(The Center Square) – The number of people moving to Florida from other states has slowed since the pandemic, according to the latest U.S. census numbers, falling in line with estimates that the state’s population growth will moderate over the next decade.
Florida experienced a boom in the early years of the decade as people sought looser Covid-19 restrictions and took advantage of remote work. But the state’s domestic migration fell from 183,646 in 2023 to 22,517 in 2025, a sharp decline from 2022 when 310,892 people moved to the Sunshine State from other U.S. locations.
Florida, which typically ranks near the top in state-to-state migration, fell to No. 8 last year. Alabama ranked higher, receiving 23,358 new residents from other states between July 2024 and June 2025.
Florida remains among the three most populous states – behind Texas and California – and its overall growth of 196,000 people was one of the highest last year.
South Carolina had the highest overall growth rate last year at 1.5%, bumping Florida from the top. Idaho and North Carolina were second and third, respectively.
Only five states saw declines in their populations from 2024 to 2025 – California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia.
The U.S. population saw slower overall growth between July 2024 and July 2025 than it did from 2023 to 2024, largely because of a decline in international migration. It dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million from July 2024 through June 2025, said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections at the Census Bureau.
“With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today,” Hartley said.
Florida’s population growth is expected to moderate through 2034 as the state returns to pre-pandemic growth rates, according to a recent Florida TaxWatch report.
“Florida is still growing but the forecast expects the state to shift from the post-pandemic sprint to a more sustainable jog, shaped by easing (but still present) economic uncertainty and a cooling pace of in-migration,” said Jui Shah, a research economist with Florida TaxWatch.
