It pays to be a doctor in Hawaii. A new analysis of Hawaii’s 2013 workforce from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations found that the top five highest-earning occupations were all different types of physicians, with internists earning a median wage of about $111 per hour.
But not many Hawaii residents fall into that category. More than 24,000 people work in retail sales earning a median wage of just $10.92 per hour. That’s the state’s biggest occupation next to office clerks and cashiers, which each have about 14,000, the analysis found.
The data comes from a survey taken over three years and includes information on 620 jobs, or about 78 percent of the state’s 662,150-person workforce.
The study also found that Hawaii residents in the 20 largest occupations — which include maids, janitors and store clerks — earn lower wages compared with California. Despite that, “Hawaii wages were generally higher than national average wages,” the state DLIR said in a press release.
Take a look at the top occupations and how much they earn (click to enlarge tables):
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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.

