Motorists stuck in rush-hour traffic on Honolulu's busy highways don't need to be told that O'ahu is an island of commuters, but census statistics released yesterday show how many people leave their communities to work and where they go.

Areas in Central O'ahu and 'Ewa send as much as 49.8 percent of their population off to work every day.

Other employment magnets are Schofield Barracks and Hickam Housing, each drawing more than 5,200 commuters.

The census reported on 44 communities in Hawai'i. The places were selected if either 2,500 workers were living there at the time of the 2000 census or if 2,500 people worked there.

One of the places, 'Ewa Gentry, is a young community of active, young families. During working hours, half its 5,000 residents are away at their jobs — with the highest percentage of daytime population loss in the state.

"It's very quiet," said Susan Capinia, who works for the 'Ewa By Gentry Community Association.

Capinia, 55, of 'Ewa Beach, used to join the mass exodus to work in Honolulu, spending three hours a day on the road. But she decided the commute was taking too much out of her life.

"I would leave when it was dark and come home when it was dark," she said. "Now it's just five minutes — a hop, skip and a jump compared to getting up at 3 in the morning."

The findings come from the first-ever census estimates of the daytime population based on Census 2000 data. The concept of the daytime population refers to the number of people, including workers, who are present in an area during normal business hours, in contrast to the resident population present at nighttime.

On the Neighbor Islands, government centers and resort areas are the top destinations for commuters.

Maui's Ka'anapali, home to luxury homes, hotels and condominiums, was the only place in the state where commuters outnumbered residents.

The Census Bureau reported 1,375 residents in the West Maui community and 2,230 workers who commuted to the resort area. Many of those workers come from neighboring Napili-Honokowai, which loses 45 percent of its 6,790 residents during the day.

The Big Island commuting scene mirrors that of Maui, with tourism centers in North Kona and South Kohala attracting workers from Holualoa and Kalaoa, which reported high levels of out-commuters.

In East Hawai'i, 6,030 commuters head for Hilo to work, increasing the town's population by nearly 15 percent.

The population of Lihu'e, the county seat of Kaua'i, virtually doubles during the day, with 5,560 workers motoring into town, where traffic issues have become a top concern.