We Train Hawaiʻi’s Future Workforce. Can They Afford to Stay?

Harvey Stone of the Kohala Coast Community Fund argues that Hawaiʻi Island’s workforce training and education efforts will fall short unless workers can afford to live there. He cites September 2026 home prices ranging from about $399,000 in Puna to $1.3 million in North Kona, and rents substantially higher in Kailua-Kona than Hilo. The piece calls for affordable housing alongside career development to retain essential workers.