Move over, California and Texas — there’s a new heavyweight in town.

Florida’s population has officially crossed the 23 million mark — an all-time high — thanks to a massive influx of new residents flocking to the Sunshine State from other parts of the US and abroad.

As of April 1, Florida boasts 23,002,597 residents, according to the latest estimates from the state Demographic Estimating Conference, as reported by the Sun Sentinel. This milestone makes Florida the third most populous state in the nation, trailing only California’s 39.5 million and Texas’ 30.5 million.

The surge is nothing new — Florida has been adding between 350,000 to 375,000 people each year for more than a decade, with nearly 359,000 newcomers last year alone. However, the growth rate is expected to peak this year at 1.6% before slowing down in the coming years, as the baby boomer generation ages out of the workforce.

Interestingly, Florida’s population boom is entirely driven by migration. Since just before the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, deaths have outpaced births in the state, a trend that is expected to continue. Almost 10% of Florida’s residents are 75 and older, second only to Puerto Rico among US states and territories.

Other Republican southern states have seen similar growth spurts, while liberal northern states like New York experienced declines. The country’s population grew by 1.6 million over the past year, with 87% of that increase concentrated in Texas, Florida and South Carolina, according to new Census Bureau data.

Texas led the nation in population growth between July 2022 and July 2023, adding nearly half a million new residents amid the ongoing migrant crisis at the border. Following closely behind were Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, all benefiting from outmigration from other states.

“The growth in 2023 can largely be attributed to the region’s migration patterns,” the report explained, noting that 706,266 people were added via net domestic migration, while net international migration contributed almost 500,000 to the total.

States like New York, California and Illinois saw their populations shrink as residents fled high taxes and the soaring cost of living. California lost 338,371 residents to other states, New York shed 216,778, and Illinois saw 83,839 leave. While these losses have been offset by new migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, the overall populations of these states still declined due to the exodus.

The South, however, is now facing a potential housing market crisis. The post-2020 rush to build new homes in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas has led to a glut in supply.

Homebuilders went into overdrive during the pandemic, meeting the demand from Americans seeking cheaper living and remote work opportunities. This has created a potential bubble that could spell trouble ahead.

But unlike the 2008 financial crisis, today’s homeowners have substantial equity in their properties, particularly in the South. “Historically, Florida has a high share of homeowners that own their home outright,” Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, said in that previous report.

“There’s a lot more equity in housing right now, which makes it less likely we’ll see the kind of price declines that led to trouble in the mid-2000s.”

JetBlue has announced it’s adding new Florida flights, bringing their totals up to more than 225 daily flights from airports in Florida by February.

This comes after JetBlue cut some flights in Florida. Eight routes from Fort Lauderdale were eliminated in June, a Miami-Los Angeles flight was dropped and the airline announced this week it was canceling a direct flight service from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale, due to a “lack of customer demand.”

The biggest additions will be to New England states, adding service to Florida from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire with daily flights to Orlando, and seasonal service to Fort Myers and Fort Lauderdale starting in January 2025.

The T.F. Greene Airport in Providence, Rhode Island will be getting winter seasonal flights to Fort Myers and Tampa, starting at the end of October. Portland International Jetport in Maine is also adding a seasonal flight at the same time.

It will also get easier to get to and from New York starting in October, with seasonal service from Buffalo Niagara International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport and second daily flights added from both Buffalo and Albany to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Syracuse will get a second daily flight to Orlando.

Also starting in October, JetBlue will begin flights from Long Island MacArthur Airport daily to Orlando, and four times a week to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. 

“With these additions, JetBlue continues to reinforce its standing as a leading carrier offering service throughout Florida,” the release said. “This growth not only demonstrates JetBlue’s commitment to the region, but also exemplifies its plan to refocus the airline’s network into leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) flying; adding more options for customers to fly to the many top travel destinations the state has to offer.”

What are the new JetBlue flights from Manchester, New Hampshire to Florida?

• Manchester (MHT) and Orlando (MCO): Daily, beginning Jan. 23, 2025
  • MHT-MCO Flight #1143, 7:15 p.m. – 10:15 p.m.
  • MCO-MHT Flight #1144: 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.
• Manchester (MHT) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL): Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, beginning Jan. 24, 2025
  • MHT-FLL Flight #1343: 11:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
  • FLL- MHT Flight #1344: 3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Manchester (MHT) and Fort Myers (RSW): Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Beginning Jan. 23, 2025
• MHT-RSW Flight #1349: 11:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
• RSW-MHT Flight #1350: RSW-MHT Flight #1350

The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots. Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Winning Powerball numbers from July 24 drawing

16-42-59-63-68, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from July 24 drawing

02-11-17-19-29, Cash Ball: 03

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from July 24 drawing

Midday: 16-20-29-33-36

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 24 drawing

Morning: 02

Matinee: 02

Afternoon: 07

Evening: 06

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from July 24 drawing

Midday: 2-6, FB: 1

Evening: 9-7, FB: 5

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 24 drawing

Midday: 3-8-5, FB: 1

Evening: 2-3-5, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 24 drawing

Midday: 9-7-3-3, FB: 1

Evening: 0-5-1-2, FB: 5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from July 24 drawing

Midday: 8-0-2-3-4, FB: 1

Evening: 7-2-1-1-2, FB: 5

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

• Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
• Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
• Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.

You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.

Florida law requires public disclosure of winners

If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:

• Full name
• City of residence
• Game won
• Date won
• Amount won
• Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.

When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
• Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
• Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
• Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
• Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
• Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
• Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.