Hawai'i Status Report

Late February arrival count drops to levels near 2002 levels

These charts compare the number of passengers arriving in Hawai'i airports each day with the passengers arriving the same weekday of the previous year. For example, Monday, Sept. 23, 2002, is compared with Monday, Sept. 24, 2001. The numbers do not include passengers from Canada.

Hawai'i personal income rose in third-quarter 2003

Analysis by John Duchemin (525-8062; fax: 525-6763)

The total amount of income earned by Hawai'i residents continued to increase in third-quarter 2003, lifting at one of the fastest growth rates since the early 1990s.

Personal income, an aggregate economic measure similar to the gross state product, jumped to $37.4 billion (Graph 1). It was the 24th straight quarter of year-over-year income growth (Graph 2) and was higher than the growth experienced during the economic slowdown of 2001.

Adjusted for inflation, which wiped out much of the income growth in the mid-1990s, Hawai'i has lately enjoyed the steadiest income growth in more than a decade (Graph 3).

While the rate of growth is slower than the late 1980s years of booming tourism, income also has not dropped since 1996 (Graph 4).

Jobless claims stay below last year

People seeking unemployment insurance benefits must file weekly claims with the state Department of Labor. The number of claims is thus a good indicator of the level of unemployment.

Interpreting the market trends

Is investing in Hawai'i a good idea? Maybe so. But what about investing in Hawai'i stocks?

This feature looks at how your money would have done if you put it in Hawai'i public companies. The Hono-lulu Advertiser "invested" $1,000 total in the stocks listed at right and calculated how much the money would have grown or shrunk over the year.

Because stocks often ebb and flow with the economy, their performance also gives an idea of how well the Hawai'i economy is doing in the eyes of investors.

The stocks were selected because the companies are based in Hawai'i, make and/or sell a significant portion of their products here, and have been listed on a major American stock exchange for more than three years.