Florida, which has seen a surge in migrants since the onset of the pandemic, was the state with the fastest-growing population in 2022, taking top spot for the first time since 1957, Census Bureau data show.
(Bloomberg) — Florida, which has seen a surge in migrants since the onset of the pandemic, was the state with the fastest-growing population in 2022, taking top spot for the first time since 1957, Census Bureau data show.
Florida’s population increased by 1.9% to 22.2 million between 2021 and 2022, the data show, surpassing Idaho, which led last year.
Florida had the second-largest numeric gains, behind Texas.
“For the third most-populous state to also be the fastest growing is notable because it requires significant population gains,” the bureau’s Marc Perry, Luke Rogers and Kristie Wilder said in a statement.
Wealthy Northeasterners and Californians have long flocked to Miami, drawn to its warm weather and lower taxes.
The pandemic accelerated that shift, but overall population growth rates still greatly lag behind Florida’s 1950s growth spurt, when the average annual increase was 6.1%.
Since 1946, Florida’s population has grown more than nine times, Census Bureau data show.
Still, it has consistently underperformed the growth in Nevada, which explains why Florida hasn’t led the ranking in more than six decades. Nevada’s 2022 population is 22 times bigger than it was in 1946.
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