Before you post the job, it helps to know the cost to hire a receptionist in Hawaiʻi. Here is the math with real numbers.
The wage
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks pay for receptionists in every state. In its May 2024 data for Hawaiʻi:
Median pay was about $18.73 an hour.
That is about $38,950 a year for full time work.
About 3,250 people work as receptionists in Hawaiʻi.
The state minimum wage also moved up to $16 an hour in January 2026, and it steps up again to $18 in January 2028. Pay at the low end of the scale is going up.
What comes on top of the wage
The paycheck is only the first line. As an employer in Hawaiʻi, you also pay for:
Social Security and Medicare. Your share is 7.65% of wages. On $38,950, that is about $2,980.
Health coverage. Hawaiʻi's Prepaid Health Care Act requires employers to offer health coverage to most employees who work 20 or more hours a week. Hawaiʻi is the only state with a law like this.
Temporary disability insurance, workers' comp, and unemployment insurance.
Paid time off, hiring time, and training.
Before health coverage and the other items, you are already near $42,000 a year.
How many hours that buys
A week has 168 hours. A full time hire works 40 of them. That covers about 24% of the week, minus lunch breaks, sick days, and vacations.
Calls that come in at 6 a.m., on a Saturday, or during the lunch rush still go to voicemail.
What a person does well
A good front desk person is worth a lot. They greet people who walk in. They know your regulars by name. They calm down an upset customer face to face. If your business has steady foot traffic, a person at the desk makes sense.
Common setups
Full time hire. Best for steady walk in traffic. Highest cost.
Part time hire plus after hours help. A person covers the busy hours. A text back or AI receptionist covers the rest.
AI front desk. It answers every call, day and night, and sends you the details. AI Works Hawaii plans start at $400 a month, which is $4,800 a year.
Run a medical office? Our page on receptionist cost for Hawaiʻi practices covers that side.
ONE THING TO TRY THIS WEEK
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, Hawaiʻi, Receptionists and Information Clerks (SOC 43 4171)
Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, minimum wage schedule
IRS Publication 15 (employer Social Security and Medicare rates)
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