Hawai’i County Increases; Latest census data for Hawaii reflective of pandemic exodus
Oahu’s population dipped below 1 million in 2022 after a net loss of nearly 21,000 residents from April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022, as Hawaii saw its population drop 1% to 1.44 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday.
The population decline coincides with the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Hawaii experienced some of the nation’s highest unemployment as the state’s tourism-dependent economy crashed and many residents moved away for jobs and cheaper living on the mainland.
