logo
Census-Migration
FILE - Asylum seekers arrive at the Roosevelt Hotel on Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. Three New York City boroughs lost almost 80,000 residents from people moving away last year, according to population estimates released Thursday, March 14, 2024, but city officials think those numbers are a major undercount that didn't capture the influx of asylum seekers who came to the city.(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Florida citrus capital was top destination for US movers last year

More people moved to a county rich with citrus groves located between two of Florida’s most populous metros than in any other county in the U.S. last year

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Published - Mar 14, 2024, 12:27 AM ET
Last Updated - Mar 14, 2024, 12:27 AM EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — More people moved to a county rich with citrus groves located between two of Florida's most populous metro areas than to any other county in the U.S. last year, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

More than 29,300 people moved last year to the county between Tampa and Orlando, two metro areas where housing has grown increasingly pricey and the county is considered a cheaper alternative. In short order, Polk County has come to have fewer orange groves along Interstate 4 and more subdivisions for local service workers as well as distribution warehouses for on-demand deliveries for residents in both metropolitan areas.

Almost all the growth in Polk County — 88% — consisted of people moving from another part of the U.S. rather than from abroad, according to the 2023 population estimates.

“Subdivision growth has been springing up and it happens in such a manner that you don’t always notice it. But when you are stuck in traffic, that’s when you really pay attention that it’s going on,” Matt Joyner, a seventh-generation Polk County resident, said about the influx of new residents.

Our Offices
  • 10kInfo, Inc.
    13555 SE 36th St
    Bellevue, WA 98006
  • 10kInfo Data Solutions, Pvt Ltd.
    Claywork Create
    11 km, Arakere Bannerghatta Rd, Omkar Nagar, Arekere,
    Bengaluru, Karnataka 560076
4.2 12182024