As Florida’s population continues to boom, New York’s continues to fall. The Empire State stands to lose its status as the third most-populous state to the Sunshine State, according to demographers’ estimates.
The Census Bureau will be releasing its annual population estimates Monday. The New York Times reports that demographers believe that it will show that Florida is now the third-most populous state. If Florida doesn’t pass New York this year, it definitely will in the next year.
The shift in population can be seen as immigrants continue to move to California and Texas, the No. 1 and No. 2 most-populated states, respectively, and Florida. New Yorkers are also retiring to the warm weather in Florida, notes the Times.
Of course, population shifts are much more than just statistics to look at. They impact a state’s foothold in Congress and how much money it gets from the government. New York has already seen two seats in Congress disappear after the 2010 census.
New York Business Journal notes that this has been expected for months and the movement of population to Florida kicked up again when the economy began doing better.
In July 2012, the Census estimated that Florida’s population stood at 19.3 million, just a hair behind New York’s 19.6 million population.
“Every number we see, if we don’t pass them this year, we’re going to pass them in the next few months,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott told the Times. “Florida’s on a roll.”
image: Wikimedia Commons
