Nearly 9,000 people left Hawaii in 2020 due to the high cost of living and better job opportunities in other states, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday, a figure almost double from the previous year, reports the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
"This isn't a new problem for our state," said Keli'i Akina, president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. "For some time now, our neighbors, family and friends have been moving away to states such as Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas, which have lower taxes and fewer regulations and offer residents more freedoms and opportunities.
"As we've documented in our 'Why we left Hawaii' series," he said, "there's no mystery about why they feel compelled to go: It's a matter of the state's high cost of living and better job opportunities in other states."
Hawaii's net decline in population was just 4,721 in 2019. More than 1.4 million people live on the islands of the U.S. state. The 2020 figure is one of the highest rates of population decline in the U.S.
Hawaii, which relies heavily on tourism, was locked down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate rose from 2.7% to 22.3% in less than two months, according to Hawaii's Department of Labor. The cost of living in Hawaii is the highest in the nation with an index of 191.8, according to a recent study by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.
Despite the population declines, Hawaii is not expected to lose a House seat in the 2022 midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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