Ham radio operators in Hawaii: new licenses by county
3,412 licensed amateur radio operators; 120 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 6
- New hams · last 12 months
- 120
- ▲ 29% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 3,412
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 30
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 29
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 26
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 193
About ham radio in Hawaii
Hawaii added 120 new amateur radio operators in the past 12 months, up 29% from the year before. Hawaii ranks #43 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Honolulu County leads the state with 73 new hams. Technicians make up 53% of the state’s licensees, above the U.S. average of 48%, a lot of newer operators who could use a mentor and a club to call home. 30 operators upgraded their license in the past year, the moment many buy their first HF rig.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | 8 |
| May 2026 | 22 |
| Jun 2026 | 13 |
| Jul 2026 | 29 |
| Aug 2026 | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | 7 |
| Total | 120 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 1,798 | 53% | 48% |
| General | 700 | 21% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 659 | 19% | 21% |
| Advanced | 112 | 3% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 143 | 4% | 2% |
Bar = Hawaii share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 10 operators upgraded to General and 18 to Amateur Extra.
How Hawaii compares
#43 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 35.2 | 32.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 8.8 | 14.7 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 56.6 | 57.3 |
120 new hams in Hawaii this past year. Get next month’s list free.
Sign Up Free →Top 3 Hawaii counties for new hams
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu County | 73 | ▲ 35% | 1,948 | 37.5 |
| 2 | Hawaii County | 8 | ▼ 74% | 905 | 8.8 |
| 3 | Maui County | 7 | — | 325 | 21.5 |
— in Change means fewer than 10 new hams the year before.
All Hawaii counties
3 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Hawaii County8 new hams in 12 months
- Honolulu County73 new hams in 12 months
- Maui County7 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Hawaii counties
These 2 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Kalawao County | 0 | 0 |
| Kauai County | 209 | 2 |
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Hawaii
How many ham radio operators are in Hawaii?
3,412 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Hawaii as of Oct 1, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Hawaii last year?
120 people in Hawaii received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.
Which Hawaii counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Honolulu County (73), Hawaii County (8) and Maui County (7).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
99% of Hawaii licensees could be matched to a county.