Key Details

  • Per population, Florida, with 23 million residents, is the third largest state in the United States.
  • The state's election inclinations are Republican-dominated. Several key positions, including the governorship, are held by Republicans.
  • 66.9% of the over 10.4 million household units in the state are owner-occupied.
  • Florida's property and violent crime rates are lower than the national average.
  • The median household income in Florida in 2022 was $67,917.
  • Florida's life expectancy at birth was 78.6 years in 2022.

Florida Population Demographics

Florida is the third largest state in the United States per population. More than 23 million people live in the state's 53,633.7 square miles of land area. Florida is the 26th largest state in the United States by land area.

Whites alone account for 76.7% of Florida's 23 million population. African Americans and Asians comprise 16.9% and 3.2% of the population, respectively.

The gender bias of the Florida population is evenly split, with 50.9% females and 49.1% males. 21.7% of the population are aged 65 years or older.

As of 2022, 4.56 million residents, or 21.1% of the state's population, were born outside the United States. The most common birthplace for Florida residents born outside the United States are Cuba, Haiti, and Colombia.

Elections and Voting

Florida's political history has seen significant shifts between the two major parties - Republican and Democratic. The last non-party governor was Sidney J. Catts, who served from 1917 to 1921 as a Prohibitionist.

Florida's recent political landscape has been predominantly Republican. Rick Scott, a Republican, served as governor from 2011 to 2019, followed by the current governor, Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, who has been in office since 2019.

The critical state government positions, including the President of the State Senate and Speaker of the House, are currently held by Republicans, contributing to a Republican trifecta in Florida. This has led to unified control over the executive and legislative branches for several consecutive years.

At the national level, Florida's representation is also dominated by Republicans. The state's U.S. Senate representatives, Marco Rubio and Democrat Rick Scott, are Republicans. In the U.S. House of Representatives, 20 of Florida's 28 representatives are Republicans.

Florida's presidential election voting patterns have shown a competitive landscape. Voters in the state have opted for the Republican candidates in the last two elections, while the Democratic Party candidates have won the previous two elections.

Housing, Income, and Employment

Florida has 10,451,818 housing units as of July 1, 2023. 66.9% of these units are owner-occupied. The median gross rent between 2018 and 2022 was $1,444, and the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $292,200, approximately 1.04 times higher than the national average. An average of 2.53 persons live in Florida households.

18.8% of the Florida population lived with severe housing problems in 2023. That indicator declined by 3.21% between 2014 and 2023.

The median household income in Florida in 2022 was $67,917. St. Johns County has the highest median household income at $100,200.

The employment rate grew by 2.06% between 2021 and 2022. As of February 2023, the employment population stood at 9.69 million, a 4.23% growth from the previous year. The state's unemployment rate was 3.3% in May 2024, lower than the national average of 4.0

Florida Crime Rates

The property crime rate in Florida is 1,940 incidents per 100,000 residents, 6% below the national average of 2,070.

The violent rate in the state fell 19% below the national average in 2023. In 2023, Florida recorded 320 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. In 2022, the state recorded 380 incidents per 100,000 residents.

There were 30 mass shooting incidents in Florida in 2023. In the previous year, there were 29 such incidents.

The top five safest cities in the state are Marco Island, Sunny Isles Beach, Doral, Kissimmee, and Largo. The most dangerous cities are Florida City, Lake City, Opa Locka, Miami Beach, and Panama City Beach. The crime rate in Florida City is about 300% higher than the nationwide average.

How to Find People in Florida

While not specific to Florida, sites like Spokeo and Intelius are good starting points for finding a person in Florida. You can perform an immediate search with the subject's name, phone number, or address.

Facebook's search function can help you find people in Florida. Social sites like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn can also be useful in locating specific persons.

You can also hire a licensed private investigator to offer more targeted searches.

Interesting Facts About Florida

  • Florida produces more than 70% of all oranges in the United States.
  • Florida uses two time zones. Gulf County uses both the Eastern and Central Time Zones. Nine counties use the Central Time Zone, while the rest of the counties are in the Eastern Time Zone.
  • Florida is the only state in the United States bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the United States.
  • Florida is the flattest state in the United States.
  • Everglades National Park in Florida is the only location in the world where the American alligator and crocodile live.