The stands at King Kekaulike Stadium are full for last year’s graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2022. Over the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people living in Maui County declined slightly from 164,760 in 2020 to 164,351 in 2022, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. Much of the decline came from people moving to other states. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

A net total of more than 1,300 residents moved out of Maui County over the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with most of the decline coming from people who packed up and headed to other states, according to data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

From April 1, 2020 until July 1, 2022, a net total of 2,108 residents migrated from Maui County to another state, while a net total of 802 people moved to Maui County from outside the country, according to the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 population breakdown by counties.

The net decline of 1,306 people moving out of Maui County, along with “natural changes” — 3,780 births were recorded for the two years along with 2,942 deaths during the same time period — equated to a net loss of 411 residents from 2020 to 2022 in Maui County. (The total estimate includes some population changes that can’t be attributed to births, deaths and migration, according to the Census Bureau.)

Maui County’s annual estimated resident population as of July 1 was 164,351, down from 164,817 as of July 1, 2021 and 164,760 as of July 1, 2020, the Census Bureau reported. It was a change for a county that had typically seen its population increase every year; from 2017 to 2019, shortly before the pandemic, the population rose from an estimated 166,146 to 167,417.

The head of Maui Economic Opportunity, one of the largest community services providers in the county, said on Monday afternoon that even with the recent decline in population, demand for their services “has been consistent.”

Chief Executive Officer Debbie Cabebe, however, said MEO has seen a decline in demand for transportation, a trend also happening nationwide. She explained that transportation is making a slow recovery to pre-pandemic levels due to vulnerable populations not being comfortable with shared rides.

MEO programs include services for the elderly, early childhood, transportation and youth services. The nonprofit also has a business development center.

Cabebe said the “main driver” that is pushing residents away from the county is “that people could not find living wage jobs and affordable housing.”

She said a living wage job is $22.76 an hour for a single person and $43.31 an hour for a couple with a child in Hawaii.

“Living in Maui County is even more expensive,” she said. “Recently, it appears there are more living wage jobs available, but affordable housing continues to be a problem.”

According to the Realtors Association of Maui, the median sales price for a condominium in Maui County in February reached $908,000, the highest it has been since the association started keeping track in 1993.

The median sales price for a single-family home has hovered over $1 million for months and was at $1,076,500 in February.

Cabebe added that the decline in population has impacted the workforce.

“The good news is that unskilled or under-skilled individuals and persons with disabilities have more opportunities. However, employers, including MEO, are competing for a more limited pool of talent,” Cabebe said.

In addition to Maui County, the island of Oahu also saw a decline in population during the pandemic.

From April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022, Honolulu City and County saw the largest population change with a net loss of 20,868 residents. The population estimate as of July 1 was 995,638. Unlike Maui County, Oahu had been seeing a drop in population prior to the pandemic, with estimates falling from 986,353 in 2017 to 974,563 in 2019.

The other three counties in the state saw an overall increase in population during the pandemic. Hawaii County saw a net gain of 5,684, Kauai County saw a net gain of 516 and Kalawao County, which encompasses Kalaupapa on Molokai, saw a net gain of two. Population estimates in the three counties as of July 1 were 206,315 in Hawaii County, 73,810 in Kauai County and 82 in Kalawao County.

Statewide from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022, there was net decline of 15,077 residents. While births outpaced deaths, a steady outflow of Hawaii residents to other states — a net loss of 29,684 — far outweighed the net total of 7,953 people who moved to Hawaii from outside the country.

In 2022, the Census Bureau’s population estimate for the state as of July 1 was 1,440,196 residents.

* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.