Hawaiʻi’s migration patterns reveal a more balanced picture than what common narratives suggest, according to a new blog by University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) Assistant Professor JoonYup Park.
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. Recently, Hawaiʻi-born individuals have also contributed to this in-migration trend.
“Understanding these patterns is essential for developing informed housing, labor and economic policies,” Park said.
Overall migration pattern
In 2023, about 72,000 individuals moved to Hawaiʻi. Of these, 81%, accounting for about 58,000 people, migrated from domestic locations within the U.S. At the same time, the state experienced a total out-migration of approximately 58,000 individuals, the majority of whom relocated to California, Washington, and Texas.
“Notably, 2023 was the first year—excluding 2021—when the state did not experience a net population loss due to domestic migration,” Park said.
The 2021 exception was largely driven by an influx of remote workers taking advantage of pandemic era work-from-home flexibility, as well as those returning to be closer to family during the pandemic. However, when international migration is included, Hawaiʻi 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. 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.
“We also find that while many young adults do leave the state, a growing number of working-age individuals and Hawaiʻi-born residents are returning,” Park said.
Read the entire blog for more on the domestic characteristics of migrants and the migration pattern of Hawaiʻi-born individuals.
UHERO is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences.
