The new report from the agency that studies demographic changes throughout the country, since 1957 the southern peninsula did not register such an increase. The reason is not in Miami, Orlando or other of its big cities
Florida, which has experienced rapid population growth for decades, became the state with the highest rate of increase, according to the United States Census Bureau (US Census Bureau). With a total population of 22,244,823, it gained 1.95% between 2021 and 2022.
This is the first time this has happened since 1957 when, in the midst of the post-World War II birth rate boom (the baby boom), the state had its peak population explosion. At that time the growth rate was 8 percent. The recent increase just highlighted by the US Census Bureau displaced Idaho from the top spot.
After a historically low rate of change between 2020 and 2021, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the population of the United States increased by 0.4%, or 1,256,003, out of a total population of 333,287,557. The increase is mainly due to net migration, the difference between the number of people entering and leaving.
Between 2021 and 2022, this indicator showed a positive balance of 1,010,923 and was the main driver of growth: 168.8% compared to the net total for 2021, which was 376,029. The fact indicated that migration patterns are returning to pre-pandemic levels. The difference between births and deaths (natural change) was also favorable, with an increase of 245,080.
Since 1946, Florida’s percentage increases have been impressive. Its current population is more than nine times that of then, which was 2,440,000. This notable demographic increase placed the southern state as the third most populous in the country.
The 2000s were marked by a slowdown trend with an average annual growth rate of 1.7% in Florida. While this may seem slow compared to the pace achieved in previous years, compared to the national rate (1.0%) it was a fast pace.
The inclination continued in the decade between 2010 and 2020, when the national growth rate fell from 0.9% to 0.5% each year. However, in Florida it ranged from 1.0% to 2.0%. For the year just ended, the rate in the state was close to the maximum of the previous decade, with 1.9 percent. In numerical gain, it ranked second behind Texas.
You might be surprised to learn that big cities like Miami and Orlando were not responsible for this result: it was due to small communities like Freeport, Davenport and Lake Buena Vista.
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One wonders, given the positive growth in the Sunshine State all these years, why it hadn’t been in first place since 1957. In a word: Nevada. Although Florida has multiplied its population more than nine times since 1946, the state where Las Vegas is located has done so by a factor of 22 in the same period, from 146,000 inhabitants to 3,177,172.
Nevada has ranked first in 36 of the 76 years since 1946. Arizona, Idaho, Utah, North Dakota, and Alaska are among the fastest-growing countries in the postwar era.