The Ethnic Composition Of The Population Of Florida

Florida is the third most populated US state with over 21 million residents. It is the eighth most densely populated state in the country with a population density of 384.3 people per sq mile. The most populous municipality in Florida is Jacksonville while the most highly populated metropolitan is Miami. Florida is ethnically diverse; although Whites makes up the largest ethnic group, the state has a large Hispanic and Black population.

Population of Florida

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the state had over 20,271,272 residents as of July 1, 2015, which was a 7.82% growth since 2010. Florida was ranked as the seventh fastest growing state in the country from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012. The population of Florida reached 19.7 million in 2014 and exceeded New York’s residents for the first time in history. Florida’s center of population (has been in Polk County since the 1960s) was between Frostproof and Fort Meade in 2010.

The state has the highest percentage of over 65-year-old individuals (17%) in the United States. About 186,102 retired military officials lived in Florida by 2008. Over 66% of the residents were born outside Florida which is the second highest in the country. About 5.7% of the residents were undocumented immigrants in 2010 which was the sixth highest in the US.

Ethnic Composition of Florida's Population

The number of White in the state increased from 75% in 2010 to 77.4% in 2017. 6.9% of the residents considered themselves to be of American ancestry in 2010 regardless of ethnicity or race. Majority of these individuals were of Scotch-Irish or English descent, and since they had lived in the state for a very long time, they considered themselves to be of American ancestry.

Over 54.1% of the population is non-Hispanic whites, and the most significant groups were Germans (12%), Irish (10.7%), English (8.8%), Italians (6.6%), Polish (2.8%), and French (2.7%). White residents of all European backgrounds live in the state, and in 1970 they made up about 70% of the population.

Over 57% of the residents below the age of one were minorities by 2011. Residents of Latino or Hispanic ancestry accounted for over 25.6% of the community, and the biggest groups included Cubans (6.5%), Puerto Ricans (4.5%), Mexicans (3.3%), and Colombians (1.6%). Florida has the highest number of African American in the country which was about 16.9% of the population in 2017. 

Languages Spoken in the State

English was affirmed as Florida’s official language in 1988, although Spanish is widely used since immigration from Latin America has continued. Over 200 first dialects are used in the state with 27% of the population being able to converse in their mother tongue. As of 2010, over 73% of Floridians could speak in English, 20% in Spanish and 2% in the Haitian Creole.