Demographics of Florida

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Florida is the third-most populous state in the United States. Its residents include people from a wide variety of ethnic, racial, national and religious backgrounds. The state has attracted immigrants, particularly from Latin America.^[2] Florida's majority ethnic group are European Americans, with approximately 65% of the population identifying as White. National ethnic communities in the state include Cubans, who migrated en masse following the revolution in mid-century. They have been joined by other immigrants from Latin America, and Spanish is spoken by more than 20% of the state's population, with high usage especially in the Miami-Dade County area.

Population[]

With a population of 18.8 million according to the 2010 census, Florida is the most populous state in the Southeastern United States, and the second-most populous state in the South behind Texas. Within the United States, it contains the highest percentage of people over 65 (17.3%), and the 8th fewest people under 18 (21.9%).^[3]

Florida population density map

Florida ancestry map

Florida's metropolitan areas and major cities.

Net domestic migration[]

Race/Ethnicity[]

2010 census[]

According to the 2010 census, the racial distributions are as follows; 77.3% White (53.5% Non-Hispanic White), 16.9% African American (includes Afro-Caribbeans), 2.9% Asian American, and 0.5% Native American. 25.6% of the population are Hispanics or Latino (of any race). Florida has one of the largest African-American populations in the country, and has the second-highest Latino population on the East Coast outside of New York state. Its ethnic Asian population has grown rapidly since the late 1990s; the majority are South Asians, Filipinos, Vietnamese, ethnic Chinese. The state has some federally recognized American Indian tribes, such as the Seminoles in the southeastern part of the state.^[5]

2018 American Community Survey[]

Florida racial and ethnic map as of 2019

  Black 50–60%

  Hispanic 50–60%

  Hispanic 60–70%

  Non-Hispanic White 30–40%

  Non-Hispanic White 40–50%

  Non-Hispanic White 50–60%

  Non-Hispanic White 60–70%

  Non-Hispanic White 70–80%

  Non-Hispanic White 80–90%

According to the 2018 US Census Bureau estimates, Florida's population was 74.7% White (53.3% Non-Hispanic White), 16.0% Black or African American, 2.8% Asian, 0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.3% Some Other Race, and 2.9% from two or more races.^[6] The White population continues to remain the largest racial category as Hispanics in Florida primarily identify as White (81.9%) with others identifying as Some Other Race (11.3%), Multiracial (3.4%), Black (2.8%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.3%), Asian (0.1%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%).^[6] By ethnicity, 26.1% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 73.9% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a separate category, Hispanics are the largest minority group in Florida.^[6]

Birth data[]

Note: Prior to 2016, births in the table exceed 100% because some Hispanics were counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number. Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one "Hispanic" group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Languages[]

As of 2010, 73.36% of Florida residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 19.54% spoke Spanish, 1.84% French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole), 0.60% French and 0.50% Portuguese. In total, 26.64% of Florida's population age 5 and older spoke a mother language other than English.^[14]

Florida's public education system identified more than 200 first languages other than English spoken in the homes of students.^[15] In 1990, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) settled a class action lawsuit against the state Florida Department of Education with a consent decree that required educators to be trained in teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).^[16]

Article II, Section 9, of the Florida Constitution provides that "English is the official language of the State of Florida." This provision was adopted in 1988 by a vote following an Initiative Petition.

A Miami accent has developed among persons born and/or raised in and around Miami-Dade County and a few other parts of South Florida.^[17] It is more prominent among Hispanics (especially Cuban Americans and other Latino groups, influenced by the Spanish language).^[18][19]

Religion[]

Florida residents identify as mostly of various Protestant groups. Roman Catholics make up the single largest denomination in the state. Florida residents' current religious affiliations are shown in the table below:^[20]

• Christianity 70%
  • Protestantism 46%
    • Evangelical Protestant 24%
    • Mainline Protestant 14%
    • Historically Black Protestant 8%
  • Catholicism 21%
  • Mormonism 1%
  • Jehovah's Witness 1%
  • Other Christian 1%
• Non-Christian Faiths 6%
  • Judaism 3%
  • Other religion (e.g. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism) 3%
• Unaffiliated 24%

Veterans[]

There were 1.6 million veterans in Florida in 2010, representing 8% of the total population.^[21]

Migration[]

In 2013, most net migrants come from 1) New York, 2) New Jersey, 3) Pennsylvania, and 4) the Midwestern United States; emigration is higher from these same states. For example, about 50,000 moved to New York; but more than 50,000 people moved from New York to Florida.^[22]

References[]