Honolulu, HI

Janitorial Wages in Honolulu, HI (2026)

Last updated Q2 2026 · Authored by the Opora Editorial Team · Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 + Hawaii Minimum Wage Law (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 387-2) + phased schedule to $18.00/hr by 2028

Urban Honolulu is the most geographically isolated major metro in the United States, and that isolation shapes every aspect of the janitorial labor market. O*NET 2024 local wages show a median hourly wage of $17.08 for SOC 37-2011 janitors—modestly above the national median but well below what Honolulu's cost of living requires for sustainability. The BLS Honolulu May 2024 news release shows the building and grounds cleaning group at a mean of $21.78/hr, elevated by military and government sector cleaning wages. Hawaii's unique regulatory stack—the General Excise Tax on all services, the Prepaid Health Care Act mandating employer health insurance, and the Hawaii Family Leave Law—creates overhead costs 15–25% above mainland equivalents at the same gross hourly rate. No mainland BSC should enter this market without modeling these structural cost differences.

BLS OEWS May 2024 Wage Distribution

Percentile	Hourly	Annual	Benchmark
10th	$14.00	$29,120	Hawaii minimum wage ($14.00/hr Jan 2024; $16.00/hr Jan 2026); hotel/resort support entry
25th	$14.07	$29,270	Minimum wage compression; P10–P25 nearly identical, reflecting binding floor constraint
50th (Median)	$17.08	$35,530	Standard commercial cleaner; downtown Honolulu office, Ala Moana corridor
75th	$21.73	$45,200	Healthcare cleaning (The Queen's Medical Center); military base facility cleaners
90th	$23.61	$49,110	Senior government custodians; Pearl Harbor–Hickam SCA-covered contract cleaners

Source: O*NET Local Wages HI 2024, SOC 37-2011; Hawaii DLIR OEWS 2024: ~9,150 SOC 37-2011 workers statewide. Hawaii minimum wage: $14.00 (Jan 2024) → $16.00 (Jan 2026) → $18.00 (Jan 2028). Annual at 2,080 hours.

Hawaii General Excise Tax on Cleaning Services

Hawaii's General Excise Tax (GET) applies to all business gross income including services. The base state rate is 4.0%, with an additional 0.5% Oahu County surcharge, yielding a combined 4.5% in Honolulu, per the Numeral Hawaii GET guide. Unlike mainland sales taxes collected from the buyer, GET is technically a tax on the seller—but standard practice passes it to clients as a line item. A BSC billing $10,000/month must remit $450 in GET. Registration through Hawaii Tax Online is required before doing business; operating without a GET license exposes the contractor to back assessments for the entire unlicensed period. All client contracts should explicitly identify the GET passthrough to avoid disputes with clients unfamiliar with Hawaii's tax structure.

Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act

The Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act (HRS Chapter 393, enacted 1974) requires private employers to provide approved health coverage to any employee working 20+ hours per week for four consecutive weeks. The employer must contribute at least 50% of the monthly single-coverage premium; the employee contribution cannot exceed 1.5% of monthly wages. For a janitor earning $17.08/hr ($2,957/month), maximum employee contribution is $44.36/month—meaning the employer absorbs essentially all premium cost above that amount, typically $300–$500/month per covered employee. For a 50-employee Honolulu BSC, annual health care premium overhead runs $180,000–$300,000 above what a mainland operator pays—an effective additional labor cost of $3.00–$5.50/hr per employee that must be priced into all bids.

Military Base Cleaning: Pearl Harbor and Hickam

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam—home to US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Air Forces—generates substantial federal cleaning contract demand across 8,100 acres of administrative buildings, barracks, hangars, and recreation centers. Federal contracts are SCA-covered; the DOL WD for Honolulu County sets the janitor rate at approximately $17.84/hr base plus $5.55/hr H&W fringe. Additional demand comes from Marine Corps Base Hawaii (Kaneohe Bay) and Schofield Barracks / Fort Shafter. Military base access requires installation access cards, background checks, and in some cases security clearances—requirements that add 3–6 weeks to onboarding and narrow the available labor pool. BSCs seeking military base contracts must be registered in SAM.gov and carry $5M+ general liability.

Tourism, Hospitality, and Submarket Variation

Tourism accounts for approximately 20% of Hawaii's GDP, and the Waikiki resort corridor (50+ hotels: Hilton Hawaiian Village, Sheraton, Hyatt, Marriott) is the largest private cleaning employment sector in Honolulu. Major branded hotels are covered by UNITE HERE Local 5 master agreements; the prevailing rate for hotel housekeeping sets the benchmark that non-union boutique properties follow at $16–$20/hr. Downtown Honolulu / Ala Moana / Kakaako: primary commercial office market at $18–$24/hr. Airport / Middle Street: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport terminal and cargo cleaning with TSA badging required for airside work. Pearl City / Aiea: suburban commercial and medical office at $15–$18/hr. Kapolei / Ewa Beach: fastest-growing corridor; new retail and medical offices at $14.50–$18/hr.

Loaded Cost and Bid Guidance

A standard Honolulu commercial cleaning loaded labor model at $17.08/hr median: base wage + PHCA health care contribution (~$4.00/hr equivalent) + Hawaii TDI (~0.3%) + FICA 7.65% + Hawaii WC (NCCI Class 9014 approx. $2.70/$100) + SUI = approximately $24–$28/hr all-in before overhead. GET passthrough at 4.5% adds to gross billing. Standard commercial bill rates: downtown Honolulu $30–$42/hr; Waikiki non-union accounts $26–$36/hr; suburban Pearl City/Aiea $22–$30/hr. Military SCA accounts: $17.84/hr base + $5.55 H&W + overhead = approximately $30–$38/hr loaded before profit. BSCs entering Hawaii from the mainland who fail to budget for PHCA health care, GET registration, and military base access overhead will consistently misprice—often 20–35% below viable cost.

Primary sources

Review notice

This wage data is maintained by the Opora editorial team and last reviewed in Q2 2026. BLS OEWS data is released annually each spring; state and local minimum wages change at least yearly. Verify current rates with BLS, the relevant state labor department, and any applicable SCA wage determination before relying on a specific bid number. Opora does not provide legal or tax advice.