Florida tops New York.

• Position: Start Spreadin' the News - Florida has overtaken New York as the third most populous state - Brief article

Florida has overtaken New York as the third most populous state, thanks in part to brutal winters up north and an improving jobs market in the Sunshine State. California and Texas maintained their first and second places. Other Sun Belt states also felt the love: Census data show the 10 fastest-growing states were in the South or West, with the exception of oil-rich North Dakota.

19.9 million

Florida's 2014 population. New York's was 19.7 million.

803

Average number of residents Florida added daily.

No. 1

California's rank by population--38.8 million--followed by Texas at 27 million.

2.2%

Population increase in North Dakota, the fastest-growing state. The next-biggest booms were in Nevada and Texas, which both saw 1.7 percent growth.

451,321

Number of people Texas gained, the largest numeric increase of any state, followed by California, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Washington, Colorado, South Carolina...