Counties see
populations growA U.S. Census survey discovers
that faster growth is taking place
on the neighbor isles
Honolulu's estimated population increased to 902,704 last year, making it the 47th-largest county in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But the neighbor islands are seeing faster population growth, with the Big Island's population increasing 6.6 percent since 2000. The island's population was up 2.3 percent last year alone to 158,423. Maui County saw a 5.9 percent increase since 2000 and a 1.8 percent increase last year to 135,605. Kauai grew 3.9 percent in the past three years and 1.3 percent last year to 60,747.
By contrast, Honolulu's population grew 3 percent over the past three years and 1.1 percent last year.
The additional 10,142 people on Oahu last year is still enough to push the city and county of Honolulu up two spots from the 49th most populous county in 2002, passing Bergen County, N.J., and Fairfield County, Conn.
The combined population growth of 1.4 percent last year and 3.8 percent since 2000 makes Hawaii the 10th fastest-growing state in the nation with a total population of 1,257,609.
State and county officials say the population increase is due in part to the improving economy.
But growth has also created problems with traffic, housing and increased demand for government services.
David DeLeon, senior executive assistant to Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, said the growth on Maui means the county is going to have to hire more workers.
Among other needs, "more people using parks means we'll need more people cleaning parks," DeLeon said. "The mayor has asked for 80 new positions in his budget because we're just not keeping up with increasing demands."
The census estimates released yesterday also show that people moving from within the United States account for most of the population growth on the Big Island, while Oahu's increase is mostly from births and international migration.
In the past three years, Oahu saw 10,544 people leave for the mainland and other islands. But Honolulu also had 15,113 people arrive from other countries.
The biggest factor for growth on Oahu came from the number of births -- 43,246 in the last three years -- resulting in a natural population growth when compared with 22,497 deaths.
By contrast, migration accounted for more than half of the population growth on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island last year.
Kauai and Maui counties saw significant immigration from both within the United States and other countries.
Population growth on the Big Island is largely fueled by people moving there from other states and islands. Some 2,230 people moved to the Big Island from within the United States last year, accounting for about 62 percent of the total population increase of 3,602 people.
Gary Fuller, a population researcher at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, said rural areas have been seeing population growth for a while as people move out of cities in search of a better lifestyle.
The better economy might also be reducing the amount of migration out of Hawaii, Fuller said.
The impact of growth is also having an effect on many small towns on the neighbor islands.
DeLeon pointed to change over the years in Paia, Maui.
"Paia was a backward town that was a plantation town just hanging on," he said. "Now it's a booming tourist trade where you can't find a parking space and it takes 20 minutes to go through town every evening."
