Young adults who were born in Hawaii are moving back home, reversing pre-COVID-19 trends when more Hawaii-born residents left the state than returned, according to a preliminary report by the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii.
Using 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s state-to-state migration flows, UHERO assistant professor JoonYup Park said 12,100 Hawaii-born people who were 25-44 years old moved back home, while 6,400 moved away. That means they’re in their prime working age, Park said, and could be returning later in their careers.
“A common misperception is that younger generations are leaving Hawaii in search of better job opportunities and education, while older, retired individuals move in for the climate, culture and amenities,” Park said in the April 2 blog post. “This would have significant economic implications for the state, potentially shrinking the labor force, tax base, and overall economic growth.”
That population is driving the state’s general trend of positive net migration, which means more people are moving to Hawaii than leaving.
“Hawaii’s migration patterns reveal a more balanced picture than what common narratives suggest,” Park said. “While domestic out-migration, particularly among young adults, continues, international migration and the return of working-age individuals have played an important role in stabilizing the population.”
Most of the 2023 data that Park analyzed marked notable shifts from pre-COVID-19 trends, including a rise in the state’s Hispanic in-migration, which rose from the historical average of 11% before the pandemic, to 17% in 2023.
The state also saw 72,000 people move to Hawaii, 81% of them coming from the mainland, and 58,000 people leave Hawaii, most relocating to California, Washington and Texas.
Park said 2023 was the first year, excluding 2021 when people moved home to be with family during the pandemic or worked remotely from Hawaii, when Hawaii did not experience population loss solely due to domestic migration.
“When international migration is included, Hawaii has generally maintained a positive net-migration rate, meaning more people have moved to the state from both the U.S. and abroad than have left,” Park said. “This long-run pattern of positive total net-migration ended in 2019 with a string of four years of net out-migration, a first since statehood.”
Additionally, Park said Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders represented about 1% of those leaving the state, which roughly translates to 470 people. That number is a stark contrast to the historical average from 2010, when about 1,580 people left the state each year.
