The net migration of people moving to Florida from other American states has fallen sharply from 317,923 in 2022, to just 63,346 in December 2024, according to a Vintage population estimate released by the United States Census Bureau.
However, the Sunshine State still saw its population surge by 467,347 from 2023 to 2024, according to the estimate, primarily due to the inflow of 411,322 international migrants.
Newsweek contacted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Florida has been one of the fastest growing states this decade, with an average population growth of between 350,000 and 375,000 per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
This has been contrasted to prominent Democratic controlled states such as New York, California, Illinois and Oregon which all saw their populations fall in 2023, according to bureau figures. Republicans have argued poor Democratic governance, particularly on issues such as crime and housebuilding, is behind this fall though progressives disagree.
A fall in net internal migration to Florida indicates the Sunshine State is becoming less attractive to other Americans, though its total population growth remains high due to international migration.
What To Know
The Census Bureau estimates, based on its data released in December 2024, Florida's population had increased by 467,347 in the year to that point. It had an inflow of 411,322 international migrants moving to the state whilst it lost 7,321 people as a result of more deaths taking place than births. The balance was made up of a net inflow of 63,346 people from other American states.
However, the number of people moving to Florida was sharply down on 2023 when it stood at 194,438, and 2022 when it was 317,923, according to bureau figures.
According to the bureau's Vintage estimate overall, the South was the fastest growing region of the U.S. over the past year, with its population rising by nearly 1.8 million people, representing a 1.4 percent increase overall.
What People Are Saying
In a press release for its 2024 Vintage population estimate, the U.S. Census Bureau said: "As the nation's population surpasses 340 million, this is the fastest annual population growth the nation has seen since 2001—a notable increase from the record low growth rate of 0.2 percent in 2021. The growth was primarily driven by rising net international migration.
"Net international migration, which refers to any change of residence across U.S. borders (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), was the critical demographic component of change driving growth in the resident population. With a net increase of 2.8 million people, it accounted for 84 percent of the nation's 3.3 million increase in population between 2023 and 2024."
Kristie Wilder, a demographer at the Census Bureau's Population Division, said: "What stands out is the diminishing role of natural increase over the last five years, as net international migration has become the primary driver of the nation's growth."
What Happens Next
On November 5, Trump was elected as the next U.S. president having pledged to enhance American border security and deport millions of migrants who are in the country illegally.
If the incoming president pushes ahead with his plans it could cut net migration to the U.S., and therefore to Florida as well. A number of Democratic run "sanctuary cities" have said they will limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, but this is unlikely to be an issue for the administration in the Republican dominated Sunshine State.
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