State population increasing

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer

A burgeoning economy has helped vault Hawai'i onto a list of the nation's 10 fastest-growing states, experts say.

The U.S. Census Bureau said yesterday that Hawai'i gained an estimated 16,945 new residents between July 1, 2002, and July 1, 2003 — a 1.4 percent population gain.

That's good enough for 10th on the Census Bureau's list of fastest-growing states.

Hawai'i's overall population is now estimated at 1,240,663, and it remains the nation's 42nd most populous state. As for the U.S. as a whole, the nation grew by 1 percent, or 2.8 million people, for an overall population of more than 290 million.

Pearl Imada Iboshi, state economist with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said the population increase here reflects Hawai'i's recent strong economic growth compared to the nation as a whole.

Since 2002, for example, Hawai'i's unemployment rate has been 4 percent, compared to the nation's 6 percent.

"Overall, Hawai'i's economy is doing better, and you would expect more in-migration," Imada Iboshi said.

"The economy has really taken off," agreed Gary Fuller, director of the University of Hawai'i's Population Studies Program. "In particular, it has stemmed the migration of young people looking for jobs (elsewhere)."

The trend is in stark contrast to the late 1990s, when the state's economic troubles fueled an exodus to the Mainland at a rate that led all 50 states. More than 201,000 residents left Hawai'i between 1995 and 2000, according to an earlier Census Bureau report, while only 125,000 moved here from elsewhere in the United States. In 1999, Hawai'i posted negative population growth.

Lately, however, Hawai'i's economy has been on the upswing, with construction booming, jobs being created and fewer filing for bankruptcy.

Also on the upswing is migration to Hawai'i. "People respond to economic conditions with their feet," Fuller said.

Though it wasn't enough to put Hawai'i in the top 10 last year, its 2002 population growth rate was 1.3 percent. In 2001, the growth rate was 1 percent.

Using population estimates since 2000, the Census Bureau yesterday ranked Hawai'i the 17th fastest-growing state during that period.

The Hawai'i population gains from 2002 to 2003 were comprised of 9,129 people attributed to natural growth (births minus deaths), plus an estimated 7,964 people who moved here, according to the Census Bureau.

In actual numbers, the state's 2003 population growth ranked 34th.

Of the 10 fastest-growing states from 2002 to 2003, six were in the West and four in the South. The south was the region with the largest numerical increase (1.3 million), while the West recorded the fastest rate of growth (1.5 percent).

California remained the most populous state in the union with 35.5 million people in 2003. The second and third most populous states were Texas (22.1 million) and New York (19.2 million).

Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.