Hawaii population has grown slower since 2000

The Hawaii Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism on March 23 released an analysis of state population trends based on population data from 2000 to 2009 by Eugene X. Tian, the research and statistics officer. According to Tian, analyzing population data from 2000 onward, the following facts emerge:

Between July 1, 2000 and July 1, 2009, statewide population grew at a 0.7 percent annual rate, a rate slower than the previous 9 years between 1990 and 1999 which was at a 0.9 percent annual rate.  

The growth of the resident population between July 1, 2000 and July 1, 2009 was mainly due to natural increase (birth less death) and international migration.  The average number of births in the state was 18,303 a year and the average number of deaths was 9,046 per year, yielding an average natural increase of 9,257 persons per year.  There was an average of 4,101 net in-migrants a year from foreign countries.  With a net loss of 3,225 people a year to the U.S. mainland, the result is a net gain of 876 people a year for the state from migration.

Contributing to the slower state population growth in 2009 was the slowing down of the neighbor island population growth:

• Hawaii County’s population growth was only 0.8 percent in 2009, lowest since 1999. 
• Maui County also experienced the slowest population growth rate at 0.5 percent in 2009, lowest since 1968. 
• Kauai County’s population growth rate was 1.0 percent in 2009, highest among all the counties in the state for that year but lower than the growth rates of the previous two years. 
• Population in Honolulu County grew 0.5 percent in 2009, the same as in 2008.

The growth of the Big Island population in recent years was partly due to the fact that more people moved to this island from other islands in the state and from the U.S. mainland.  An average of 1,834 more people moved (from foreign, U.S. mainland or Hawaii neighbor islands) to the Big Island per year than those moved from the island during the 2000-2009 period.  Oahu had a net out migration of 5,548 people a year to the mainland and other neighbor islands, but had a net of 2,918 more people moving in from foreign countries, leaving a net loss of 2,630 people a year during the same time period.

Population share among the counties in 2009 remained the same as in 2008. Honolulu County accounted for 70.1 percent of the state total resident population in 2009, followed by Hawaii County at 13.7 percent.  Maui County had 11.2 percent and Kauai County had 5.0 percent of the State total population in 2009, respectively. 

Compared with 2000, all the neighbor island counties gained population shares, while Honolulu County reduced population share due to slower growth as compared with the neighbor islands. Click here to see the population estimate online.