If you’re new to South Florida and house-hunting here, the U.S. Census Bureau just confirmed this continues to be a high-growth region.
“Florida was home to four of the nation’s top five fastest-growing metropolitan statistical areas, and three of the top 10 that gained the largest number of people from 2022 to 2023,” the Census Bureau’s latest report says. “The increases in Florida — the nation’s third most populous state — were fueled by rapid growth in select metro areas in the state during that period.”
The report specifically cited Port St. Lucie as the fifth fastest-growing metro area with a population increase of more than 3% to 536,901. Keep in mind those were 2022 to 2023 statistics. The current metro area population of Port St. Lucie in 2024 is 565,000, a 1.62% increase from 2023, according to local statistics.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach was cited as gaining 43,387 between 2022 and 2023, another Census stat. In fact, “Florida metro area Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach replaced Tennessee metro area Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin among the top 10 numeric gainers,” according to the Census Bureau.
And it’s not just the population that’s growing. If you’re waiting to move here to job hunt, both economic and business sectors are following population expansions.
“New research shows that the top three industries in terms of jobs, average salary, and income are no longer agriculture, tourism, or construction. The state’s chief economist revealed the top three are financial services, company headquarters, and life sciences/health care,” according to the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
