The population of Florida increased by 2,736,877 from 2010 to 2020, a gain of 14.6 percent, according to new data released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Only three states declined in population during that time period, the Census Bureau reported. Among them, Mississippi lost 6,018 for a decline of 0.2 percent, while West Virginia’s population dropped 59,278, or 3.2 percent, the study found. 

Puerto Rico, meanwhile, lost 11.8 percent of its population over that decade, a share that amounted to nearly 440,000 people, the Census Bureau said.

The Florida population as of 2020 stood at 21,538,187, compared to 18,801,310 a decade earlier, the federal agency reported. 

Nationwide, the population grew by 7.4 percent, with the South and West growing faster than other U.S. regions. That represented the slowest decade-long population growth since the Great Depression during the 1930s, according to the preliminary analysis of 2020 census figures.

Texas had the biggest numerical growth over that period, the study said. And the state with the fastest-growing population was Utah, whose residents increased by 18.4 percent over the 10-year period.

This article was originally posted on Florida recorded a 14.6% gain in population over past decade, federal data shows