Retirees could again lead Fla. rebound \u00a0WASHINGTON \u2013 Jan. 4, 2012 \u2013 While international buyers have been heralded as the leaders of a Florida real estate rebound, a recent Census Bureau report on migration trends indicates that U.S. residents from northern climates are once again heading to Florida for retirement.\u2028\u2028Between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, Florida welcomed 256,000 new residents, or roughly 560 new Floridians each day. Texas grew by 529,000 residents, and California came in second with 438,000.\u2028\u2028In total population, Florida retained its No. 4 status, but its 19.1 million residents moved closer to bumping New York, with 19.5 million residents, from its No. 3 spot.\u2028\u2028Florida ranked No. 3 for attracting new international residents, behind only California and Texas. However, the Sunshine State ranked No. 2 in attracting residents from other U.S. states. During the 15 months of the Census study, 119,000 moved to Florida from other states, a number surpassed only by Texas\u2019 145,000 new residents.\u2028\u2028The state\u2019s growth according to the Census Bureau surpassed earlier estimates by the University of Florida\u2019s Bureau of Economic & Business Research, and Sarasota\u2019s Herald-Tribune dug a little deeper to find out why. They found that the UF study relies mainly on new electric utility hookups to judge population growth, while the Census Bureau relies largely on tax returns and Medicare data.\u2028\u2028Since the Census Bureau numbers were roughly twice UF\u2019s figures, the Medicare data may have made a difference \u2013 implying greater demand from retirees \u2013 said University of Central Florida Economist Sean Snaith. \u201cI think with the recovery of the wealth, at least through the rebound of the stock market, that has helped the flow of retirees resume,\u201d Snaith said.\u2028\u2028Source: Herald-Tribune, Dec. 21, 2011, Doug Sword\u2028\u2028\u00a9 2012 Florida Realtors\u00ae<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Retirees could again lead Fla. rebound \u00a0WASHINGTON \u2013 Jan. 4, 2012 \u2013 While international buyers have been heralded as the leaders of a Florida real estate rebound, a recent Census Bureau report on migration trends indicates that U.S. residents from … Continue reading