diff --git a/src/components/List/List.stories.tsx b/src/components/List/List.stories.tsx
index 85671af24..f942209fa 100644
--- a/src/components/List/List.stories.tsx
+++ b/src/components/List/List.stories.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 /* eslint-disable react/no-multi-comp */
 /* eslint-disable react/display-name */
-import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import React, {
+  useCallback,
+  useEffect,
+  useMemo,
+  useRef,
+  useState,
+  Dispatch,
+  SetStateAction,
+} from 'react';
 import { MultiTemplate, Template } from '../../storybook/helper.stories.templates';
 import { DocumentationPage } from '../../storybook/helper.stories.docs';
 import StyleDocs from '../../storybook/docs.stories.style.mdx';
@@ -26,7 +34,14 @@ import ButtonHyperlink from '../ButtonHyperlink';
 import Badge from '../Badge';
 import Menu from '../Menu';
 import { Item } from '@react-stately/collections';
-import { AriaToolbar, AriaToolbarItem, ListItemBaseSection, MenuTrigger, SearchInput } from '..';
+import {
+  AriaToolbar,
+  AriaToolbarItem,
+  ButtonSimple,
+  ListItemBaseSection,
+  MenuTrigger,
+  SearchInput,
+} from '..';
 import { omit } from 'lodash';
 import { ListRefObject } from './List.types';
 
@@ -649,6 +664,82 @@ const ListWithTextSelectWrapper = () => {
 
 const ListWithTextSelect = Template<unknown>(ListWithTextSelectWrapper).bind({});
 
+const ListWithNonDefaultSetNextFocusWrapper = () => {
+  const [itemIndices, setItemIndices]: any[] = useState(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g']);
+  const [itemIndexType, setItemIndexType] = useState('string');
+
+  const setNextFocus = useCallback(
+    (
+      isBackward: boolean,
+      listSize: number,
+      currentFocus: number | string,
+      noLoop: boolean,
+      setFocus: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number>>
+    ) => {
+      const currentIndex = itemIndices.indexOf(currentFocus);
+
+      let nextIndex: number;
+
+      if (isBackward) {
+        nextIndex = (listSize + currentIndex - 1) % listSize;
+
+        if (noLoop && nextIndex > currentIndex) {
+          return;
+        }
+      } else {
+        nextIndex = (listSize + currentIndex + 1) % listSize;
+
+        if (noLoop && nextIndex < currentIndex) {
+          return;
+        }
+      }
+
+      setFocus(itemIndices[nextIndex]);
+    },
+    [itemIndices]
+  );
+
+  const listItems = itemIndices.map((value, index) => (
+    <ListItemBase
+      allowTextSelection
+      itemIndex={itemIndexType === 'string' ? value : index}
+      key={value}
+    >
+      {`Item: ${value}`}
+    </ListItemBase>
+  ));
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <List
+        shouldFocusOnPress
+        setNextFocus={itemIndexType === 'string' ? setNextFocus : undefined}
+        listSize={listItems.length}
+      >
+        {listItems}
+      </List>
+      <ButtonSimple onPress={() => setItemIndices(['c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g'])}>
+        Remove First Two Items
+      </ButtonSimple>
+      <ButtonSimple onPress={() => setItemIndices(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e'])}>
+        Remove Last Two Items
+      </ButtonSimple>
+      <ButtonSimple onPress={() => setItemIndices(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g'])}>
+        Reset
+      </ButtonSimple>
+      <ButtonSimple
+        onPress={() => setItemIndexType(itemIndexType === 'string' ? 'number' : 'string')}
+      >
+        {`Swap itemIndexType, current type: ${itemIndexType}`}
+      </ButtonSimple>
+    </>
+  );
+};
+
+const ListWithNonDefaultSetNextFocus = Template<unknown>(
+  ListWithNonDefaultSetNextFocusWrapper
+).bind({});
+
 export {
   Example,
   Common,
@@ -667,4 +758,5 @@ export {
   DynamicListWithInitialFocus3,
   SingleItemList,
   ListWithTextSelect,
+  ListWithNonDefaultSetNextFocus,
 };
diff --git a/src/components/List/List.tsx b/src/components/List/List.tsx
index 3af81e5d6..9164bb573 100644
--- a/src/components/List/List.tsx
+++ b/src/components/List/List.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const List = forwardRef((props: Props, ref: RefObject<ListRefObject>) => {
     noLoop,
     orientation = DEFAULTS.ORIENTATION,
     initialFocus = DEFAULTS.INITIAL_FOCUS,
+    setNextFocus,
     ...rest
   } = props;
 
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ const List = forwardRef((props: Props, ref: RefObject<ListRefObject>) => {
     orientation,
     noLoop,
     initialFocus,
+    setNextFocus,
     contextProps: { shouldFocusOnPress, shouldItemFocusBeInset },
   });
 
diff --git a/src/components/List/List.types.ts b/src/components/List/List.types.ts
index 8e3b7dad5..b09692f27 100644
--- a/src/components/List/List.types.ts
+++ b/src/components/List/List.types.ts
@@ -64,14 +64,25 @@ export interface Props {
   /**
    * The index of the item that should be focused initially
    */
-  initialFocus?: number;
+  initialFocus?: number | string;
+
+  /**
+   * Optional function to control the focus behavior when up/down keys are pressed
+   */
+  setNextFocus?: (
+    isBackward: boolean,
+    listSize: number,
+    currentFocus: number | string,
+    noLoop: boolean,
+    setFocus: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number | string>>
+  ) => void;
 }
 
 export interface ListContextValue {
-  currentFocus?: number;
+  currentFocus?: number | string;
   shouldFocusOnPress?: boolean;
   shouldItemFocusBeInset?: boolean;
-  setCurrentFocus?: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number>>;
+  setCurrentFocus?: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number | string>>;
   listSize?: number;
   noLoop?: boolean;
   updateFocusBlocked?: boolean;
@@ -81,5 +92,5 @@ export interface ListContextValue {
 export interface ListRefObject {
   listRef: React.RefObject<HTMLUListElement>;
   focusOnIndex: (index: number) => void;
-  getCurrentFocusIndex: () => number;
+  getCurrentFocusIndex: () => number | string;
 }
diff --git a/src/components/ListItemBase/ListItemBase.tsx b/src/components/ListItemBase/ListItemBase.tsx
index 0e423cf68..19bd136b2 100644
--- a/src/components/ListItemBase/ListItemBase.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ListItemBase/ListItemBase.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import { useMutationObservable } from '../../hooks/useMutationObservable';
 import { usePrevious } from '../../hooks/usePrevious';
 import { getKeyboardFocusableElements } from '../../utils/navigation';
 import { useFocusAndFocusWithinState } from '../../hooks/useFocusState';
+import { isNumber } from 'lodash';
 
 type RefOrCallbackRef = RefObject<HTMLLIElement> | ((instance: HTMLLIElement) => void);
 
@@ -265,9 +266,10 @@ const ListItemBase = (props: Props, providedRef: RefOrCallbackRef) => {
    * we want to silently update the currentFocus back to the first element in
    * case the index of the element focused before the list shrink is now outside
    * the size of the new list size (shrinked size)
+   * Only works with numeric itemIndex
    */
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
-    if (!!listSize && currentFocus >= listSize) {
+    if (!!listSize && isNumber(currentFocus) && currentFocus >= listSize) {
       // set focus to last item
       listContext.setCurrentFocus(listSize - 1);
       updateTabIndexes();
diff --git a/src/hooks/useOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigation.ts b/src/hooks/useOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigation.ts
index cbe1e216c..81fe79ebc 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigation.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigation.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
   useState,
 } from 'react';
 import { useKeyboard } from '@react-aria/interactions';
-import { setNextFocus } from '../components/List/List.utils';
+import { setNextFocus as defaultSetNextFocus } from '../components/List/List.utils';
 import { ListOrientation } from '../components/List/List.types';
 import { useFocusWithinState } from './useFocusState';
 
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ type IUseOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigationReturn = {
   focusWithinProps: HTMLAttributes<HTMLElement>;
   getContext: () => {
     listSize: number;
-    currentFocus: number;
-    setCurrentFocus: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number>>;
+    currentFocus: number | string;
+    setCurrentFocus: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number | string>>;
     shouldFocusOnPress?: boolean;
     shouldItemFocusBeInset?: boolean;
     noLoop?: boolean;
@@ -30,7 +30,14 @@ export type IUseOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigationProps = {
   listSize: number;
   orientation: ListOrientation;
   noLoop?: boolean;
-  initialFocus?: number;
+  initialFocus?: number | string;
+  setNextFocus?: (
+    isBackward: boolean,
+    listSize: number,
+    currentFocus: number | string,
+    noLoop: boolean,
+    setFocus: Dispatch<SetStateAction<number | string>>
+  ) => void;
   contextProps?: {
     shouldFocusOnPress?: boolean;
     shouldItemFocusBeInset?: boolean;
@@ -40,8 +47,15 @@ export type IUseOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigationProps = {
 const useOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigation = (
   props: IUseOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigationProps
 ): IUseOrientationBasedKeyboardNavigationReturn => {
-  const { listSize, orientation, noLoop, contextProps, initialFocus = 0 } = props;
-  const [currentFocus, setCurrentFocus] = useState<number>(-1);
+  const {
+    listSize,
+    orientation,
+    noLoop,
+    contextProps,
+    initialFocus = 0,
+    setNextFocus = defaultSetNextFocus,
+  } = props;
+  const [currentFocus, setCurrentFocus] = useState<number | string>(-1);
   const [updateFocusBlocked, setUpdateFocusBlocked] = useState<boolean>(true);
 
   const { isFocusedWithin, focusWithinProps } = useFocusWithinState({});