2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Kapaa, HI vs Palmer, AK

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Highlights
- Household income in Palmer, is 34% less than it is in Kapaa and is 11% below the National Average.
- Kapaa unemployment rate is 13.0%.
- Palmer unemployment rate is 7.7%.
 Kapaa, HIPalmer, AKUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock7.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-0.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth36.1%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes4.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$36,103  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$62,068$69,021
 Family Median Income$105,150  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Kapaa, HIPalmer, AKUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.3%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.9%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.8%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock10.7%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K7.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock12.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K17.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.7%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K11.1%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock4.4%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Kapaa, HIPalmer, AKUnited States
 Management, business, finance9.9%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock4.2%6.5%
 Community, social services0.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.5%1.2%
 Education, library7.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock5.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement5.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.2%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.5%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock4.8%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support23.8%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock1.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair13.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock12.7%13.1%
Reviews for Kapaa    4 Reviews

I have lived on Kaua'i, Hawai'i for about two years now, with about 20 years of prior vacationing (up to 1 month). Living here is much different than vacationing here,  More

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Over 8 years ago

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Kapaa in July of 2017. As tourists we found it a wonderful place. There were ample places to eat and shop for souvenirs.   More

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Over 9 years ago

For many, Kapaa is considered middle of the island in a way. Whether you are going North or going South, Kapaa seems to be a great midway point. There are tons of  More

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Reviews for Palmer    3 Reviews

The first time I saw Palmer was in 1974. It's grown up from the old days of farm country complete with 4-H clubs, fields of crops and livestock. Gone are most of the  More

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Over 20 years ago

The four months of cold and dark. Winter lasts about 8 months, but the real cold, dark lasts about 4 months. It is getting harder and harder to deal with as I get  More

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Over 20 years ago

I have lived in Palmer for 11 years. I love everything about it except about four months of the dark, cold winters. The people are  More

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