This Florida county ranks No. 1 in US for migration. Here’s how many moved in

Polk County tops the list

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When it comes to state-to-state migration, one Florida county ranked above all others in the U.S. last year.

According to recent data by the U.S. Census Bureau, much of the Southeast U.S. saw major migration spikes in 2023, with Florida seeing some of the largest spikes.

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Percent Change in County Population: July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

The data shows that between 2022 and 2023, 62% of counties saw positive net migration, though states like California and New York fared more poorly.

The top county for migration in 2023 was actually in the Sunshine State: Polk County in Central Florida, with a net migration of 26,029 people.

While Texas made up the bulk of the top 10 counties, two other areas in Florida — Pasco and Marion counties — still managed to rank near the top.

The top 10 counties for net migration were as follows:

RankCountyNet Domestic Migration (2022)Net Domestic Migration (2023)
1Polk County, FL29,60626,029
2Montgomery County, TX22,77025,501
3Pasco County, FL24,28323,750
4Collin County, TX29,75520.749
5Denton County, TX23,65719,262
6Williamson County, TX20,52017,943
7Pinal County, AZ14,07517,463
8Fort Bend County, TX17,79615,757
9Marion County, FL13,40915,167
10Horry County, SC17,29415,061

When it comes to international migration, the U.S. Census Bureau’s figures show that Miami-Dade County in Florida experienced the greatest gains. In total, Miami-Dade County received a net 54,457 migrants from abroad.

On the other end of the spectrum, Los Angeles County in California saw the worst numbers in the data, losing around 143,724 people in terms of net migration.

The top 10 counties for the least net migration were as follows:

RankCountyNet Domestic Migration (2022)Net Domestic Migration (2023)
1Los Angeles County, CA-143,724-119,037
2Cook County, IL-94,927-58,105
3Kings County, NY-78,188-55,308
4Queens County, NY-77,029-50,161
5Miami-Dade County, FL-38,132-47,597
6Bronx County, NY-61,394-41,473
7Orange County, CA-27,681-35,597
8Dallas County, TX-18,985-34,330
9San Diego County, CA-15,956-30,745
10Santa Clara County, CA-33,302-29,077

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