Florida added more residents than almost any state last year — and almost none of them came from New York. Per the U.S. Census Bureau's estimates released January 27, 2026, Florida's population grew by 196,680 people in the year ending July 1, 2025, reaching 23,462,518, the second-largest numeric gain after Texas. But the state's net domestic migration fell to 22,517, down sharply from 183,646 in 2023 and 310,892 in 2022 — the moving-from-up-north wave that defined Florida's pandemic housing boom has nearly stopped.
Who is still moving to Florida?
International migration. The census estimates show the growth now comes overwhelmingly from people arriving from abroad plus natural increase, not from other states. Florida still ranked eighth nationally in net domestic migration in 2025 — Alabama actually drew more, per the release — a striking reversal for the state that led the country for three straight years.
Related stories: Florida's housing market at mid-2026: sales climb, homes still sit longer · Florida rents in summer 2026: Miami holds near $3,000 while the rest of the state cools.
What does the slowdown mean for housing?
It means demand is compounding, not exploding. Roughly 1.9 million people arrived between 2020 and 2025, and they still need places to live; the 2026 arrivals are simply fewer. For renters, that cools the bidding pressure that pushed asking rents up double digits in 2021 and 2022, which is consistent with the flat-to-falling rents Miami neighborhoods have seen over the past year. For owners, it removes the assumption that a new wave of buyers automatically absorbs every listing at a premium.
| Measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida net domestic migration | 310,892 | 183,646 | 22,517 |
| Total population, July 1 | — | — | 23,462,518 |
| Numeric growth rank | 1st | 1st | 2nd, after Texas |
What it means for your Miami budget
If you are renting, the leverage has shifted: landlords facing fewer relocation-driven applicants are offering concessions again, and renewals are worth negotiating. If you are buying, slower in-migration is one more reason sellers across Florida are accepting longer days on market — but it does not lower the costs that are genuinely Floridian, namely insurance and condo assessments. Population growth projections still point upward through mid-century, so nobody should read one year of softer domestic migration as a permanent turn.
The practical takeaway: the frenzied math of 2021 — bid over ask, take the apartment sight unseen — no longer describes this market. Normal negotiation is back on the table, per the demand picture in the January 2026 census estimates.