Population growth steady
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
Hawai'i's population grew by an estimated 13,070 people from July 2004 to July 2005, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released yesterday.
The agency's Hawai'i population estimate of 1,275,194 represents a 1 percent increase from 2004, ranking the state 18th in terms of growth. Among the 50 states, Hawai'i remains 42nd in population.
According to Census Bureau data, the number of Hawai'i residents grew at an annual rate of 0.91 percent between 1990 and 2005.
The population growth has been stable at about 1 percent for the past four years after seven years of slow growth, according to Eugene Tian, a research and statistics officer with the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
He said that between 2000 and 2005, the state's population has increased by about 13,000 annually. Most of that is attributed to the "natural increase" of more births than deaths. But the state also sees a net in-migration of 3,400 people per year, Tian said.
On a yearly basis, about 6,000 more people move to Hawai'i from foreign countries than leave for overseas. But more residents depart the Islands for the Mainland, largely because of a lower cost of living, than move here from other states, Tian said. The net loss of people moving to the Mainland is about 2,600 annually.
Nevada — a popular destination for former Isle residents — led the nation in percentage of population growth for the 19th straight year, with a 3.5 percent increase from 2004 to 2005. Arizona was a close second with just under 3.5 percent. Rounding out the top 10 in percentage growth are Idaho, Florida, Utah, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Delaware and Oregon.
California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia and New Jersey account for 54 percent of the population in the United States.
The nation's population rose by 0.9 percent, or 2.8 million people, over the same period, to 296.4 million.
Learn more: www.census.gov
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the nation's 10 most populous states accounted for more than half of the country's population on July 1, 2005. Those states are California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia and New Jersey. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the 10 fastest-growing states held more than half the country's population.
