Employment and poverty still stalled three years after the Maui wildfires

Aug 12, 2026

Recovery in West Maui has stalled, and most families hit by the fires are still worse off than before — a grim update for a community trying to rebuild.

  • A new UN report says jobs and incomes for West Maui residents have flattened out.
  • Unemployment stayed stuck at 42% for the second year in a row.
  • Poverty dipped over the past year but is still far above where it was before the fires.
  • FEMA cuts and shrinking aid mean about half of affected households now get no help at all — some who still need it.
  • Only 1 in 6 displaced households have made it back to West Maui.

Outlook: With federal and social aid drying up, many families face a slow, uncertain recovery unless new support arrives.

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