(The Center Square) – Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S and recent U.S Census data ranked several of its counties in the top 10 for net migration, both domestic and international.
Polk, Lee and Hillsborough Counties were among those with the largest population gains in 2022, and the data showed that it is larger counties with the biggest net gains in Florida. Collectively, the counties have had a net gain of 92,848 new residents.
“The migration and growth patterns for counties edged closer to pre-pandemic levels this year,” said Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s population division, in a news release. “Some urban counties, such as Dallas and San Francisco, saw domestic outmigration at a slower pace between 2021 and 2022, compared to the prior year. Meanwhile, many counties with large universities saw their populations fully rebound this year as students returned.”
Of the 10 most populous counties in the U.S, Miami-Dade County ranks at seventh with a population of 2,673,837 as of July 2022.
In April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, Miami-Dade’s population was estimated to be 2.7 million taking a downward turn and reaching a population of 2.67 million by July 1, 2021.
Despite the slight drop in population initially, Miami-Dade County’s population bounced back slightly and is ranked at the top for international migration in the U.S. The population increased around 15,000 between 2020 and 2021 and more than doubled that number in 2022 with 39,170 new international arrivals.
Miami-Dade’s neighboring Broward County, also saw a population gain of 17,738 international migrants in 2022.
Across the U.S, larger counties saw a declining trend at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as people moved into smaller counties. By 2021, this began to reverse and domestic migration to these smaller areas began to decrease.
This graph shows the largest population changes by percentage from U.S. Census data.
Florida lawmakers are attempting to address the state’s housing shortage.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Senate Bill 102, called the Live Local Act, on Wednesday. SB 102 creates a comprehensive, statewide workforce housing strategy to increase affordable housing options for Florida workers.
This article First appeared in the center square