According to annual estimates published by the University of Florida (UF) Bureau of Economic and Business Research, the city of West Palm Beach once again recorded the largest population increase in Palm Beach County since the 2020 U.S. Census, with 9,529 additional residents.
As of April 1, 2020, the U.S. Census estimated the population of West Palm Beach at 117,415, and as of April 1, 2025, the UF estimated it at 126,944, an increase of 8.1%.
For one city deputy administrator, this sustained growth highlights West Palm Beach’s assets and attracts a diverse population to its vibrant downtown every day. He told WLRN, “It’s a small city that offers the amenities of a big city. It’s certainly better to be in a phase of population growth than in the opposite situation, in decline.”
Boca Raton, the second-largest city in Palm Beach County, gained only 3,475 residents. It grew from 97,422 in 2020 (U.S. Census) to 100,897 residents in 2025 (UF), an increase of 3.6%, well behind the city of West Palm Beach.
According to Palm Beach County Zoning Director Lisa Amara, “What we have in the county is that if you build, people move in. If you don’t build, people don’t move in.” She told WLRN: “The county is cautious about adding housing, but the cities, especially the downtown areas, are going wild.”
The two other largest cities in Palm Beach County, Boynton Beach (population 82,937) and Delray Beach (population 69,038), have seen only 3.2% growth since 2020.
And even though the county’s fifth-largest city, Palm Beach Gardens, increased its population by 9.1% between 2020 and 2025, West Palm Beach experienced greater population growth than Palm Beach Gardens, gaining more residents overall. While Stet News reports that West Palm Beach gained 9,529 residents, WLRN reports that Palm Beach Gardens gained between 4,100 and 5,365 residents during the same period.
Countywide
Overall, the population of Palm Beach County has grown by 4.3% since 2020, from 1,492,191 residents to 1,556,161 in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Census and UF, an increase of nearly 64,000 residents.
Statewide
As for the state of Florida as a whole, it has experienced an overall growth of 8.2%, reaching 23.4 million residents in 2025, compared to 21.9 million in 2020. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this increase of more than 1.5 million residents makes Florida the fastest-growing state in the country during this five-year period.
Palm Beach County breaks all tourism records once again!
For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, the record number of tourists recorded in Palm Beach County stands at 10.6 million visitors. This is a significant increase compared to the previous record of 9.6 million tourists the year before. This new record year also generated a historic economic impact of $11.3 billion for Palm Beach County, and hotel revenues reached $1.32 billion, ranking it second in the Sunshine State.
