6 FL Cities Are Among Fastest Growing In U.S. For 2023: Study

FLORIDA — Six Florida cities are among the top 20 fastest-growing cities in the United States for 2023, including the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area topping the list, according to a study from Quicken Loans.

The mortgage lending company looked at census population data while considering new residential building, gross domestic product and employment rates when compiling the list.

The following Florida cities landed in the list’s top 10 spots:

• No. 1: Cape Coral-Fort Myers
• No. 2: North Port
• No. 3: Winter Haven
• No. 5: Port St. Lucie
• No. 6: Daytona Beach
• No. 9: Palm Bay

The full top 20 list can be found here.

The list was compiled prior to Hurricane Ian devastating Florida’s Gulf Coast.

“Fort Myers ranked second overall for largest population growth, and Cape Coral wasn’t far behind in fifth place. Both cities also ranked second for new residential building permits, indicating that the cities aren’t expecting growth to slow anytime soon,” Quicken Loans wrote.

Fort Myers saw a 6.8 percent population increase between 2020 and 2021, while Cape Coral’s population grew 4.2 percent. And the region saw a 61 percent increase in single-unit residential building permits over the previous year in 2021.

Meanwhile, North Port ranked third in population growth with a 5.5 percent increase year over year.

Florida was also “by far the fastest-growing state,” according to Quicken Loans. “It’s hard to beat beautiful beaches on either coast, and residents can choose between a number of bustling cities for business or nightlife, or smaller suburbs and country towns with freshwater lakes and wetlands to explore.”