North Port-Sarasota tops list of U.S. cities with the greatest resident growth
SARASOTA, Fla. – North Port-Sarasota is the fastest growing U.S. city in the country, according to data released by the business and employment website LinkedIn.
Located in Southwest Florida, North Port-Sarasota grew by 107 people per 10,000 LinkedIn members over the last 12 months. The area far outpaced Tampa Bay, which held net migration of 55 people per 10,000 LinkedIn users for second place.
North Port-Sarasota is located south of Tampa. Both cities run adjacent to Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Charlotte, North Carolina, at No. 3, was the first U.S. city outside of Florida to be named. The area held a 45 net migration rate per 10,000 LinkedIn members.
Among Florida cities, Jacksonville finished slightly behind Charlotte in fourth place with 44 people per 10,000 LinkedIn users. Orlando also finished in the top 10 in ninth place with 25 people per 10,000 LinkedIn members.
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas were the only other U.S. states to join Florida in the rankings.
On the flip side, College Station-Bryan, Texas finished No.1 with 117 people lost per 10,000 LinkedIn members. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, in second place, was the only other U.S. region with a more than 100 person decrease.
While there was a significant drop off after the top-two, Gainesville with 64 people and Tallahassee with 60 finished third and fourth, respectively.
Cities in Tennessee, Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania, along with Washington, D.C. rounded out the top 10.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Florida added over 365,000 residents in 2023, the second largest increase in the country. Only Texas added more residents with over 473,000.
Furthermore, Florida finished with a 1.6% growth rate, finishing just slightly behind South Carolina for first place.
Ninety-three percent of population growth occurred in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia in 2022. A 67% growth rate also took place among those four states in 2023.
On the other end, New York dropped 102,000 residents in 2023, most in the nation. California, in second place, lost 75,000 residents.
Florida‘s Voice has reached out to Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert for comment
