Florida continues to attract newcomers
More than 200,000 people transferred out-of-state driver’s licenses to Florida in the first half of 2026, the highest first-half total since 2023. New York sent the most newcomers, while Miami-Dade drew the largest number.
People are still moving to Florida in large numbers, and new driver’s license data shows the pace picked up in the first half of 2026.
More than 200,000 people transferred licenses from other states to Florida during the first six months of the year, the highest first-half total since 2023, according to Florida driver’s license data shared with USA Today Network publications by Florida Realtors®.
New York sent the most license transfers to Florida, with 23,436, followed by Georgia, New Jersey, California and Texas.
Miami-Dade County drew the largest number of newcomers, with 13,206 license transfers, followed closely by Palm Beach County at 12,794. Hillsborough, Orange, Broward and Lee counties also each recorded more than 10,000.
Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Brad O’Connor said the license data is particularly useful because it provides a faster look at migration than other government sources.
“It is not as comprehensive as let's say what the Census Bureau might put out, but the reason why we use this is because it's in near real-time,” O’Connor said.
The numbers have limitations. They do not show how many Floridians switched licenses after moving to another state, and they exclude newcomers who do not drive as well as international arrivals.
Still, the first-half total is higher than in 2024 and 2025 and remains above pre-pandemic levels. Florida recorded 173,047 out-of-state license transfers in the first half of 2019.
The current pace remains below the pandemic-era peak. Transfers reached 215,412 in the first half of 2021 and 243,421 in the same period of 2022.
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