Florida Population 2018

21,312,211

Our current estimate for Florida's population in 2018 is 21.31 million. The most recent estimate was carried out in 2015 by the United States Census Bureau and it was estimated that the state’s population had reached 20,271,272.

The Census Bureau hasn't provided a new estimate for 2018, but extrapolating from previous year's figures we can expect the population to have increased by roughly a further 375,000 people, bringing the Florida population of 2018 up past 21.31 million. Florida's 2016 growth rate was one of the faster in the country (ranked 4th) at 1.8%.

The last official census within the United States was carried out in 2010 and the east coast state of Florida recorded a total number of citizens at 18,801,310.

Florida Population Density and Area

In terms of population density, Florida has a surface area of 65,755 square miles (170,304 square kilometres). Based on estimates, that equates to 353.4 people per square mile, (136.4 per square kilometer) and that makes it the eighth most densely populated state in the US.

The largest city in Florida by population is Jacksonville, with over 900,000 individuals in the area. The largest county by population is Miami-Dade County, with well over 2 million individuals residing within the county lines.

Florida Demographics

Age/Sex, Race, Religion

The median age in Florida is approximately 41.6, with a slight gap in gender at 51.1% females and 48.9% males in the state.

The racial diversity of Florida can be seen below, with the state having approximately 75.9% Caucasians, 16.1% African American, 2.6% Asian, 2.5% other race, 2.5% two or more races, and .1% Native Islanders within the population.

In religious terms, the Florida population is recorded as 70% Christian based faiths, 24% no particular faith, and 6% non-Christian faith based.

Florida Statehood, Boundary, and Census History

Florida was a Spanish possession until transferred to the United States by treaty, concluded in 1819 but not in full effect until 1821. Florida was made a territory in 1822 with essentially its present boundaries, and was admitted as a State on March 3, 1845. From 1830 on, all parts of Florida have had census coverage.

Florida Population Chart

Florida Population Growth

Records from 1830 show that a mere 34,730 people lived in Florida, but like the rest of the US, those numbers were to grow dramatically from then onwards. By 1840, the number of people who live in Florida had increased by over 50% to 54,477. Florida joined the union in 1845 as the 27th state, and saw consistently high growth for the rest of the 19th century.

That pattern remained for the early part of the 20th century as well, and by 1950, the population of Florida had grown to 2,771,305. However, the biggest growth was yet to follow and in 1960, the national census revealed that numbers had leapt by 78.7% (nearly 6% annualized) to 4,951,560 over the preceding ten years.

More increases came throughout the decades but the latest census shows that rises are slowing down. In 2000, the population of Florida was 15,982,378 and the increase to 2010 was therefore just 17.6%.

Florida in 2020

If growth continues at roughly the same rate, by the time that the next Census is undertaken in 2020, the population will exceed 22 million. The population could potentially surpass 26 million in 2030, driven by immigration from both Northern US states and other countries.

Population Data via US Census

Florida Growth Rate

Florida Population Rank

Year Pop % Change
202021,967,8331.51%
201921,640,0221.54%
201821,312,2111.56%
201720,984,4001.59%
201620,656,5891.91%
201520,268,5671.86%
201419,897,7471.60%
201319,584,9271.26%
201219,341,3271.28%
201119,097,3691.33%
201018,846,4611.66%
200015,982,3782.14%
199012,937,9262.87%
19809,746,3243.68%
19706,789,4433.21%
19604,951,5605.98%
19502,771,3053.86%
19401,897,4142.60%
19301,468,2114.25%
1920968,4702.55%
1910752,6193.60%
1900528,5423.05%
1890391,4223.80%
1880269,4933.68%
1870187,7482.95%
1860140,4244.85%
185087,4454.85%
184054,4774.60%
183034,7300.00%

Florida Facts

Florida Population in 2018Source: Tom Schaefer [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

  • Florida was the 27th state to be admitted to the Union in 1845.
  • Florida is considered a favorite travel destination in the United States and of the world. It posted a record-breaking 87.3 million visitors in 2011.
  • Over 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways are located within the state.
  • Florida's 1,350 miles of coastline is the 2nd longest in the US, coming in after Alaska.
  • Florida is the United States' largest producer of citrus fruit. Over 60% of the oranges in US are grown in Florida.
  • Space flights are launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  • Florida has over 1,250 golf courses -- more than any other state in the US.
  • Saint Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied city and port, which was established by a European settlement in the country.
  • Crane Point Hammock was once the site of an Indian village.

Florida Population Density by County

Miami-Dade County

  • Population2,751,796
  • Density1449.39 per sq km
  • Growth Since 20109.75%
  • State Rank1
  • % of State13.11%

Florida Population Growth Rate by County

There are multiple counties in Florida that have experienced significant population growth from the time of the 2010 Census to the time that estimates were taken in 2015 of the population by county. There are several counties that have seen population increases of at least 10%, with the top two counties posting population increases exceeding 20%. Sumter County had the highest growth rate, recorded at over 26%, with Osceola County trailing behind at just over 20%. Other Florida counties that posted population increases include Broward, Lee, and Collier Counties to the south, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties in the northwestern region, and Polk County, Orange County, and Lake County in the central region of the state.

There are fewer counties that saw declines in population, with none coming even close to the top percentages seen in the growing counties. The biggest decline in population in the 5-year period happened in Bradford County, with 5.64%, followed by other counties along the northern border of the state, including Holmes, Leon, Madison, and Jefferson Counties.

Population by Race

Race Population
White15,343,997
Black or African American3,270,863
Asian543,394
Some Other Race536,298
Two or More Races514,823
American Indian and Alaska Native56,730
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander12,342

Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table B03002

Florida Population Pyramid 2018

200,000400,000600,000800,000 Male Population200,000400,000600,000800,000 Female Population80757065605550454035302520151050

Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table S0101

Florida Median Age

41.8


Total

40.2


Male

43.3


Female

Florida Adults

There are 16,166,865 adults, (3,926,889 of whom are seniors) in Florida.

Florida Age Dependency

65.7

Age Dependency Ratio

32.1

Old Age Dependency Ratio

33.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Florida Sex Ratio

Female

10,364,086

51.11%

Male

9,914,361

48.89%

Florida Households and Families

Florida Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table S1101

Florida Household Types

Type Owner Renter
Married77.7%22.3%
All64.8%35.2%
Non Family56.1%43.9%
Male51.8%48.2%
Female47.1%52.9%

64.8%

Rate of Home Ownership

Florida Households by Type

Type Count Average Size Owned
All7,510,8822.6464.8
Married3,506,1283.2177.7
Non Family2,663,5761.3156.1
Female981,2833.8147.1
Male359,8953.851.8

3.27

Average Family Size

2.64

Average Household Size

6%

Unmarried (Opposite Sex)

0.4%

Unmarried (Same Sex)

Florida Households

Florida Education

Florida Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Education Attained Count Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade733,7145.10%
9th to 12th Grade1,053,6347.32%
High School Graduate4,170,46828.97%
Some College2,937,32420.40%
Associates Degree1,405,0689.76%
Bachelors Degree2,616,38418.17%
Graduate Degree1,479,47410.28%

Florida Educational Attainment by Race

Name Total High School Bachelors
White8,567,5347,913,5882,739,629
Hispanic3,276,0342,568,128750,810
Black2,027,3181,662,559366,786
Asian387,880336,167189,844
Other Race339,607253,59364,325
Multiple Races225,652195,58465,532
Native American39,88932,4277,673
Islander8,1347,2261,799

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 92.37%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 48.94%.

Florida Earnings by Educational Attainment

Name Average Male Female
Overall$32,419$36,731$29,421
Less Than High School$20,373$22,720$16,508
High School Grad$26,157$30,146$22,159
Some College$31,836$36,544$28,535
Bachelors Degree$45,077$53,469$40,118
Graduate Degree$60,254$75,174$50,918

$32,419

Average Earnings

$36,731

Average Male

$29,421

Average Female

Florida Language

Florida Language by Age

Florida Language

71.30% of Florida residents speak only English, while 28.70% speak other languages. The largest non-English language is Spanish, which is spoken by 21.27% of the population.

Florida Poverty

Florida Poverty by Race

Name Total In Poverty Poverty Rate
White10,910,8691,192,47810.93%
Hispanic4,944,502981,01319.84%
Black3,149,614781,92824.83%
Other528,909115,94121.92%
Multiple502,32090,57018.03%
Asian536,92267,78912.63%
Native54,89711,23320.46%
Islander12,0933,03525.10%

15.46%

Overall Poverty Rate

14.39%

Male Poverty Rate

16.48%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Florida

The race most likely to be in poverty in Florida is Islander, with 25.10% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Florida is White, with 10.93% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.31%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.24%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 22.02%.

Florida Poverty Rate by Education

Name Poverty
Less Than High School26.86%
High School15.64%
Some College10.67%
Bachelors or Greater5.96%

Florida Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Name Poverty
Female Unemployed37.79%
Male Unemployed32.09%
Female Employed8.38%
Male Employed6.58%

Florida Income

Florida Income by Household Type

Name Median Mean
Households$50,883$72,993
Families$61,442$85,154
Married Families$73,832$99,173
Non Families$32,206$47,770

Florida Marital Status

Florida Marital Status

Marriage Rates

46.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

48.6%

Male Marriage Rate

44.2%

Female Marriage Rate

Florida Married by Age and Sex

Florida Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45To54.

Florida Marital Status by Race


Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table S1201

Florida Veterans

Florida Veterans by War

1,454,632

Number of Veterans

1,329,794

Male Veterans

124,838

Female Veterans

Name Veterans
Vietnam519,224
First Gulf War279,197
Second Gulf War217,705
Korea167,571
World War II89,143

Florida Veterans by Age

Name Veterans
75+401,877
65 to 74379,527
35 to 54312,786
55 to 64256,686
18 to 34103,756

Florida Veterans by Race

Name Veterans % of Total
White1,250,0669.97%
Black151,5616.32%
Hispanic115,8363.08%
2 or More20,7847.29%
Other13,0623.29%
Asian12,5992.88%
Indian5,48912.22%
Hawaiian1,07111.30%

Florida Veterans by Education

7.44%

Veteran Poverty Rate

29.48%

Veteran Disability Rate

Florida Employment Status

Florida Employment by Age

58.7%

Labor Force Participation

54.2%

Employment Rate

7.2%

Unemployment Rate

Florida Employment by Race

Florida Employment by Education

Florida Nativity

Florida Citizenship Status

Data Sources
  1. Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research - A research arm of the Florida legislature focused on economic, demographic and revenue forecasts for the state of Florida.
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

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