Port St. Lucie is now the eighth largest city in Florida, surpassing Fort Lauderdale, according to the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program.
With 179,413 people, the city rises from ninth place in the 2014 estimate, when it had a population of 174,110. The city grew 8.9 percent from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015.
The estimates are used in federal funding allocations.
The list of the top 10 Florida cities by population size as of July 1, 2015:
| Name |
Population Estimate (E) 2015-07-01 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | 868,031 |
| 2 | Miami | 441,003 |
| 3 | Tampa | 369,075 |
| 4 | Orlando | 270,934 |
| 5 | St. Petersburg | 257,083 |
| 6 | Hialeah | 237,069 |
| 7 | Tallahassee | 189,907 |
| 8 | Port St. Lucie | 179,413 |
| 9 | Fort Lauderdale | 178,590 |
| 10 | Cape Coral | 175,229 |
For perspective, it is interesting to note that Port St. Lucie has only 115.9 square miles of land while Jacksonville, the state's largest city by far, accounts for 747.0 square miles of land.
Why do you think Port St. Lucie is growing so quickly? Tell us in the comments below.