3 young residents share what it’s like living in Florida

Despite the hurricanes, gators and humidity, Americans keep moving to Florida.

The state’s population saw the second-largest numerical increase from 2023 to 2024 and grew at the fastest rate of any state in the country, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. 

The Sunshine State has long held a reputation for being affordable, mild in climate and full of fun for all ages. Some of those factors have helped it become a top choice for retirees. Florida has one of the oldest populations in the country with nearly 22% of the state’s residents aged 65 years and older, compared with just 17% of the national population, according to Census Bureau data.

Young people are increasingly calling Florida home, too. The state saw the largest net increase of young high-earners in 2022, according to a SmartAsset analysis of the most recent Internal Revenue Service data. Nearly 1,800 millennial-headed households earning at least $200,000 a year moved into the state in 2022. 

“I’ve gotten to do a lot of fun things and live a different life than I was living in New York,” Chabely Rodriguez told CNBC Make It in 2023, while the 29-year-old was living in Tampa, Florida and earning over $210,000 a year. “[I] have a lot more space and have my money go a lot farther and enjoy life a little bit more down South.”

Here’s a glimpse of what life is like for young Americans living in Florida.

Liz White moved to Naples, Florida from Philadelphia in 2021 when she was 31-years-old. Not only did she move from a relatively young city — Philadelphia has a median age of just under 36, compared to Naple’s median of just under 68 years old, per Census data — but she also moved into an actual retirement community. 

Her rent stayed roughly the same at about $2,000 a month, but she got more space in her 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment in Naples, White told CNBC Make It. Her parents wound up buying the apartment and allowed White to live there full-time. They stay with her when they’re in town.

“The rules can be a lot, but I just love the slower pace of life here,” White said of living in the community in 2022. “Being able to park and not have to fight for street parking is awesome.”

In addition to making friends with her older neighbors, White has found local peers who are closer to her own age.

“Because the area here is so much older, many of us young people just naturally seek each other out,” she said earlier this year. 

Living in a pretty retirement-centric area has been worth it, though: “I feel like everyone waits to get to a point where they retire by the beach, and I’m doing that while still working a full-time job,” White said. “It’s like I have the best of both worlds.” 

A Pittsburgh native, Brooklyn Karasack moved to Florida in 2019 to be closer to her then-boyfriend. Though she didn’t stay with him, she loved living in Florida and decided to make a home for herself in St. Petersburg. 

Karasack now owns a condo and continues to enjoy her life in the Sunshine State working as an internal audit manager and making her own clothes in her free time. The 27-year-old’s $108,000 a year salary plus income she makes from selling her clothes and posting them on social media is “enough money to live happily here in Florida,” she previously told Make It.

“I think my money goes a long way to afford the necessities and a lot of fun as well.” 

That fun includes thrifting items she’ll turn into unique outfits and attending music festivals with her friends. While she’s lived in Florida basically her entire adult life, Karasack says she seems to get a better deal there than her friends who live in pricier places like Denver and Chicago.

“I think my rent is definitely much lower than what they’re paying, and I think my money goes a little bit further than theirs.”

Owning her home is one example. While she has a few friends in Florida who have also purchased their homes, Karasack said her friends in those more expensive cities are mostly renting.

While the generally warm climate draws many residents to Florida, the state certainly has its share of bad weather, namely, hurricane season. While homeownership may be somewhat more attainable there, its regular hurricanes can spell high home insurance costs as well as a good chance you’ll have to deal with storm-related repairs in many parts of the state.

White’s condo in Naples flooded during Hurricane Ian in September 2022, shortly after her parents completed their purchase of the home. The family opted to renovate the condo rather than put it back up for sale and White rented another apartment for nearly a year while the family repaired their condo. It was a challenging time, but White said it brought her closer to her neighbors.

“It’s been really good to have that sense of community and have people to grow you with different perspectives in life,” she said. “It’s also made me more open to meeting new people and not sweating the small stuff.”

Karasack had to evacuate her home in St. Petersburg earlier this year during Hurricane Milton. Though her condo was fortunately undamaged, she said it was stressful being a homeowner during that time.

“The only time that I wish I’m still renting is whenever things go wrong,” she said.

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