On the move: Transplants flock to Sunshine State

Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of interstate moves, according to U.S. Census data compiled and analyzed by StorageCafe, a self-storage search website.

In 2018, 587,000 people moved to Florida from another state, the company found, though 470,977 exited the Sunshine State. That net migration boosted Florida’s population to 21.5 million.

Also, the west coast of Florida — in particular, Tampa Bay — is a top destination for new residents of the Sunshine State. With 38,040 new residents arriving from out of state, Hillsborough County was the most popular Florida county for interstate movers, the report shows. Pinellas County, with 30,066 newcomers, ranks No. 5, while Lee County, with 26,796, checks in at No. 7. Boasting 18,383 transplants from other states, Polk County rounds out the top 10.

StorageCafe also found that, unsurprisingly, New York supplied the most new residents to Florida. The Empire State accounted for no less than 11% of the total number of new residents. That means one in seven New Yorkers who left the state — 14% of them — relocated to Florida.

On the other hand, Georgia was the biggest beneficiary of migration out of Florida. The Peach State gained 51,020 new residents from its southern neighbor.