A crowd celebrates the World Cup in Miami, Florida. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
People have been flocking to Florida in 2022, which saw the fastest growth compared to any other state over the last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: This is the first time Florida has been named the fastest-growing state since 1957.
The big picture: The United States population grew from 2021 to 2022 after historic lows during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new Census data. Most of the growth has been attributed to migration.
Details: The Sunshine State's population grew to 22,244,823 from 2021 to 2022, which is good for a 1.9% increase.
- The state has seen a 9x increase since 1946 when its population sat around 2.44 million.
Zoom in: Florida's population increase has been positive since 1946, according to the Census Bureau.
- In fact, the Census Bureau said improvements in air conditioning technology might have supported a boom in the Sunshine State's numbers, which saw a 6.1% increase on average throughout the 1950s.
- Florida's population increased above average during that decade, too, according to the Census Bureau. And, in the 1960s, Florida's population grew at about double the national average.
Yes, but: Western states — Arizona, Idaho, Utah, North Dakota and Alaska — have been the darlings when it comes to high-growing populations over the last 76 years.
- Nevada has dominated the fastest-growing ranking list for decades, snagging the top spot in 36 different years since 1946, according to the Census data.
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