Full-time workers in Okinawa earn ¥4.11m a year on average, 46th of 47. Its job-to-applicant ratio was 1.06 in September 2026, looser than Japan's 1.19. The minimum wage rose to ¥1,086 an hour for fiscal 2026, and the population has fallen 0.1% since 2020.
Pay in Okinawa
| Annual pay | Monthly | Bonus | Age | Tenure (yrs) | Overtime (h/mo) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | ¥4.11m | ¥0.29m | ¥0.58m | 44.2 | 10.3 | 7 |
| Men | ¥4.47m | ¥0.32m | ¥0.66m | 44.9 | 11.3 | 9 |
| Women | ¥3.67m | ¥0.27m | ¥0.47m | 43.3 | 9.0 | 5 |
| Japan (all) | ¥5.46m | ¥0.37m | ¥1.01m | 44.4 | 12.7 | 11 |
Women's average annual pay is 18% below men's here. This is a raw comparison that does not adjust for differences in age, tenure or job.
Pay by occupation (Japan)Take-home pay calculator
Hiring in Okinawa: the job-to-applicant ratio
The ratio counts job openings per job seeker at Hello Work; above 1.0 there are more openings than applicants and hiring is harder. Okinawa stood at 1.06 in September 2026, against 1.10 a year earlier.
Job-to-applicant ratio by prefecture and occupation
Minimum wage in Okinawa
Okinawa's regional minimum wage for fiscal 2026 is ¥1,086 an hour, up from ¥1,023, effective 2 December 2026. Japan's weighted average is ¥1,177.
Minimum wage in all 47 prefectures
People: population and foreign workers
| Population, 1 October 2025 | 1,466,548 | 25th of 47 |
| Population change, 2020–25 | −0.1% | 2nd of 47 |
| Foreign workers | 20,354 | 22nd of 47 |
| Workplaces employing foreign workers | 3,697 |
Population by prefectureForeign workers in Japan
Employers headquartered in Okinawa
5 listed companies have their head office in Okinawa, and 214 unlisted employers with 101 or more staff report to MHLW's women's advancement database. We publish each one's pay, women in management and gender pay gap.
Unlisted employers in Okinawa平均年収ランキング（沖縄県）女性管理職比率ランキング（沖縄県）男女の賃金の差異ランキング（沖縄県）男性育休取得率ランキング（沖縄県）有給休暇取得率ランキング（沖縄県）残業時間の少なさランキング（沖縄県）
Elsewhere in Kyushu and Okinawa
FukuokaSagaNagasakiKumamotoOitaMiyazakiKagoshimaAll 47 prefectures
Sources: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025); MHLW Employment Referrals for General Workers (September 2026, seasonally adjusted, by workplace); MHLW regional minimum wages (fiscal 2026); MHLW report on the employment of foreign workers (as of 31 October 2025); Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census; MHLW women's advancement database. Compiled by The Hardest Market. Annual pay is monthly contractual pay × 12 plus annual bonuses, for full-time general workers.