Business Insider falsely reports Florida saw more out-migration than California, New York in 2021

Editor’s note: Business Insider has since issued a correction, changing their headline to “We got it wrong: More people moved out of New York and California than Florida in 2021.“

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Business Insider misreported U.S. Census data surrounding migration to-and-from various states.

Florida, in recent years, has gained national attention for its strong net-migration numbers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and increasingly polarized political situations cross-regions and states.

The Sunshine State was recently reported by the U.S. Census Bureau to have the largest percent increase in population for 2022, continuing trends of a “blue state exodus.”

Referencing 2021 numbers, Business Insider falsely claimed in their report that “More people actually moved out of Florida than New York or California.”

The table they referenced recorded “State-to-State Migration Flows” for 2021, and Insider grabbed the 674,740 figure under the category “Different state of residence 1 year ago.”

However, the table actually was recording data under those columns for those with current residence in a given state – in this case, Florida.

In essence, the table is reporting that for Florida in 2021, an estimated 674,740 residents lived in a different state one year ago, before they moved to the Sunshine State.

Insider deleted the Tweet of the article after vehement online backlash. A live version of the article can be found here.

“Oof, that’s gonna be a retraction,” Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, replied to the initial tweet.

“Is this a joke?” Christina Pushaw, a member of DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign, said. In another reply, Pushaw referenced another user pointing out that Insider got the numbers reversed in their meaning.

“Business Insider journalist @NeubauerKelsey apparently does not know how to read a spreadsheet,” Pushaw said. “That figure — 674,740 — is people who moved TO Florida, not OUT OF Florida. Retraction needed.”