ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida’s population crossed the 23 million residents mark for the first time this year because of the influx of people moving from other states, according to state demographic estimates.


What You Need To Know

  • Florida's population reached 23,002,597 as of April 1, the state Demographic Estimating Conference estimated

  • The Sunshine State is the third most populous in the nation

  • The state has been adding 350,000-375,000 people each year this decade, according to estimates

  • Population growth is expected to peak this year as the number of baby boomers entering retirement shrinks, the conference estimated

As of April 1 of this year, Florida had 23,002,597 residents, according to estimates released earlier this month by the state Demographic Estimating Conference.

Florida is the third most populous state in the U.S., trailing only California's 39.5 million residents and Texas' 30.5 million inhabitants.

Florida added almost 359,000 people last year and has been adding about 350,000 to 375,000 people each year this decade, according to the estimates.

The population growth is expected to peak this year and get smaller with each following year for the rest of the 2020s as the final cohort of baby boomers entering retirement gets smaller, according to the estimates.

By the early 2030s, Florida's growth rate will be under 1% after hitting an expected 1.6% this year.

Since just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, all of Florida's growth has come from people moving to the Sunshine State from other parts of the United States or abroad. Deaths have outpaced births in Florida since late 2019 and early 2020, and that trend is predicted to continue well into the next decade.

Almost 10% of Florida's residents are age 75 and older, second only to Puerto Rico among U.S. states and the territory.