Florida dominated the list of fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States from 2022 to 2023, with four out of the top five spots.

The area including The Villages and Wildwood saw the highest growth rate at 4.7%, followed by the Lakeland and Winter Haven metro areas at 3.8%. Ocala ranked fourth with a growth rate of 3.4%, while the Port St. Lucie area came in fifth at 3.1%. The only area outside of Florida in the top five was the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area, with a growth rate of 3.7%.

This trend reflects a broader pattern of population growth across the South, the fastest-growing region in the country. All of the top 10 fastest-growing U.S. metro areas from 2022 to 2023 were located in the South, building on a trend observed the previous year when eight out of the top 10 fastest-growing metro areas were in the South.

(source: floridatrend.com, picture: Ryan Parker)