NOTES: The population estimates in this profile are limited to the household population and exclude the population living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters.
In the narrative profile below, if one sample estimate is larger than another, it does not necessarily mean that the same holds for their true values for the entire population. These estimates are derived from a sample of housing units and measure the true values with a degree of uncertainty. In the tabular profiles this uncertainty is represented by the 90 percent confidence interval given for each estimate. For further information on confidence intervals see the Accuracy of the Data document.
Caution should be used when comparing data by race for years before 1999 with those for 2000 due to the Census Bureau's implementation of the October 1997 revised standards for data on race and ethnicity. For the 2000 data, respondents may report one or more races and there are seven (American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, White, Some other race, and Two or more races) instead of five racial tabulation categories. The two or more races category includes all respondents who reported more than one race. See the methodology section for more details regarding these changes.
In addition, caution should be used when comparing population numbers by age, race, and sex for 2000 with all earlier years. The numbers for 2000 have been weighted to be generally consistent with Census 2000 counts.
For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, go to the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey web site www.census.gov/c2ss/www/ and click on Methodology.
POPULATION OF Florida: In 2000, Florida had a household population of 15,593,434 - 8,036,868 (52 percent) females and 7,556,566 (48 percent) males. The median age was 38.8 years. Twenty-three percent of the population were under 18 years and 17 percent were 65 years and older.
For people reporting one race, 81 percent were White; 15 percent were Black or African American; less than 0.5 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; 2 percent were Asian; less than 0.5 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 3 percent were Some other race. Two percent reported Two or more races. Seventeen percent of the people in Florida were Hispanic or Latino. Sixty-six percent of the people in Florida were not Hispanic or Latino, White alone. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race.
HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES: In 2000 there were 6,286,127 households in Florida. The average household size was 2.48 people.
Families made up 66 percent of the households in Florida that year. This figure includes both married couple families (49 percent) and other families (17 percent). Non-family households made up 34 percent of all households in Florida. Most of the non-family households were people living alone, but some were people living in households maintained by non-relatives.
NATIVITY AND LANGUAGE: Seventeen percent of the people living in Florida in 2000 were foreign born. Eighty-three percent were native, including 39 percent who were born in Florida.
Among people at least five years old living in Florida in 2000, 22 percent spoke a language other than English at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home, 71 percent spoke Spanish and 29 percent spoke some other language; 41 percent reported that they did not speak English "very well."
GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY: In 2000, 81 percent of the people at least one year old living in Florida were living in the same residence one year earlier; 11 percent had moved during the past year from another residence in the same county, 3 percent from another county in the same state, 4 percent from another state, and 1 percent from abroad.
EDUCATION: In 2000, 82 percent of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 23 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 12 percent were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school.
The total school enrollment in Florida was 3,765,781 in 2000. Preprimary school enrollment was 437,673 and elementary or high school enrollment was 2,481,552 children. College enrollment was 846,556.
DISABILITY: In Florida, among people at least five years old in 2000, 17 percent reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 7 percent of people 5 to 20 years old, to 14 percent of people 21 to 64 years old, and to 37 percent of those 65 and older.
INDUSTRIES: In 2000, for the employed population 16 years and older, the leading industries in Florida were Services, 44 percent, and Retail trade, 13 percent.
OCCUPATIONS AND TYPE OF EMPLOYER: Among the most common occupations were: Management, professional, and related occupations, 31 percent; Sales and office occupations, 29 percent; Service occupations, 17 percent; Production, transportation, and material moving occupations, 11 percent; and Construction, extraction and maintenance occupations, 10 percent. Eighty-one percent of the people employed were Private wage and salary workers; 13 percent were Federal, state, or local government workers; and 5 percent were Self-employed.
TRAVEL TO WORK: Seventy-nine percent of Florida workers drove to work alone in 2000, 12 percent carpooled, and 2 percent took public transportation. Three percent worked at home. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 24 minutes to get to work.
INCOME: The median income of households in Florida was $37,389. Seventy-five percent of the households received earnings and 20 percent received retirement income other than Social Security. Thirty-three percent of the households received Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $11,827. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.
POVERTY AND PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS: In 2000, 13 percent of persons were in poverty. Nineteen percent of related children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11 percent of people 65 years old and over. Ten percent of all families and 26 percent of families with a female householder and no husband present had incomes below the poverty level. Fifteen percent of the households in Florida received means-tested public assistance or noncash benefits.
HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS: In 2000, Florida had a total of 7,302,947 housing units, 13.9 percent of which were vacant. Of the total housing units, 58 percent were in single-unit structures, 31 percent were in multi-unit structures, and 12 percent were mobile homes. Twenty-two percent of the housing units were built since 1990.
OCCUPIED HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS: The occupied units consisted of 70 percent that were owner occupied and 30 percent that were renter occupied. There were 20,793 (0.3 percent) and 25,670 (0.4 percent) occupied units lacking plumbing and kitchen facilities, respectively. Three percent of the households did not have telephone service and 7 percent of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Multi-vehicle households were not rare. Thirty-nine percent had two vehicles and another 13 percent had three or more.
HOUSING COSTS: The median monthly housing costs for (specified) mortgaged owners was $1,006, nonmortgaged owners $294, and (specified) renters $657. Thirty-two percent of owners with mortgages, 12 percent of owners without mortgages, and 46 percent of renters in Florida spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.
