The Census Bureau has released its latest state population estimates, and the figures show that if current trends hold, Florida will soon overtake New York as the country’s 3rd most-populous state. As of July 1, 2013, the Census Bureau estimates that there were 19,552,860 Florida residents compared to New York’s 19,651,127, a gap of less than 100,000. Since 2010, though, Florida has added more than 700,000 residents, almost three times as many as New York (~253,000). Many new Florida residents are in fact New York transplants.
According to Census Bureau data covering 2012, the New York to Florida move was the most common state-to-state move, with almost 60,000 residents making it.
California remains easily the most populous state in the nation, according to the latest data. Its 38.3 million residents represent a 2.7% increase from 2010. Texas, next with 26.4 million residents, actually sports the fastest growth rate of the top 5 states over that period, with its population increasing by 4.8% between July 1, 2010 and July 1, 2013. While New York (1.3%) and Florida (3.8%) have seen steady growth during the period, the 4th- and 5th-most populous states, Illinois and Pennsylvania, have grown in population by less than half-a-percent during that timeframe.
Other Findings:
- Rhode Island is the only one of the 48 contiguous states to have seen its population size decrease between 2010 and 2013.
- With fewer than 600,000 residents, Wyoming is the least-populous state in the US.
- After the top 5 states, Ohio is the only other to house more than 10 million Americans, although Georgia (9,992,167) is on the doorstep.
- The population of Puerto Rico declined by more than 100,000 between 2010 and 2013, equivalent to a 2.85% decrease.
