A new report shows that Marion County now has an estimated population of 413,951 individuals as of 2024, with nearly 40,000 new residents having moved into the county since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The preliminary estimate for Marion County’s permanent population will be presented to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners during its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, September 17.
The estimate is issued annually by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR). It provides a population estimate through the first quarter of each year.
According to the bureau, as of April 1, 2024, there are approximately 413,951 residents living in Marion County.
The report shows that approximately 335,782 of those residents live in unincorporated areas within the county.
Last year, the BEBR estimated the county’s population was around 398,552 residents through April 1, 2023.
That means an estimated 15,399 new residents have moved into Marion County over the past year. That equates to around 296 new residents every week.
According to United States Census Bureau, the county’s population as of April 1, 2020 was approximately 375,908 residents.
That means that in the four years since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marion County has grown by an estimated 38,043 individuals.
That represents an increase of more than 10%.
During Tuesday’s meeting, BEBR will request that the county confirm receipt of the estimates and advise the group as to whether or not they are “reasonably correct.”
According to county staff, the Growth Services Department has reviewed the preliminary population estimates and considers them reasonably correct.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners regularly meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 9 a.m. at the McPherson Governmental Complex (601 SE 25th Avenue, Ocala).
