For the seventh consecutive year, Hawaii’s population has steadily declined, according to the United States Census Bureau’s state population estimates, as residents leave the Islands by the thousands.
From July 2021 to July 2022, the state’s population dropped by 0.5%, from 1.447 million to 1.440 million. Last year, Hawaii ranked fifth in the nation for the biggest decline by total population, behind West Virginia at -0.6%, Louisiana and Illinois at -0.8%, and New York at -0.9%
The high cost of living and lack of affordable housing are two reasons residents cited for moving, along with more job opportunities and higher pay. “It’s easier to make a living for yourself here on the mainland than back home in Hawaii,” Josiah Factora, a Hilo resident who moved to Washington state, told Ka Wai Ola.
The downward trend has also affected the Native Hawaiian community. A 2020 Census Bureau analysis published in September found for the first time there were more Native Hawaiians living in the continental U.S. than in Hawaii.
A Census Bureau report released in October also analyzed where Hawaii residents are moving to and where people moving to Hawaii are coming from. It found that more than 67,257 people left Hawaii between 2021 and 2022, while 56,209 moved to Hawaii from other states.
Of the Hawaii residents who left in 2022, 10,747 moved to California, the top state of choice. In return, 10,562 Californians moved to Hawaii, according to the Census Bureau.
Other top destinations for Hawaii residents are Washington (7,392), Texas (6,970), North Carolina (3,685) and Nevada (3,380).
