South Florida adds almost 30,000 new residents, census data shows

Amber Bonefont, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·2 min read
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South Florida’s population grew by about 30,000 in the past year, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

It was in the top 10 of the most populous metropolitan areas in the last year, as the region has seen a boom in domestic migration. The U.S. Census Bureau released its Vintage 2022 Population Estimates on Thursday, analyzing population growth and new housing units in various cities and metropolitan areas in the country.

The South Florida area ranked ninth among 10 in terms of metropolitan areas that had the highest population over the past year. The tricounty area had an estimated population of 6,139,340, an increase of 29,967 from last year.

“New York remained the nation’s largest city, despite its recent population decline. At 8.3 million, its population was more than twice that of the next largest city, Los Angeles, with a population of nearly 4 million,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.

Here were the top ten most populous metro areas in the past year:

  1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

  2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

  3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

  4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

  5. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

  6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

  7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

  8. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA

  9. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL

  10. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

“U.S. metro areas grew by approximately 0.4% between 2021 and 2022. Roughly two-thirds (65.1%) of the 384 U.S. metro areas saw increases in population between 2021 and 2022,” according to the report.

The Vintage Population Estimates also looked at the fastest-growing cities in the country, finding that six of the 15 fastest ones were in Texas.

“Following the population increase of 14.4% in Georgetown, Texas, was Santa Cruz, California, with a 12.5% increase, adding roughly 7,000 people to its population. The next three fastest-growing cities were also in Texas — Kyle, Leander, and Little Elm,” the report noted.

A city just outside of South Florida also made the list of fastest growing large cities. Port St. Lucie, just north of Palm Beach County, was ranked No. 10 with a population increase of about 6.5%.

The city, located on the Treasure Coast, has grown immensely popular among homebuyers looking for new construction homes that are affordable. The median sale price of a home there is about $380,000.