Evaluation of Population Estimates in Florida: April 1, 2010

The Bureau of Economic and Business Research Population Program, under contract with the Florida Legislature, has made population estimates for all cities and counties in Florida each year since 1972. These estimates are used for a wide variety of purposes by businesses, research analyst, and state and local governments. Furthermore, they are used for allocating more than $2 billion each year to city and county governments through Florida's revenue-sharing programs. Given their many uses, it is essential to evaluate the accuracy of these estimates. In this report, members of the BEBR Population Program describe the methodology used for making state and local population estimates and evaluate the accuracy of the estimates.