The Fastest-Growing Counties in Florida, 2024 to 2025
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Florida added an estimated 196,680 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, growing from 23,265,838 to 23,462,518, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 population estimates. As always in Florida, the growth is not in the biggest counties but in the ring of fast-building suburbs and retirement corridors around them, and the two ways of measuring it, raw numbers and percentage, point to the same handful of places.
Fastest-growing Florida counties by number of new residents
| Rank | County | July 2024 | July 2025 | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk (Lakeland) | 851,434 | 874,790 | +23,356 |
| 2 | Pasco (Tampa) | 656,190 | 674,516 | +18,326 |
| 3 | Osceola (Orlando) | 465,876 | 481,718 | +15,842 |
| 4 | Marion (Ocala) | 427,995 | 442,660 | +14,665 |
| 5 | Lee (Cape Coral) | 861,667 | 875,607 | +13,940 |
| 6 | St. Johns (St. Augustine) | 333,334 | 346,328 | +12,994 |
| 7 | Lake (Orlando) | 443,454 | 456,068 | +12,614 |
| 8 | St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie) | 391,592 | 402,449 | +10,857 |
| 9 | Manatee (Bradenton) | 458,956 | 468,200 | +9,244 |
| 10 | Duval (Jacksonville) | 1,054,732 | 1,062,963 | +8,231 |
Polk County, the Lakeland area wedged between Tampa and Orlando, led the state by adding more than 23,000 people, cementing its role as the overflow valve for both of Florida's fastest-growing metros. Pasco north of Tampa and Osceola south of Orlando follow, the classic suburban-frontier counties. Notably, the state's largest counties barely register: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Orange (Orlando) are near the bottom of the growth list even as their suburbs boom.
Fastest-growing Florida counties by percentage
Ranked by rate, and limited to counties with at least 20,000 residents so a handful of movers cannot distort the list, the frontier counties rise further.
| Rank | County | July 2024 | July 2025 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Johns (St. Augustine) | 333,334 | 346,328 | +3.90% |
| 2 | Walton (Panhandle) | 90,096 | 93,288 | +3.54% |
| 3 | Hendry | 46,641 | 48,276 | +3.51% |
| 4 | Marion (Ocala) | 427,995 | 442,660 | +3.43% |
| 5 | Osceola (Orlando) | 465,876 | 481,718 | +3.40% |
| 6 | Flagler (Palm Coast) | 136,284 | 140,360 | +2.99% |
| 7 | Lake (Orlando) | 443,454 | 456,068 | +2.84% |
| 8 | Pasco (Tampa) | 656,190 | 674,516 | +2.79% |
| 9 | St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie) | 391,592 | 402,449 | +2.77% |
| 10 | Polk (Lakeland) | 851,434 | 874,790 | +2.74% |
The standout is St. Johns County
St. Johns County, just south of Jacksonville around St. Augustine, is the only county to top the percentage list while also cracking the raw-growth top ten, adding nearly 13,000 people at a 3.9 percent clip. It has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the entire country for years, a magnet for families drawn by highly rated schools and new coastal subdivisions. The rest of the percentage list traces the same story from the Panhandle (Walton) to the Orlando exurbs (Marion, Lake) to the Treasure Coast (St. Lucie).
What ties Florida's growth together is that it is still overwhelmingly about migration, not births. People are moving in, and they are choosing the counties one ring out from the coast and the big cities, where land and homes are cheaper. For the longer arc, see how Florida's population has changed since 1990, the full fastest-growing counties ranking, or explore Florida's data profile.
Sources
Population figures are the July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 county totals. Both years come from the same vintage, so the change is measured on a consistent basis. The percentage ranking is limited to counties with at least 20,000 residents.
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Which Florida county grew the most from 2024 to 2025?
By raw numbers, Polk County, the Lakeland area between Tampa and Orlando, added the most residents at 23,356. By percentage, St. Johns County near St. Augustine grew fastest among counties of at least 20,000 people, at 3.90 percent.
How much did Florida grow between 2024 and 2025?
Florida added an estimated 196,680 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, growing from 23,265,838 to 23,462,518, a 0.85 percent increase, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 population estimates.
Where is the fastest growth in Florida happening?
In the suburban and exurban ring around the big metros: Polk, Pasco, Osceola, and Lake around Tampa and Orlando; St. Johns near Jacksonville; and St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast. The largest counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, and Orange are near the bottom of the growth list.
