Honolulu’s population
increases 1.5 percent

The area from Hawaii Kai to Aiea
is covered in a Census survey

What the U.S. Census Bureau considers metropolitan Honolulu, the area between Hawaii Kai and Aiea, has an estimated population of 377,260, making it the 47th-largest "city" in the country on July 1, 2004.

Fastest-growing cities The 10 cities with at least 100,000 residents that had the largest percentage increase in population between April 2000 and July 2004. Cities with the largest increase, followed by 2004 totals, 2000 totals, and the percentage of change: Gilbert, Ariz.: 156,917 110,049 42.6 Miramar, Fla. 101,486 72,739 39.5 North Las Vegas, Nev. 158,748 115,488 37.5 Port St. Lucie, Fla. 118,396 88,774 33.4 Roseville, Calif. 103,609 79,920 29.6 Henderson, Nev. 224,829 175,395 28.2 Chandler, Ariz. 223,991 176,939 26.6 Cape Coral, Fla. 127,985 102,286 25.1 Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 159,346 127,743 24.7 Irvine, Calif. 178,317 143,072 24.6 Source: U.S. Census Bureau

However, if you take Oahu's total population of 899,593, Honolulu would rank as the 13th most populous city in the United States, between Detroit (900,198) and Indianapolis (784,242).

What is called the "census designated place" of Honolulu fell behind Miami (379,524), which grew 4.8 percent since the 2000 census. The Honolulu CDP growth rate of 1.5 percent since the 2000 census ranks it about 140th in terms of population growth of the 251 biggest cities in the United States, tied with Irving, Texas; Norfolk, Va.; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Pueblo, Colo.

Gilbert, Ariz., topped the list of fastest-growing cities with at least 100,000 people.

The numbers show new residents flocking to midsize cities in Florida, Arizona, Nevada and California. Hurt by skyrocketing housing prices, people are leaving San Francisco, Boston and other large cities.

Gilbert grew by more than 46,000 people, or 42 percent, to just over 156,000 residents in a little more than four years.

Next on the list ranked by percentage gain was Miramar, Fla., followed by North Las Vegas, Nev.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and Roseville, Calif. Rounding out the top 10 were Henderson, Nev.; Chandler, Ariz.; Cape Coral, Fla.; and Rancho Cucamonga and Irvine, both in California.

San Francisco and Boston found themselves among the cities losing the most people between April 2000 and July 2004. Boston shed more than 19,000 people, or 3.4 percent of its population, while San Francisco lost 32,000, or 4.2 percent.

"People like to live in smaller places, and a lot of it is propelled by the sharp spike in housing costs in the inner and more attractive cities," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "People want to get as much housing as they can for their dollars."

The median price for a single-family home in Gilbert is about $220,000, compared with more than $387,000 in Boston and $641,000 in San Francisco.

An analysis of the census numbers by the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism shows similar trends on Oahu. The area outside metro Honolulu where housing is cheaper grew 3.5 percent since 2000, more than double the Honolulu CDP growth rate. Population on the neighbor islands is also growing much faster than what the census considers the "city" of Honolulu. The Big Island, for example, grew 9.6 percent during the four-year period.

Port St. Lucie experienced the largest population growth for a one-year period beginning in July 2003. It added nearly 13,000 people -- a 12 percent jump. The Honolulu CDP grew 0.2 percent, adding 846 residents between 2003 and 2004, while the island of Oahu had an overall growth rate of 0.7 percent.