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Florida's Population Grew Slightly!

By
Real Estate Agent with Serving Brevard Realty

Published: Friday, September 3, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 8:18 p.m.

GAINESVILLE - Florida's population grew slightly in 2009 after a one-year decline broke a steady string of growth dating to the end of World War II, according to preliminary estimates released Thursday.

The University of Florida reported the state added an estimated 21,000 residents in the last year, bringing the state's population to 18,771,768. From 2008 to 2009, the state lost more than 56,000 people.

Stan Smith, director of the university's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said the 2009 increase was meager.

"Even though the state turned it around, it still represents the smallest population increase since the 1940s," Smith said. "Florida's population growth continues to be very, very slow by historical standards."

He attributed the growth to a slight improvement in Florida's economy, although it is still in bad shape, particularly in creating new jobs.

"There have been some jobs added in the last few months, but unemployment is still very high and job growth is very weak," Smith said.

Florida's July unemployment rate was 11.5 percent, with more than a million workers jobless.

The population growth last year was uneven, with slightly more counties losing residents than adding them, although the changes either way were minimal.

Southwest Florida reflected that trend. Charlotte County ranked 10th among 67 counties in growth, adding 1,291 people for a population of 166,746. Sarasota County ranked 60th, losing an estimated 1,052, for a total population of 388,268.

Manatee ranked 14th, adding 889 people, for a population of 319,293.

The biggest increases were in the largest counties, led by Miami-Dade, which added an estimated 8,253 people. Hillsborough was next with 6,353.

Florida added an average of 125,000 people annually from 1950 to 2008, Smith said. During the boom years last decade, the population grew by 400,000 per year. Without more job growth, the population growth will remain slow, driven more by births and foreign immigration than by people moving from other states as in the past.

The biggest percentage increase in population was in north Florida's Lafayette County. It grew by 5.2 percent, but that was mostly because of an increase in the number of inmates at state prison, Smith said.

The biggest decline was in Seminole County, which lost 3,659 residents, followed by Pinellas with 3,199.

 

Comments (1)

David Spencer
Keller Williams Northland - Kansas City, MO
Show Me real estate in Kansas City

Yeah! But they are old and on a fixed income. Tell those on the edge that you have a Chicago connection that can salvage their Florida losses. Remember McDonalds is headquartered here plus we have IKEA.

Sep 03, 2010 11:59 AM