The population in South Florida exceeded six million for the first time in history, according to a recent report.
The region is now the eighth most populous area in the United States, and it seems like it is increasing at an alarming rate. In Florida alone, about 1,000 people move there every single day, and over the last five years, about 500,000 people moved to the lower part of the Sunshine State.
Broward County has the highest growth with an 8.5% rise over the past few years, and now their population is at 1.9 million. Miami-Dade County, which is the most populous county in the entire state, saw a 7.8% increase and now has a population of 2.7 million.
Carlos Gimenez, Mayor of Miami-Dade County, told the Miami Herald that the diverse population leads more diverse people to the area.
“People are drawn here because it’s international,” Gimenez said. “We speak their language. We speak lots of languages.”
Most of Florida’s new immigrants are Cubans and Canadians, according to Ying Wang, a researcher for the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida. Wang said that 25% of all new Florida immigrants move to Miami-Dade County.
“We have a good environment for them. Their friends and family are here. We have good food, policies and a good work environment,” Wang said.
Orlando is one of the largest-growing metropolitan regions in the country as well. According to WFTV, the Orlando area added 60,000 new residents in 2015, which was the most in the country.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the vast majority — about 65% or over 335,000 people — of the new residents moving to these Florida regions have come from other countries. Only 2,659 people have relocated from the U.S. to move to these popular regions of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade.
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