In a new report, members of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) Population Program at the University of Florida investigate the accuracy of several sets of state and county population projections published by BEBR over the last 30 years.
Florida's population surged during the real estate boom when job-hunters and retirees moved into the state. That growth fed on itself as newcomers generated demand for construction, retail and other services.
Then the housing market collapsed. Florida's growth hit a jarring speed bump.
The Population Studies Program makes population estimates for counties and all incorporated cities in Florida and population projections by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin for the state and each county. These estimates and projections are used for a wide variety of planning, budgeting, and analytical purposes by state and local government agencies, businesses, research analysts, the media, and members of the general public. The links shown below provide descriptions of the data and techniques used to produce these estimates and projections.
The Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) began making population estimates for Florida and its counties in the 1950s, formally establishing the Population Program in 1972 when BEBR received the first of a continuous series of annual contracts from the State of Florida to produce the state's official city and county population estimates.
The Population Program continues to produce Florida’s official city, county, and state population estimates each year. These estimates are used for state revenue-sharing and many other planning, budgeting, and analytical purposes. The program also produces estimates of households and average household size and projections by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin for the state and each county.
