Florida Leads Nation in Migration, Immigration Growth
By Charlie McCarthy | Tuesday, 28 December 2021 09:40 AM
Florida's population continues to swell, due largely to a national high in migration and immigration numbers.
The Sunshine State's net migration and immigration gain of 259,480 was the most in the country between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021, Florida Politics reported Monday.
Census Bureau data showed that 220,890 people moved to Florida from other states, Washington, D.C, or Puerto Rico, making it the nation's top destination for domestic migration. The Sunshine State's population also added 38,590 immigrants, the most in the nation.
Texas was second in net migration and immigration gain, with 197,492 people moving in.
Overall, Florida’s growth (211,196) was topped only by Texas, which added 310,288 people. No other state grew by as many as 100,000 new residents in the 12-month period between the Census Bureau's annual July 1 estimates.
The numbers also showed that red states increased in population growth as blue states saw a decline.
Washington, D.C. and other Democrat-led states populations showed a decline. D.C.'s exodus topped the charts with a 2.9% drop in population. New York followed behind with a 1.6% decline; Illinois showed a 0.9% drop; and Hawaii and California both saw a decrease of 0.7%.
The surge of people moving to Florida overcame the fact that more Floridians died than were born between July 2020 and July 2021.
Florida's overall population grew to just below 21.8 million, up from just under 21.5 million.
Other states grew faster on a per-capita rate than Florida, because the Sunshine State already had an enormous population, third-largest behind California and Texas.
Florida's growth rate (1.0%) was eighth highest. Idaho (2.9%) had the nation’s fastest growing population, followed by Utah, Montana, Arizona, South Carolina, Delaware, and Texas. No. 9 Nevada and No. 10 South Dakota rounded out the top 10 in the Census Bureau’s latest estimates.
Florida celebrated 210,305 births, but also suffered 255,553 deaths, based on the Census Bureau data. The natural population decrease of 45,248 was the biggest decline in the country.
Texas’ population grew overall by more than Florida's because the Lone Star State recorded 113,845 more births than deaths during the year.
Another aspect of Florida’s population is that for the first time in modern history, registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats.
The U.S. grew by only 0.1% during the year between July 2020 and July 2021. The Census Bureau said that was the smallest annual population growth since the nation’s founding. America’s population was estimated to be 331,893,745.
