Where are Manatee County transplants moving here from? Report has answers
New Yorkers led migrations into Manatee County in 2025, according to a recent report based on state data.
The report details driver’s license exchanges, which track when new Florida residents secure a Florida license after moving. New residents have 30 days to obtain a Florida driver’s license to drive on Florida roads, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which tracks the origin state and destination county of migrating driver license applicants.
While the data does not differentiate between buyers and renters, they provide a migration pattern, the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee said in a news release. The organization tracked the 2025 numbers and compared it to the average annual totals from pre-pandemic years of 2016 to 2019.
How many have come to Manatee County?
A total of 1,332 driver’s license exchanges in Manatee County listed New York as the origin state, which represented a 59% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.
It was also the first time since 2022 that a state topped the list. People coming from U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico or Guam, or other countries ranked first in 2024 and 2023, according to the news release.
More than 1,200 exchanges came from territories or other countries, which is more than double pre-pandemic annual averages.
After New York, the top states migrating to Manatee County were New Jersey, with 775 exchanges; Illinois, with 699 and Pennsylvania with 662.
Which states saw the biggest migration growth to the area?
Three Western states were also among the largest migration growth, the release said.
People from Washington, Idaho and Utah moving to Manatee County more than doubled in 2025 compared to pre-pandemic years.
Washington had the highest growth rate with a 115% increase.
California exchanges rose more than 65% in Manatee County, the release said, with a total of 526 in 2025.
“These numbers confirm what realtors see every day in the field,” 2026 RASM president David Crawford said in a news release. “People are still choosing this region for its quality of life, climate and long-term value. Migration is no longer limited to a few feeder states. We are attracting new residents from nearly every corner of the country.”
