The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest state-to-state migration figures on Thursday, revealing that around 1 million people moved to Florida last year.
According to the estimates, over 940,000 people moved to Florida in 2023, and just over 510,000 moved out. This means that the state’s net population has jumped yet again.
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However, that figure still falls short of 2022, when over 1 million people moved to the Sunshine State.
Florida also received an estimate of nearly 290,000 migrants from foreign countries — the bulk of the new residents in the state, data shows.
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However, it’s not clear what countries these international migrants stem from. The bureau doesn’t distinguish between legal status for foreign migrants, and Florida has historically been a notable destination for undocumented migration.
Domestically, New York saw the greatest number of people move to Florida, while Georgia and California came in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
The full list of states with residents who moved to Florida is as follows:
| Rank | State | Number of Migrants to Florida |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 71,138 |
| 2 | Georgia | 44,469 |
| 3 | California | 39,052 |
| 4 | Texas | 37,781 |
| 5 | New Jersey | 33,226 |
| 6 | Virginia | 28,226 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 27,770 |
| 8 | Illinois | 27,109 |
| 9 | Michigan | 26,512 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 25,290 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 24,002 |
| 12 | Ohio | 18,543 |
| 13 | Maryland | 17,439 |
| 14 | Connecticut | 15,743 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 15,663 |
| 16 | Indiana | 14,939 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 14,066 |
| 18 | Alabama | 13,789 |
| 19 | Colorado | 13,264 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 9,814 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 9,232 |
| 22 | Washington | 9,009 |
| 23 | Arizona | 8,361 |
| 24 | Minnesota | 8,274 |
| 25 | Missouri | 7,814 |
| 26 | Louisiana | 6,194 |
| 27 | Nevada | 5,632 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 5,488 |
| 29 | Kansas | 5,297 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 5,012 |
| 31 | Mississippi | 4,750 |
| 32 | Iowa | 4,367 |
| 33 | West Virginia | 4,044 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 4,025 |
| 35 | Maine | 3,831 |
| 36 | Utah | 3,733 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 3,400 |
| 38 | Hawaii | 3,294 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 2,416 |
| 40 | Oregon | 2,310 |
| 41 | Alaska | 2,280 |
| 42 | Delaware | 1,739 |
| 43 | Vermont | 1,739 |
| 44 | Washington, D.C. | 1,691 |
| 45 | Nebraska | 1,317 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 1,189 |
| 47 | Montana | 1,030 |
| 48 | Idaho | 913 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 555 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 162 |
| -- | Puerto Rico | 12,534 |
| -- | U.S. Island Areas | 1,505 |
The state’s population has been on a steady incline for decades, though it saw an explosion of new residents beginning back in 2016.
In fact, inbound migration to Florida has been so high that the state’s population passed 23 million people for the first time ever this year, according to the state’s Demographic Estimating Conference.
The DEC also announced that the record figure had been reached back in April, though rapid population growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
To be precise, Florida is set to see well over 300,000 people move in annually through 2026 — just under 900 people per day on average.
“These increases are analogous to adding a city slightly smaller than Orlando, but larger than St. Petersburg every year,” the DEC report reads.
By these estimates, Florida will reach 24 million residents by 2027; 25 million residents by 2031; and 26 million residents by 2036.
| Fiscal Year | Population Estimates (End of Fiscal Year) | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 23,088,994 | 1.59% |
| 2024-2025 | 23,411,344 | 1.40% |
| 2025-2026 | 23,719,175 | 1.31% |
| 2026-2027 | 24,015,118 | 1.25% |
| 2027-2028 | 24,300,771 | 1.19% |
| 2028-2029 | 24,574,248 | 1.13% |
| 2029-2030 | 24,836,074 | 1.07% |
| 2030-2031 | 25,086,130 | 1.01% |
| 2031-2032 | 25,324,175 | 0.95% |
| 2032-2033 | 25,549,255 | 0.89% |
| 2033-2034 | 25,761,882 | 0.83% |
| 2034-2035 | 25,964,259 | 0.79% |
| 2035-2036 | 26,156,254 | 0.74% |
| 2036-2037 | 26,336,762 | 0.69% |
| 2037-2038 | 26,507,435 | 0.65% |
| 2038-2039 | 26,670,769 | 0.62% |
This huge influx of people into Florida is also set to bolster the state’s GDP and job growth, according to UCF economist Sean Snaith earlier this year.
“Florida is going to keep cruising at a higher altitude than the rest of the country,” Snaith predicted. “That’s because the ‘twin engines’ of a robust labor market and population growth are propelling us forward.”
Snaith explained that many of the people moving into Florida are retirees, which means more jobs are being created to meet their needs and wants.
However, this population growth could have other consequences.
With more people moving into the state, there are more people seeking goods and services like housing, food, gas and insurance — among many other products.
As a result, Florida’s cost of living is becoming inflated, outpacing wage growth in the state. This is despite having predicted average growth higher than the rest of the nation.
“Florida should enjoy the ride through these economically friendly skies with seatbelts fastened — just in case,” Snaith said.
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