Census: Big Island population rising fast
But the City and County of Honolulu still has the most people
The City and County of Honolulu still has the most people in the state, with an estimated population of 909,863 as of July 1 of last year.
But the Big Island is growing fastest -- 14.7 percent since 2000, according to an annual Census Bureau report.
There are 22,514 more people on the Big Island than during the 2000 census. The other neighbor islands also saw more than double the growth rate of Oahu: 10.3 percent, or an increase of 13,226 people, for Maui; Kauai has 4,541 more people, or about a 7.8 percent increase, in six years.
By contrast, Honolulu saw its population increase by 33,707, about 3.85 percent higher.
The state's population is estimated at 1,285,498.
Hawaii County is undergoing a population growth spurt, faster even than the vigorous population growth the island has experienced since the 1970s, county Planning Director Chris Yuen said.
Yuen was responding to new U.S. Census Bureau figures showing the Big Island population grew 14.7 percent since 2000, well ahead of Maui with the next-fastest growth at 11.6 percent.
In terms of head counts, the Big Island added a rather uniform 28,000 or so people each decade starting in the 1970s. But if current trends continue, the total for this decade will be 37,500, he said.
Much of the reason is huge numbers of rural house lots created especially in the Puna and Kau districts in the 1950s and 1960s, he said. Housing prices there remain low compared with other locations: a $270,000 median price for a Puna home compared with $620,000 for a Kona home, he said.
As many new residential buildings permits were issued on the Big Island in 2005-2006 as on Oahu, about 3,000, he said.
Infrastructure has not kept up, partly because of federal mandates such as phasing out large cesspools, he said. Such projects exchange one form of infrastructure for another but do not expand the total capacity, he said.
In general, most of the state's population growth is due to births and immigrants from other countries, according to an analysis by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The analysis shows the Big Island also sees a lot of people moving there from other islands and the mainland. Its population grows by about 2,922 people every year because of migration.
Oahu loses about 4,829 people a year to the mainland and neighbor islands. But a large influx of people from foreign countries leaves Honolulu with a net loss of 953 people annually.
The faster population growth on the neighbor islands also means Honolulu has a smaller share of the state's population -- down to 70.8 percent from 72.3 percent in 2000 and 75.5 percent in 1990.
Of the 100 largest counties, Honolulu ranks smack dab in the middle at 50th, down one place from 2005 when it was the 49th most populous county.
Another county with a state capital -- Travis County, Texas -- grew faster and passed Honolulu's population.
