Hawaii Hawaii residents are collectively gaining some wrinkles and losing some hair, according to numbers released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
population aging
People who deal with the
Isle families smaller By Gordon Y.K. Pang
elderly say they're not surprised
by the U.S. census figures
Star-BulletinBesides an aging population, the latest data from Census 2000 paint a picture of Hawaii in the new millennium that includes smaller families, more single moms and more people living alone.
The median age of Hawaii residents jumped to 36.2 years of age in 2000 from 32.6 in 1990, a leap of 11 percent. At the national level, the median age in 2000 was 35.3, up 7.3 percent from 32.9 a decade earlier.
But the rising median age -- the point at which half the people are older and half are younger -- tells only part of the story.In 2000 there were 160,601 residents ages 65 and over, up 28 percent from 125,005 a decade earlier. The 65-and-over category comprised 13.3 percent of the state's overall population last year, up from 11.3 percent in 1990.
The two fastest-growing age categories were in the 75-to-84 group, up 61 percent, and the 85-and-over group, up 69 percent.
The results were not surprising to those who deal with Hawaii's seniors.
"We have been noticing and planning for the increasing, aging population," said Susan Chandler, the state's director of human services.
She noted that the state runs numerous programs -- such as the Home and Community Based Services for Seniors and the Disabled, Nursing Home Without Walls, and Adult Community Foster Homes -- that allow elderly residents to live in their own homes or other environments outside traditional care facilities.Chandler said there is a critical need for more nurses and aides to help care for the growing numbers of seniors. The average age of nurses in Hawaii is about 45, she said.
"Not a lot of young people are going into that field," she said.
Marilyn Seely, director of the state Office of Aging, said she does not believe the greatest need will be in nurses or other health-care professionals, but in what she termed "personal care aides."
"These are well-trained, supervised people who go in and give baths, clean the house, prepare a meal, help take you to the doctor, provide some transportation, maybe day care," Seely said. "These are the people who do what we call the bed and body work ... and they are the backbone of the industry. We need more of them, and we need them to be well compensated."The industry that caters to seniors is also anticipating the coming onslaught.
Emmet White, chief executive officer and president of the Arcadia Retirement Residence, said the Punahou Street complex was one of the few retirement communities on Oahu up until the last decade. He rattled off the names of at least four that have sprouted in the last five years.
"There'll continue to be a greater need for more apartments, for more rooms, all aspects of senior living," White said.
Brian McMahon, administrator of the fee-simple Ola Loa Retirement Community in Mililani, said units "have been going like hot cakes."
Janet Johnson, administrator of the Hawaii Kai Retirement Community, said more attention needs to be paid to the growing number of seniors on the neighbor islands.
Other statistics released today by the Census Bureau show a rising number of households but fewer people under the average roof.
The number of households went to 403,240 in 2000 from the 356,267 of 1990, a 13 percent increase, while the average family size shrunk to 3.42 persons from 3.48.The number of married couples rose by 3 percent, to 216,077 in 2000 from 210,468 in 1990. The number of couples with children under 18 living with them dropped by 4 percent, to 96,758 from 101,172.
Families led by single mothers climbed to 49,923, up 33 percent from 37,409. Today they comprise 5.9 percent of all Hawaii households, compared with 5.1 percent of 1990.
Hawaii residents today also are more likely to live alone than in the past. The number of those living solo climbed to 88,153 from 1990's 68,985, an increase of 28 percent.
Nearly 22 percent of all housing units in 2000 were occupied by a single person, up from 19.4 percent.
The number of seniors living by themselves is increasing even more dramatically. The census counted 28,565 people 65 and older who live alone, about 7 percent.
In 1990 there were 20,933 seniors living alone, about 5.9 percent.
The U.S. Census Bureau previously reported that Hawaii's total population in 2000 was 1,211,537, up 9.3 percent from 1,108,229 in 1990.
The average number of family members living under one roof in Hawaii dropped to 3.42 last year, but that is still more than the national average family size of 3.14. Hawaii’s families get
smaller, but still larger
than U.S. averageThe latest census figures
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
also show most islanders
claim to be part Asian
Star-BulletinThat is just one area in which Hawaii differed greatly from the rest of the nation, according to Census 2000 statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The latest data focused on the categories of sex, age, race, relationships and housing arrangements.
Not surprisingly, Hawaii residents listed the greatest variety of races than the rest of the United States.
Nationally, 77 percent put themselves down as white or part-white. Only 39.3 percent of people in Hawaii did so.
Across the nation, only 4.2 percent of people said they have Asian blood. In Hawaii, 58 percent claimed to be at least part Asian. And 6.6 percent of the state's residents said they are pure native Hawaiian, while less than 1 percent said so across the country.Some 21.4 percent of people in Hawaii said they are of more than one race. Nationally, only 2.4 percent said they were of mixed race.
The median age in Hawaii was 36.2 in 2001, a little older than the national median of 35.3.
That was not the case in 1990 when Hawaii's median age was 32.6, below the nation's 32.9 median.
The median is the point at which half the people fall below that point and half are above it.
Census 2000 said 6.5 percent of Hawaii's population is under 5 years old. Nationally, that number is 6.8 percent. On the other side of the spectrum, 13.3 percent of our residents are age 65 or older, more than the nation's 12.4 percent.
About 6.4 percent of all Hawaii households include nonrelatives, compared with the national average of 5.2.
However, the percentage of households reported to have unmarried partners is the same nationally and in Hawaii, 1.9 percent.
Hawaii, with its high cost of living, has a considerably lower percentage of homeowners than the national average. The census listed 56.5 percent of Hawaii homes as owner-occupied, 43.5 percent rented. Around the country, 66.2 percent of homes were owner-occupied, 33.8 percent rented.
Hawaii property owners listed 12.4 percent of their houses as vacant, higher than the 9 percent listed by those across the nation. The Hawaii rental vacancy rate was 8.2 percent, while the U.S. rate was 6.8 percent.
