Census: Big Island Getting Five New Residents Daily

The population of the Big Island is currently growing at a rate of about 1% per year or five new residents per day, according to estimates released recently by the US Census Bureau.

According to the data, Hawaii County’s population of 185,079 as of April 1, 2010 – as determined by the last  census – was estimated to have grown to 189,191 by April 1, 2012.

That’s an increase of 4,112 or 2.2%.

The rate of population increase statewide was slightly higher for that period at 2.4%. Hawaii’s population of 1,360,301 in 2010 grew over two years to an estimated 1,392,313 residents, the census bureau said.

The estimated 2012 population of the state’s other main counties and their two-year growth rate: Honolulu (976,372, 2.4%), Maui (158,226, 2.2%) and Kauai (68,434, 2.0%).

The statewide data also includes the state’s fifth county, Kalawao, which consists of the Kalaupapa Peninsula on Molokai. Its population remained steady at 90 persons over the two-year period.

According to data calculated by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the increase statewide was mainly the result of natural increase, that is, more births than deaths, as well as international migration.

Breaking down the data further, during the one-year period between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012 the population statewide increased 14,284. That averaged out to an increase of 39 new Hawaii residents each day consisting of 50 births, 28 deaths and a net increase of 17 residents from migration.

Those 17 new residents consisted of a combination of 25 more people moving here from foreign nations than moved from here to other countries, and eight fewer people moving to Hawaii from other states than Hawaii residents moving elsewhere in the country.

From July 2011 to July 2012, the Big Island’s population grew by 1,962, an average daily increase of five residents.

Those five new Big Islanders represented, on average, seven births, four deaths and three new residents moving here each day.

Unlike the state trend, where more people moved out of the state than in, one more US resident moved to the Big Island each day than Hawaii residents moved elsewhere in the country.

The numbers do not add up exactly because of rounding, DBEDT said.