Metros with the most low-income job losses due to COVID-19
Metros with the most low-income job losses due to COVID-19
Across the country, were hardest hit by job losses during the coronavirus pandemic, and according to the Brookings Institution, those jobs were the slowest to return. Many workers were on economically shaky ground before the pandemic and were less able to withstand the loss of employment.
, the recession was the most unequal in modern U.S. history. For example, people in California making less than $40,000 a year were most likely to have been laid off or furloughed, according to a report from the state's . Low-income women fared the worst. Only 22% of workers in the state were able to work remotely regularly.
Similarly, a report from the , "Disparate Impacts of the Pandemic Recession in Oregon," found that low-income workers, women, and people of color were the most likely to have lost work. The report notes that just before the pandemic began, the number of unemployed people (77,900) reached an all-time low.
麻豆原创 analyzed data from the , published July 2, 2021, to rank metro areas by low-income job losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. States are ranked according to the percent of low-income jobs lost due to the pandemic and ties are broken by the state's total percent of jobs lost as a result. "Low-income" is defined as anyone earning at or below the poverty line.
#50. Astoria, Oregon
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.3%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 7.7%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 12,534
In April 2020, unemployment in Clatsop County, where Astoria is the county seat, peaked at 24.2%. It dropped to 6.1% in November 2020, then rose slightly to 8.1% in February 2021. The also noted that smaller cities with less diverse economies like Astoria had higher unemployment rates. Astoria, which is on the coast, is more dependent on tourism than the county as a whole.
#49. Saginaw, Michigan
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.1%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 46,980
General Motors once operated eight plants in Saginaw and its surroundings but manufacturing jobs dropped 50% in the last 30 years, according to . The middle-class jobs drew African Americans from the South to what is now a racially divided area after many white families moved to the suburbs. When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut down the state in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants and hospitality industries suffered and experts said low-wage industries are likely to be the slowest to recover.
#48. Sonora, California
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 7.8%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 15,051
Once known as the and settled by miners from Sonora, Mexico, this city is in California鈥檚 Gold Country in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is the county seat of Tuolumne County, where the unemployment rate was . Hotels, restaurants, and entertainment accounted for more than 60% of the jobs recovered over the year. Before the pandemic, Tuolumne had an unemployment rate of 5.9%, but lost jobs in the and information services during the state鈥檚 shutdown.
#47. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.0%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 3,250,729
The Los Angeles economy in the service sectors and the movie and film industry. 鈥嬧婤y March 2021, Los Angeles had recovered 64% of jobs lost during the first three months of the pandemic, according to an analysis by the . Unemployment remained high in the spring at 10.9%. Of the remaining job losses, 41% were in restaurants, accommodations, and arts and entertainment; was 11.5%; and the area has recovered between 50% and 60% of its jobs.
#46. Newport, Oregon
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.2%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 13,463
In Oregon, nearly lost early in 2020 were in the leisure and hospitality industry, hindering services such as hair salons, repair shops, and private education. According to a report from the state's employment department, titled , the leisure and hospitality industry in particular employed more women, young people, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color than Oregon's economy overall. A city on the water, Newport draws tourists to what described as "a great collision of odd attractions, natural beauty and classic qualities of the gritty Oregon coast."
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#45. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 6.7%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 879,745
Before the pandemic, the had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The accommodation and food services industry accounted for more than one-third of the net jobs lost and it had the lowest average weekly wage in 2019. Workers without a college degree were most at risk.
#44. Fairbanks, Alaska
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 7.9%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 20,440
saw its employment drop 7.9% and lost about 3,000 jobs in 2020, and the state鈥檚 Department of Labor and Workforce Development expects about to be recovered. The arrival of F-35 jets at the Eielson Air Force Base has boosted its population, and a demand for goods and services is expected to help grocery stores, restaurants, and car dealerships as well as the construction and engineering industries. Since Fairbanks is close to Denali National Park, the city draws tourists on cruise ships, and the leisure and hospitality sector accounted for 40% of total job loss in 2020.
#43. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 7.3%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 746,510
Six months after the pandemic prompted California to announce a lockdown, in the San Diego area were in the tourism, retail, and education sectors. Among young workers 16 to 24 years old who lost their jobs, two out of three worked in tourism. The same was true of 50% of Hispanic workers.
#42. Napa, California
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 7.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 33,365
Low-income workers, , have lost jobs as coronavirus restrictions impeded restaurants, hotels, wineries, and vineyards. More than half of the farmworkers in California are undocumented, according to estimates by the U.S. Department of Labor.
#41. Ocean City, New Jersey
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.6%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.2%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 22,311
Right on the Atlantic Ocean, Ocean City depends on tourism, which is . At the beginning of Summer 2021, businesses said they were struggling to find employees. Some were offering more than New Jersey's $11 an hour minimum wage in the hopes of finding workers.
#40. Mount Pleasant, Michigan
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.6%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.3%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 14,359
Michigan had greater job loss in April 2020 than states in the Northeast or those dependent on tourism, according to an analysis by the . The state was already struggling with the loss of manufacturing jobs and a switch to a service economy. Even fewer opportunities existed for those without a college education or job in the automotive business.
#39. Amsterdam, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.6%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 12,026
Even before the pandemic, Amsterdam was working to . A was directed to improving the waterfront along the Mohawk River and developing new businesses and restaurants. Like many upstate New York cities, Amsterdam once bustled with manufacturers but then faced a long decline.
#38. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.7%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 8,799
The main source of revenue for the , the , was closed for two fiscal quarters during the pandemic, according to Win Awenen Nisitotung, the tribe鈥檚 official newspaper. The result was a 70% loss in the $80 million annual payroll. The net revenue, $17 million annually, goes to support tribal operations. Another tourist attraction is the .
#37. Gloversville, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 14,192
True to its name, Gloversville was once home to a thriving leather tanning industry and . Between 1889 and 1950, nearly all American gloves were made there, but it then experienced a steady industrial decline until 1990. It began in 2016 to attract people to the city鈥檚 center. The Adirondack State Park is nearby.
#36. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 6.9%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 1,074,755
About 40,000 residents of Boston became ill with COVID-19 during 2020, and about 1,000 people died. The pandemic made it even for some people to find work, including those who became ill, those who worried about getting the virus, and parents grappling with the closures of schools and child care centers. The industry hit the hardest was accommodations and food services, which lost about 25,000 jobs in 2020 (a 40% drop).
#35. Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 9.9%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.1%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 3,309
The seasonal economy of Martha鈥檚 Vineyard is heavily dependent on summer workers, and the first summer of the pandemic businesses shut down. Then, in April 2020, businesses were in a scramble to find employees. reported a confluence of the coronavirus pandemic, more difficulty in obtaining temporary work visas for foreign workers, and a housing crisis.
#34. Truckee-Grass Valley, California
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.2%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.0%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 20,604
The heart of California鈥檚 Gold Country, this area draws tourists everywhere to historic downtown Truckee to Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe National Forest to lakes, hiking trails, and other outdoor activities. Unemployment in the leisure and hospitality sector remained at 17% in December 2020, according to the . In May 2021, the as a whole for Nevada County was 5.6% and businesses were hiring.
#33. Pittsfield, Massachusetts
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.2%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.6%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 33,627
Berkshire County, a popular tourist area, had lost by April 2021, the majority of which were in the hospitality, restaurant, and retail industries. The region was projected to regain 74.1% of the jobs by the summer, but other jobs are likely to be lost permanently. Women and people of color were among the many who dropped out of the labor market or who are underemployed, Heather Boulger, the executive director of the MassHire Berkshire Workforce Development Board, wrote in . The group offers training, education, and help to find work.
#32. Corning, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.3%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.6%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 22,502
Corning Inc., formerly Corning Glass Works and creator of and CorningWare, laid off about in May 2020 and reduced the salaries of the remaining 5,500 workers. Other cuts at the diesel plant in Erwin followed due to lower demand for catalytic converters as car and truck production was cut. One major tourist attraction is the Corning Museum of Glass.
#31. Ogdensburg-Massena, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.3%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.8%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 21,076
The communities along the St. Lawrence River in the northern part of the state were struggling before the coronavirus pandemic hit. 鈥嬧婱assena was once for Alcoa, Reynolds, and General Motors, but most closed and hundreds of jobs were lost. Ogdensburg, in addition to low incomes and high unemployment, now faces a . Town officials are trying to revitalize the city with infrastructure improvements that could be funded by the bipartisan infrastructure plan in Congress.
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#30. Plattsburgh, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.8%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 19,546
The city of Plattsburgh 鈥 residing on the northwestern shore of Lake Champlain and home to SUNY Plattsburgh, part of the state university system 鈥 was forced to in 2020. It was facing a $3 million budget gap. Revenue from sales tax and parking was also down, and it was expecting less state aid and fewer on-time property tax payments.
#29. Hudson, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.0%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 15,288
Columbia County, of which , has rebounded since the depths of the pandemic, with the unemployment rate reaching 4.5% in June 2021. Although there were 1,500 vacant jobs in the area, up to 500 people remained unemployed 鈥 a discrepancy officials are still trying to address. The leisure and hospitality industry accounted for more than half of the jobs added in May 2021, though numbers were below their pre-pandemic level.
#28. Oneonta, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.8%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 14,219
The State University of New York (or ) is participating in an economic revitalization initiative called intended to spur entrepreneurial efforts. New businesses can operate tax-free status if they open on land owned or leased by a state university or college or are within a mile of the university or college. The businesses will not pay corporate or sales taxes, and its employees will not pay any income tax for 10 years.
#27. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.6%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 49,252
Like all vacation destinations, Cape Cod was hit particularly hard by the pandemic and the resulting stay-at-home edicts. Workers in the leisure and hospitality industries were among the most affected across the country. The highest number of throughout the Cape came in the accommodation and food service areas. Barnstable Town is the on the Cape.
#26. Utica-Rome, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.7%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.1%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 75,689
Like many upstate New York communities, this one has struggled. The population in the Utica metro area has dropped 10% since 1970 and employment levels have stagnated since the 1990s, according to the . Metal production was a large part of the economy, but manufacturing employment has dropped by more than half in the last decades, replaced by jobs in health, education, and leisure and hospitality. A casino is now a major employer.
#25. Watertown-Fort Drum, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.1%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 22,691
remained a major economic pillar of the area鈥檚 economy throughout the pandemic. It brought to the area in the form of payroll, purchases, and 5,500 off-base jobs to New York鈥檚 North Country. The , 鈥嬧媓ome of the 10th Mountain Division and to 19,000 military and civilian workers, contributes 1.6% of the region鈥檚 gross domestic product.
#24. Auburn, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.0%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 19,898
The year before the pandemic struck, Auburn received a to help to revitalize its downtown. Auburn鈥檚 history includes developing hydroelectric power and agricultural mechanization and promoting abolitionism, women's rights, prison reform, and temperance. Among the projects planned included restoring a historic chapel and the Seward House Museum鈥檚 Carriage House and Barn and creating a recovery facility.
#23. Rochester, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.1%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 282,221
Rochester鈥檚 economy revolved around manufacturing companies such as Eastman Kodak Company, Bausch & Lomb, and Xerox, but those jobs have disappeared since the 1980s and were replaced by . The area has had little growth in either population or employment and in fact, as a result of the latest census, Rochester dropped from the third-largest city in the state to the fourth. The University of Rochester is now the region鈥檚 largest employer. It also is known for optics and imaging.
#22. New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.0%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 4,297,629
The the coronavirus brought were particularly evident in the New York City metro area, where most were in industries such as accommodation and residents. Tourism was virtually shut down. Wall Street thrived as professionals in finance and other fields were able to work from home. According to , Moody鈥檚 Analytics calculated that New York City鈥檚 employment losses were the worst of 82 metro areas it follows.
#21. Batavia, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.9%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.2%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 15,667
Just as the coronavirus pandemic began, Batavia had been using a to improve the interiors and exteriors of buildings in its Business Improvement District. The city has been trying to fill vacant and underutilized buildings. As was true elsewhere across the country, fewer people were looking for jobs in May as the and employers began hiring.
#20. Seneca Falls, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 10.9%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 8,107
The first was held in Seneca Falls in 1848, but in recent years, it has been trying to , help existing businesses survive, and expand tourism in this Finger Lakes town. Among its ideas was to target women specifically given the interest in women鈥檚 history. What was once the on the canal in downtown Seneca Falls is now the National Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame.
#19. Olean, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.0%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 19,269
The in North Olean announced in February 2021 that it would move production to other facilities, and lay off 430 blue-collar workers. Another 300 engineering and management jobs would remain. The move, the result of changes in energy markets, was a blow to a town where multiple generations of families worked at the facility.
#18. Binghamton, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.0%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.3%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 60,698
Binghamton, located in New York鈥檚 Southern Tier near the Pennsylvania border, has since 1990, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That鈥檚 one of the largest drops in the country. Education, health, and leisure and hospitality have replaced manufacturing, with Binghamton University being a strong economic center. Before the pandemic, the economy of the area had just begun to emerge from the Great Recession.
#17. Malone, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.0%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.3%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 10,911
Malone has three state prisons nearby and the jobs that come with them, but it also has a downtown with many empty and boarded buildings. noted that new businesses often move to the edge of town even as residents are trying to revitalize the downtown region. Malone was once part of a thriving industrial region until such companies as General Motors closed down in the area. A more has been that tougher border enforcement has made it more difficult for Canadians to visit.
#16. Elmira, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.0%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.1%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 20,038
Elmira is another city in New York's Southern Tier with a struggling economy that depended on manufacturing. The area has lost 10% of its employment since 1990, and half of its manufacturers. Unlike other upstate communities, Elmira has not seen growth in the education and health sectors, as noted by the , nor has it been able to fill those jobs with growth in businesses or the leisure and hospitality sector.
#15. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.1%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 8.8%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 208,356
The economy of New York鈥檚 capital is dependent on government, education, health care, and now high-tech companies. Government accounts for about , according to Forbes. has been invested in the city, including its downtown, which has $35 million in new residential units.
#14. Jamestown-Dunkirk-Fredonia, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.2%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.6%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 32,045
To help create jobs in western New York, the State University of New York at Fredonia has created a , which offers services to start-ups. All in Chautauqua County lost jobs as a result of the pandemic, although the biggest losses were in businesses providing services.
#13. Glens Falls, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.3%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.6%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 33,904
Close to the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George, and ski resorts, Glens Falls has a successful leisure and hospitality sector, and before the Great Recession, employment had been growing. Health care had added jobs that made up for a loss in manufacturing, which is still important but had been cut in half since 1990, according to the .
#12. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 5.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 151,996
Poughkeepsie, located in New York鈥檚 Dutchess County, struggled as other towns along the Hudson River revitalized. Beacon, Hudson, and Kingston bustled with new restaurants, stores, and other development after the Great Recession. Now, about is occurring in Poughkeepsie, where Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Marist College are beginning a new medical school. A brewing company opened there in 2018, according to .
#11. Syracuse, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 160,506
has followed the path of many upstate New York cities, its manufacturing jobs giving way to those in health care. In Syracuse's case, there has been little growth in population or employment in the last decades. Jobs at such companies as General Electric have been replaced by ones at Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University.
#10. Cortland, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 11,540
Cortland is in New York鈥檚 Southern Tier and it was once a manufacturing center. , operated a factory making chicken wire, wire screening, window screens, and coal sieves, among other products. The 1890 House Museum, the home of Chester F. Wickwire, is now a tourist attraction. Today, like other communities, its after the pandemic but businesses struggled to find workers. The hospitality industry was the hardest hit.
#9. Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.6%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 10.0%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 74,955
The coronavirus pandemic particularly affected the that is key to Atlantic City 鈥 restaurants, entertainment, and casinos. The city's nine casinos reported from $288.6 million in November 2019 to $260.86 million in November 2020. Online gambling was allowed to continue. Legislation aimed at helping New Jersey recover will give tax credits to developers and help companies moving to or expanding in the state.
#8. Ithaca, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.7%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 19,929
In Ithaca, a group of faculty from Cornell University is urging the city and not to rebuild the way it was before. An unequal labor market meant that people of color were disproportionately vulnerable to layoffs and lower pay. Nearly 70% of Black workers make less than $15.37 an hour compared to 30% of white workers.
#7. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 11.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 9.9%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 299,157
Buffalo鈥檚 economy was once dominated by manufacturing, especially by steel factories and auto parts suppliers, but those jobs were lost and replaced by ones in the service industries. Manufacturing continues to provide a slightly above average share of jobs in the economy, according to the , but the area鈥檚 colleges and universities and health care industries have become more significant. Trade with Canada is also important, and the area has seen moderate job growth since the Great Recession, according to the .
#6. Kingston, New York
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 12.4%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 10.2%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 42,126
Job losses during the pandemic were mainly in the , but Hudson Valley's real estate market stayed exceptionally strong because of interest from New York City residents looking for property. Those buying included looking for more space and those who drove up prices.
#5. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 12.5%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 11.2%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 574,781
Like other hospitality-centered areas, Las Vegas, with its casino industry, was hit with exceptionally high job losses. At the beginning of the year, it had the of the 51 largest cities in the country. A report found that areas with economies like Las Vegas鈥 鈥 those reliant on tourism and the movement of people 鈥 had higher unemployment at the end of 2020 than cities whose industries were based on the movement of information.
#4. Hilo, Hawaii
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 16.9%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 16.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 31,236
Hawaii鈥檚 tourism industry had the most job losses in the state. Researchers from the at Manoa Center on the Family found that the workers most affected were those already struggling to pay their bills and were earning low or very low wages. Hilo is on Hawaii island 鈥 where the economy is than Maui and Kauai 鈥 and so unemployment numbers were not as high. Aquaculture is expanding.
#3. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 18.2%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 16.4%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 208,723
Those under 35 accounted for more than 40% of employees in the industries most affected by job losses, according to the report from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Half of the workers in the retail trade and leisure and hospitality sector have either a high school diploma or less. More than half of employees in retail are women and Filipinos were overrepresented among the lowest-wage industries.
#2. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 19.8%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 19.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 51,693
In April 2021, the island of Maui began requiring people flying into Maui County from outside Hawaii to have when they arrive at the Kahului Airport to avoid a mandatory quarantine. The regulation, in addition to a pre-travel test, was intended to determine the source of the high rate of coronavirus on the island. Maui and Kauai had the in the state, making it difficult for tourism workers to stay.
#1. Kapaa, Hawaii
- Low-income job loss due to COVID-19: 20.2%
- Total job loss due to COVID-19: 19.5%
- Total low-income workers in metro: 19,035
In June 2021, the island of Kauai had the highest unemployment rate among the state's counties. Eugene Tian, an economist for Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, told newspaper that the state's economy is more dependent on tourists than Hawaii or Oahu. Researchers at the are calling for a more diverse economy that would produce better paying jobs.