Hawaiçi’s population was estimated at 1,295,178 as of July 1, a slight increase from the previous year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today.

The state’s population increased only 0.6 percent from 2008.
Hawaiçi ranked 42nd in the nation in terms of resident population, accounting for only 0.42 percent of the U.S. population of 307 million, the bureau said.
California remained the most populous state, with an estimated population of 37 million. Rounding out the top five states were Texas (24.8 million), New York (19.5 million), Florida (18.5 million) and Illinois (12.9 million).
Texas gained more people than any other state between July 1, 2008, and July 1, 2009, (478,000), followed by California (381,000), North Carolina (134,000), Georgia (131,000) and Florida (114,000), according to the Census Bureau estimates.
By comparison, Hawaiçi’s population grew by only 7,697 people, with the increase attributed to “natural” growth from births, said research and statistics officer Eugene Tian of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
Wyoming showed the largest percentage growth (2.12 percent), followed by Utah (2.10 percent), Texas (1.97 percent) and Colorado (1.81 percent).
The only three states to lose population over the period were Michigan (-0.33 percent), Maine (-0.11 percent) and Rhode Island (-0.03 percent).
This the final set of Census Bureau state population estimates to be published before the official 2010 Census population counts are released next December, said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves in a news release
"We are focused now on ensuring we get a complete and accurate count in 2010. The census counts will not only determine how many U.S. House seats each state will have but will also be used as the benchmark for future population estimates," he said.