Florida passes New York on list of populous states
Florida has become the third-most populous state, leapfrogging New York in the latest U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates.
Florida”™s population grew by 803 residents each day between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, according to bureau estimates. That state”™s population grew by 293,000 to 19.9 million, while New York added only 51,000 during that time.
The Empire State”™s estimated population is 19.7 million and an Associated Press analysis this year estimated that 10 percent of Florida”™s new residents are former New Yorkers.
California and Texas remain the largest and second-largest states by population, respectively, with an estimated 38.8 million residents in California and 26.9 million residents in Texas. Illinois, the fifth-most populous state, has a long way to go to catch up to New York, with a population of 12.8 million.
Overall, the country”™s population increased by 2.4 million to 318.9 million. The fastest-growing state over the last year was North Dakota, which saw a 2.2 percent growth. Six states lost population in that same span, including Vermont and Connecticut, which lost an estimated 293 resident and 2,664 residents during the year.