More people moved out of Hawai'i than to the Islands between 2005 and 2006, primarily because of the number of military personnel that were transferred to other military bases on the Mainland, according to a report on domestic migration by the American Community Survey.

The survey was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and looked at domestic and foreign migration to each state from 2005 to 2006. The Census Bureau sampled 1.5 percent of Hawai'i households for the survey.

The report said that 60,825 people moved to the Islands during the study period from another state or U.S territory. During that same period, 72,333 left the Islands, the survey said.

The number of people relocating here from abroad during the period was 17,003, but the survey did not include statistics on people moving from Hawai'i to a foreign country because the study was conducted in the United States.

A majority of the Hawai'i residents moved to — as well as moved from — five states: California, Texas, Washington, Florida and Virginia. Most of these states have large military installations, the report said.

"About 8 percent of Hawai'i's population consisted of the military and their dependents, and they were one of the most mobile segments of our state's population," the report said.

Hawai'i's migrant population accounted for 6 percent of the state's population, with 5 percent being domestic migrants and the remainder from a foreign country. The highest percentage of migrants was found on O'ahu (7 percent), followed by the Big Island (6 percent) and Maui County (4 percent). Kaua'i was not included in the survey because it did not meet the Census Bureau's minimum population of 65,000.

The survey also revealed that the migrant population's characteristics differed significantly from the population as a whole.

For example, migrants had a higher proportion of people in the 18-44 age group, had a higher percentage of males, were more likely to be white and single, were primarily renters, and had incomes between $15,000 and $24,999.

Again, the report said, the disparities are largely because of the high percentage of military personnel that make up the migrant population.

Other findings in the survey: