Population

• Numerical Population
  • Population Density
• Population Distribution
  • Urban vs Rural
  • Major Population Centers
  • Regional Patterns
  • Demographic Trends

Numerical Population

As of 2024, the population of Florida is approximately 23,372,215. In 2023, the median age of people in Florida was 42.6. The unemployment rate in Florida was 3.5% in 2025. The life expectancy in Florida was 77.5 in 2020.

Below is a population pyramid from census.gov that shows the population by age and sex:

Population Density

This is the formula for population density:

$$\text{Population Density}=\frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Area}}$$

We can plug in the value of $23372215$ at the top, and the area of Florida is $170310{\text{ km}}^2$.

This gives us the following equation:

$$\text{Population Density}\approx \frac{\text{23372215}}{{\text{170310 km}}^2}\therefore \text{Population Density}\approx 137.23{\text{ km}}^2$$

Population Distribution

The population distribution of Florida is very uneven. There are a lot more people in the South than the amount of people in the North.

Urban vs Rural

• Urban: ~91% of the population lives in urban areas.
• Rural: ~9% lives in rural areas.

Florida is highly urbanized, with most residents living along the coasts and in metropolitan areas.

Major Population Centers

Metropolitan Area	Population	Notes
Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach	~6.2 million	Largest metro; international hub, large Hispanic population
Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater	~3.3 million	Gulf Coast; popular retirement destination
Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford	~2.8 million	Central Florida; tourism and tech center
Jacksonville	~1.7 million	Largest city by area; growing logistics sector
Southwest Florida (Naples, Fort Myers)	~1.4 million	Fast-growing; major retirement destination
Tallahassee & Gainesville	~600,000	University towns; smaller urban hubs

Regional Patterns

• South Florida: Densely populated and diverse, especially Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
• Central Florida: Rapid growth, especially in the Orlando metro area, driven by tourism and housing.
• North Florida: Less densely populated, includes Jacksonville and the state capital, Tallahassee.
• Florida Panhandle: Sparsely populated; smaller cities like Pensacola and Panama City dominate.

Most Floridians live within 50 miles of the coast.

Demographic Trends

• Aging Population: ~21% of residents are over age 65, which is one of the highest rates in the U.S.
• In-Migration: Lots of people are moving from states like New York, New Jersey, and California.
• Diversity: Especially strong in South Florida, with large Hispanic and Caribbean communities.