For 20 years, CNBC has ranked the top and the worst states to do business. This year, Hawaiʻi came in last place, number 50.
Some of the reasons include the highest business costs in the nation, with the worst infrastructure.
Sherry Menor is the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. She said that this was not surprising to her at all.
“We've been teetering between 50 to 49, back to 50, but it underscores the need to address our business climate if we want to build a healthier economy and continue to provide jobs, build better communities, and so this is an opportunity to really hone down as to what can we do to improve our business climate,” Menor said.
Menor explained that the chamber launched its 2030 blueprint as an economic action plan to build a better business climate and economy.
“We launched it a couple of years ago, and we are making headway,” she said. “We are making improvements in the areas where we were called out, whether it's education, whether it's the cost of living, etc. There's been a concerted effort to address that, and in those areas, we've seen Hawaiʻi move up in the ranking. And while we've moved up the ranking, there's still so much more work to do.”
She added that in areas such as infrastructure and cost of doing business, Hawaiʻi needs to address them by finding solutions.
“We need to identify what the gaps are in the ecosystem that we need to provide that support for businesses, so that we can start more businesses, and more importantly, help them survive and thrive," Menor said.
The chamber offers businesses support through AI classes and professional development workshops on accounting, marketing, finance and legal issues.
"When it comes to the business side, that's an area that the chamber or other organizations can provide support in helping our young entrepreneurs understand what it takes to run a business," she said.
This story aired on The Conversation on July 16, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
