July 30, 2024
The number of children under 5 years old living in large cities across the country has been declining by double digits. But not in Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale’s under 5 population has increased by 5% since 2020.
1 of 3 families new to Fort Lauderdale moved into downtown.
The DowntownFTL population has seen a 47% increase in kids under 5 since 2020.
Why This Matters for Broward’s Future:
With the School Board of Broward County currently in discussions on how to Redefine Our Schools, now is the moment to explore how Downtown’s growing population of kids and families will reshape countywide educational needs for generations to come.
Where are the Kids and Families?
A new analysis by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) reveals that from 2020 to 2023, the number of young children living in urban centers like New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Francisco declined by double digits.
EIG reports that “most counties across the country are home to a declining number of young kids, with profound consequences for school systems and long-term population growth prospects.”
“In 2023, 58 percent of all counties in the U.S. experienced declines in their under-five populations. Since April 2020, two-thirds of all counties’ under-five populations have shrunk.”
South Florida is not immune from this trend despite our region’s growth. Both Miami-Dade and Broward averaging a 5% decline in the under 5 population between 2020 and 2023 according to EIG.
Forever Young in FTL:
Broward County’s growth from 1980 to 2020 was spurred by the growing population of families moving into western Broward. Parents increasingly sought out suburban communities so their kids could attend new, high-quality schools.
But now and into the future, countywide growth is sustained by more dense neighborhoods in and around Downtown Fort Lauderdale.
The city of Fort Lauderdale, driven by the evolution of its downtown, is one of biggest exceptions to the trend of young families moving away from urban centers.
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