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Perception vs. Reality
Florida Demographics: Who we are in 2012
Florida's diverse, but even more, it's complex.
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• We're Numerous
19.05 million: U.S. Census estimate of Florida's 2011 population, making it the fourth-biggest state
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We're Mostly from Somewhere Else
» Transplants: The state ranks second in the nation for the lowest percentage of residents born in the state — 35.2%. (Nevada is No. 1 at 24.3%.)
» New York pipeline: Of those who moved to Florida in 2010, the largest number came from New York — more than 55,000 — followed by Georgia, Texas, New Jersey and California.
We're Old — And Young
» Median age — 40.7: Florida is one of seven states with a median age over 40. Maine and Vermont have the highest median ages. Florida's population has the highest percentage of residents 65 and over in the country — 17.3%. Six states have a slightly higher percentage of the very old (85 and up) than Florida.
 [Photo: iStockphoto] |
» Florida has plenty of young people: 10.5 million residents are under age 45. More than 21% of the state's population is under 18.
» Old counties: Sumter County has the nation's highest median age — 62.7. The county, with a population of just under 93,500, is home to much of the giant Villages retirement community. Sarasota, Charlotte and Citrus counties, meanwhile, all have median ages over 50.
» Young counties: Among the state's large counties, Duval (Jacksonville) is the youngest in the state, with a median age of 34. With their large student populations, Gainesville (24.9) and Tallahassee (26.1) are among the country's youngest cities.
 [Photo: UF] |
