Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau during the holidays showed that Florida has at least 19.9 million residents – the numbers are most likely higher because the data is from surveys taken in July. However, it is enough to surpass New York as the third most populous state in the Union behind California (38.8 million) and Texas (27 million).
For a perspective, all of Canada has about 35 million people.
For Floridians, passing New York in population has been a foregone conclusion for a long time.
For example, if there was census data for which states have the most delis serving pastrami on rye, Florida would be second to New York.
Florida added 300,000 new residents from 2013 to 2014, or a little more than 800 new residents a day. Besides New Yorkers, and again circumstantially, we would hazard to guestimate that at least 40,000 of those are from Latin America, and four people (an entire family) moved here from Fargo, North Dakota. The latter of which makes perfect since considering that the weather in Fargo reached a high of 24 (F) on the day this blog was written.
Even so, according to the U.S. Census, six states saw population declines: Illinois, West Virginia, Connecticut, New Mexico, Alaska and Vermont. There is little doubt in our minds that some of those folks moved to Florida. We got the moniker “The Sunshine State” for a reason.
