Census updates Hawai‘i population characteristics for 2006
As Hawai‘i's population continues to evolve, nonprofits need to continually update their understanding of the makeup of the communities they serve. The U.S. Census Bureau on May 17 released the 2006 National and State population characteristics including these statistics for Hawai‘i. As of July 1, 2006:
- Asians: “Asians alone or in combination” accounted for 55.6 percent of the state total population. Hawai‘i ranks first in the nation in the proportion of Asians; California is second at 13.6 percent.
- Native Hawaiians: “Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders” made up 21.4 percent of Hawaii’s total population, tops in the nation.
- Whites: “White alone or in combination” accounted for 42.6 percent of the state’s total population, which is second from last nationally. Washington D.C. is lowest at 39.3 percent. The “white alone” population increased from 25.9 percent of the total in 2000 to 28.6 percent in 2006 or an average of 9,227 persons per year.
- Seniors: Hawai‘i ranks eighth in the nation with 14 percent of the population 65 years old or older. 2.1 percent are 85 years of age or older – 11th place in the nation.
- Aging: The over-65 population in Hawai‘i increased at a rate of 1.8 percent per year from 2000 to 2006, while total population increased only 1 percent per year during the same period.
- Gender: Hawaii’s population was 50 percent male and 50 percent female. There are more Asian females than Asian males but for other races, there are more males than females.
- Mixed-race: Hawai‘i’s mixed-race population decreased slightly from 20.1 percent to 19.4 percent from 2000 to 2006.
- Children in school: The school-age population, 5- to 17-year-olds, decreased by 1,037 per year from 2000 to 2006.
- Military: The state’s military population remained roughly the same from 2000 to 2006, when there were 44,380 military personnel in Hawai‘i.
