Florida Passes New York in Population

AP Photo/Alan Diaz
AP Photo/Alan Diaz

New York, which trailed only California and Texas in population, is now trailing Florida, too, according to a new Census Bureau report. California boasts 38.8 million people, Texas ranks second with 26.96 million, but now Florida has 19.9 million, barely surpassing New York, with 19.7 million.

In the year between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, Florida gained roughly 293,000 people, while during the same period New York only gained 51,000.

The Census Bureau’s Ben Bolender said, “Florida has been getting people from the rest of the country for all but two years since 2000. New York has been losing people to other areas of the U.S.”

New York ranked second in population to California until 1994, when Texas passed it for the second-place ranking. New York’s rate of growth since the 1990’s has trailed not only Florida but various other states. After the 2010 census, New York lost two congressional seats; Florida added two.

E.J. McMahon of the conservative Empire Center for Public Policy, pointed out that Florida’s ascendancy derives from the climate and the exorbitant cost of living in New York, as well as the paucity of jobs in the Empire state. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s spokesman had no comment on the news.

In 2014, North Dakota was the fastest-growing state, increasing 2.2%; Nevada and Texas tied for second with a 1.7% rate of growth. Every state in the top ten in growth came from the South or West except for North Dakota. Illinois lost the most people, dwindling by 9,972, .08% of its population; West Virginia lost the most percentage-wise, at .18%.

The United States gained 2.4 million people in the same period; its current population is 318.9 million.

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