Florida Nation’s 4th Fastest-Growing State: Census Bureau

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With its Florida Man stories, alligator population that tops 1.3 million and standing in the number of annual shark attacks, the Sunshine State gets a bad rap across the country. Those factors, however, don’t seem to be discouraging people from moving here. In fact, Florida is the nation’s fourth fastest-growing state, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau Tuesday.

The Sunshine State also remained the country’s third most populous state in 2016. Florida overtook New York’s for third-place standings in 2015 and continued to grow in 2016. New York’s population shrunk in 2016 by 1,894 people, the Census noted. Florida’s population, however, grew by 367,525 in 2016, giving it a number two ranking in numeric growth for the year. The Sunshine State trailed Texas’ net population growth of 432,957.

As for those fastest-growing numbers, the census bureau looked at the percentage change in population between 2015 and 2016 to create a Top 10 list. Utah earned first-place honors with an uptick of 2.03 percent in its population, which is still just over 3 million. Nevada came in second place with a percentage change of 1.95, giving it a population that is nearing 3 million. Idaho edged out the Sunshine State slightly with a 1.83 percent climb in population. That state’s total number of residents is now estimated at 1,683,140 by the census bureau.

See also: Shark Attack Numbers Break Record In 2015

Florida’s population swelled to 20,612,439 in 2016. The increase over 2015’s 20,244,914 is 1.82 percent. The remaining Top 10 honorees are Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, District of Columbia and Texas, respectively.

In regard to total population, Florida has a long way to go to edge out the first- and second-place holders. California is in the No. 1 slot with 39,250,017 residents. Texas comes in second with 27,862,596.

Nationally, the census reported the country’s population grew by 0.7 percent in 2016 to reach 323.1 million. Aside from New York, other states that saw population decreases included Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Illinois and a few others.

See also: Florida Alligators: What You Need To Know

Data released by the census bureau earlier this year showed that Tampa Bay area counties remain some of the country’s fastest-growing. Manatee and Pasco counties were ranked on the census bureau’s Top 100 list. Manatee County was named the country’s 33rd fastest-growing between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015. Pasco came in 85th on the list with a 2.5 rise in population.

To check out the full census report on the fastest-growing states, visit the agency’s website.

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