A Closer Look at Migration into South Florida
- DowntownFTL
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
December 3, 2025
A new report from the Miami Association of Realtors offers a nuanced look at migration patterns into Greater Fort Lauderdale and the entire South Florida region.
South Florida continues to attract a steady stream of newcomers, even as overall migration levels have cooled from their pandemic peak. 55% percent of all out-of-state movers still come from New York City and its surrounding suburbs, maintaining Greater Fort Lauderdale's strongest and most consistent pipeline.
At the same time, California is emerging as a fast-growing source of new Broward County residents. The report shows that 22% of all out-of-state movers now arrive from the Los Angeles or San Diego areas, signaling a notable west-to-east shift driven by affordability challenges and the appeal of the Lauderdale lifestyle.
Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s momentum is being powered by a steady influx of young families who are increasingly choosing to plant long-term roots in the urban core. Young families with children continue to be the fastest-growing demographic in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, with the urban core setting the pace for the entire county. In fact, 55% of all new movers to Broward are under the age of 44, underscoring the area’s growing appeal among early-career professionals and young households.
While overall migration to South Florida has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the pipeline of new downtown residents continues to remain strong with the Fort Lauderdale DDA and Colliers International projecting that Fort Lauderdale’s urban core population will increase by 26% by 2030, equivalent to one-third of Broward County’s overall growth in the next five years. 1 in 3 new Broward residents will move into downtown over the next four years.
With national headlines once again zeroing in on the New York–to–South Florida migration pipeline, the latest figures offer a clearer picture of how the trend is evolving and will continue to be tracked in the months ahead.