Nearly a year and a half after the devastating August 2023 wildfires, new survey results from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) highlight persistent housing unaffordability, elevated poverty and unemployment rates, and ongoing economic hardship among fire-impacted households on Maui.
Launched in August 2024, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Maui Recovery Survey: Housing and Jobs is designed to provide current, publicly available data on the economic and housing conditions of those affected by the August 2023 wildfires. The latest update, which covers the period from October 2024 through February 2025, provides new insights into ongoing recovery challenges.
“Our goal with this tracker is to ensure that decision-makers and the public have a clear, data-driven understanding of Maui’s recovery process,” UHERO Research Economist Daniela Bond-Smith said. “These latest findings show that while some fire-affected households have gained housing stability in recent months, rising poverty rates, persistent displacement, and limited job opportunities continue to hinder full economic recovery.”
Key findings
Housing trends: Some stabilization, but costs remain high
Rent increases remain extreme but may be leveling off:
- Compared to before the fires, fire-impacted households continue to pay 50–60% more in rent, with no significant change since August 2024.
- Rents for larger units (three or more bedrooms) remain the highest, at nearly double pre-fire levels.
- For people who maintained the same number of bedrooms as well as those who maintained similar income as before the wildfires, there has been an upward trend in the percentage of people paying less in rent in the last few months.
Displacement remains high but has slightly improved:
- About 90% of Lahaina burn area residents remain displaced, virtually unchanged from previous reports.
- However, the share of fire-impacted households living in temporary housing has decreased slightly, from 51% to 45%, with more residents finding semi-permanent arrangements.
- More than 70% of displaced residents in temporary housing have now stayed in the same location for at least six months.
Slight increase in planned returns to West Maui:
- 1 in 3 displaced households still intends to return to West Maui within the next year, but permanent housing availability remains a bottleneck.
Economic trends: Poverty and employment struggles persist
Poverty rates have remained consistently high:
- The initial August 2024 report found that fire-impacted households were twice as likely to be in poverty compared to before the wildfires. That trend has not improved in the past six months—more than 20% of affected households still live below the poverty line.
- 15% of survey respondents have fallen into poverty since the wildfires, while only 2–4% have risen above the poverty threshold.
- The majority of respondents have lower incomes now than before the wildfires. Roughly a quarter earn less than half of their pre-fire incomes.
Job recovery remains sluggish, particularly in tourism:
- Only about 60% of pre-fire tourism workers still have jobs in the sector, and less than half have retained full-time employment.
- Unemployment among fire-impacted individuals remains significantly higher than the broader Maui population, with no significant change in the last four months.
Assistance has declined, leaving gaps in recovery support:
- Nearly one-third of respondents reported receiving no financial assistance in the past month, a sharp increase from earlier in the recovery period.
- Food stamps and similar government programs are now supporting less than half as many people compared to shortly after the wildfires.
- About a third of fire-impacted individuals received unemployment benefits at any point after the wildfires; however, over the last few months, only 3–7% of people still receive unemployment benefits.
“The data suggests that while the worst shocks have passed, recovery has plateaued for many households,” UHERO Policy Researcher Trey Gordner said. “Until housing affordability and job recovery improve, fire-impacted families will face continued displacement and risk long-term economic hardship.”
About the Maui Housing and Jobs Recovery Tracker
The Maui Housing and Jobs Recovery Tracker provides monthly data on the economic and housing conditions of fire-affected households. The survey has gathered insights from over 900 respondents and serves as a vital resource for tracking Maui’s long-term recovery. For the latest data and full dashboard updates, visit the UHERO Maui Recovery Dashboard.
UHERO is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences.
