Leaving Hawaii
There are plenty of reasons why people move to Hawaii and we have been covering those reasons for quite some time. Today we are going to talk about some of the reasons why we are seeing a large number of people departing or leaving Hawaii.
According to the US Census Bureau the population in Hawaii has been on the decline and between 2020 to 2024 it dropped by 0.6%
Yes, people are leaving paradise for about 6 different reasons that we have noticed during the last several years.
So why are people leaving Hawaii?
Well, the exodus from Hawaii can be attributed to a combination of social, economic and lifestyle factors.
These reasons do apply to people who have moved here and subsequently decided to move away as well as people who are originally from Hawaii and are leaving too.
#1 Limited economic or job opportunities. the Big Island has very few job opportunities unless you are in the hospitality or service industry since we are extremely dependent on tourism. There are few industries Hawaii like technology, manufacturing or finance, so trying to find a high paying job that would allow you to afford living here is very challenging unless you are in Oahu.
Most young people who graduate from college here generally move someplace else because they cannot find career opportunities in the field’s they obtained their degrees in.
#2 reason why people are leaving Hawaii is Housing Challenges. Yes, Hawaii does have a housing crisis that has been fueling the exodus from the islands. With limited land available for development coupled with strict zoning laws, the supply of affordable housing has not kept pace with demand.
We continue to struggle trying to help some of our clients who what to rent here on the Big Island before they buy and find it difficult to locate available housing. The Lahaina fires definitely showed us how limited housing was available for all those unfortunate people who lost their homes, they couldn’t find housing
Rental prices here are some of the highest in the country not to mention trying to find a rental as well.
#3 High Cost of Living is another factor creating the exodus of people leaving Hawaii over the past several years.
Hawaii is ranked among the most expensive states in the country with the median sales price on most of the islands exceeding $1 million dollars for a single family home. Yes, it is expensive to live in paradise and we constantly see people gasp at what their dollars can buy if they try and purchase a home or even a condo here on the Big Island.
Electricity are nearly 3 times the national average due to the states dependency on imported oil for their power generators.
Groceries as we have mentioned many times are very expensive which adds to the overall cost of living challenges people face trying the live here.
If you can’t afford shelter, food or utilities guess you would find a more affordable place to reside as well.
#4 Medical Care is another reason why we are seeing people leaving Hawaii especially older individuals who reside on the neighbor islands. For the most part I would say medical care is pretty good, at least we haven’t had an issue. Hospitals are limited and if you need specialty care generally you are traveling to Oahu or having to go back to the mainland for those services.
Yes, that does happen, we have seen some of our clients move back to the mainland because of lack of medical specialists here on the Big Island and even in Oahu.
#5 Missing Family is another reason why people are leaving Hawaii. Yeah, you move here get some extra space thinking family and friends are going to visit you now that live in Hawaii and that doesn’t happen like you thought it was going to take place. if you don’t make new connections, we see people missing their family and friends and want to live closer to them and leave Hawaii. It is much more affordable living on the mainland visiting family and friends, all you have to do is jump in your car and drive for several hours or even a day.
To stay connected to family and friends that do not live in Hawaii can be very expensive and people find that a challenge, so they leave to be closer to those people
#6 Island Fever is another reason why people are leaving Hawaii. I personally have not been affected by this, but we have seen people leave the island because they missed the mainland or couldn’t find enough things to do here and they get bored and want to leave. I didn’t think Island fever was a real issue, but it is and the feeling of being isolated makes travel more expensive so people long for the things that make them comfortable and leave the island as a result.
Probably a good number of those people didn’t like outdoor activities or didn’t connect to the community and establish new relationships. Whatever the reason, Island Fever does exist here.
So, these are 6 reasons why we are seeing people leave Hawaii and there can be many more reasons why, but these seem to be the ones that we have seen or heard the most since we moved here.
The exodus from Hawaii will have significant economic and social implication in the future if this trend continues
There will be a loss of community and culture. There will be a strain on the already fragile healthcare and educational fields.
As mentioned earlier, if you can’t afford shelter, food and utilities, you are not going to stick around very long. As mentioned at the beginning Hawaii’s population has been on the decline for the past 5 years and if things don’t improve with salaries, job opportunities and affordable housing, we will probably see this trend continuing since prices for just about everything here continues to go up.
Hopefully are elected officials can solve many of these challenges in the near future.
If you have any questions about this subject or anything eles and want to talk story, reach out anytime we are here to be your resource guide on the Big Island.
If you want more information about Hawaii, call us at 808-300-9393 or email us at stephen@realestatekailuakona.con
Mahalo Nui Loa
Posted by Stephen Proski on
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