U.S. Census Bureau: Americans are moving away from large metros into smaller cities.

Southwest Florida: Tell us something we don’t know. 

The bureau confirmed what we’ve felt for the last two years—people are migrating from big cities into places such as Naples and Fort Myers during the pandemic. Perhaps we didn’t know just how big that swing was. 

Lee County was among the top 10 counties in the country in population growth from April 2020 to July 2021. Estimates put that more than 27,000 people arrived during that time. Polk County just east of Tampa saw similar growth. Overall, all but 10 Florida counties grew during the pandemic. Miami-Dade saw the greatest losses by far: Close to 39,000 people left, representing a 1.4% decline.