FLORIDA’S URBAN POPULATION SLOWING BUT STILL GROWING

The new data looked at changes in cities and towns (not focusing on counties or whole metropolitan areas) from mid-2017 to mid-2018. The weakening in growth appears to have started two years ago, and accelerated last year.

Economic analyst Dr. Hank Fishkind tells 90.7’s Nicole Darden Creston that this pattern was true for Florida as well. For example, population growth in Jacksonville peaked in 2016 with a gain of 14,600 compared to the gain of 12,200 in 2018, and similar slowing in growth occurred in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando comparing 2016 to 2018.

However, Fishkind says the data may say growth is slowing, but that doesn’t mean population numbers are actually falling.