemployment checks.
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About the Author
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Anita Hofschneider is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach her by email at anita@civilbeat.org or follow her on Twitter at @ahofschneider.