Villages fastest-growing MSA in the nation

Debbie and Gary Forney may be retired, but they’re as busy as ever living in The Villages. Debbie takes part in cardio drumming five days a week, and Gary regularly bikes more than 100 miles a week. The Village of Fenney couple also often spends their nights enjoying entertainment offered at the town centers or with the friends they’ve made in the community. The opportunities in The Villages were a driving force behind the Forney’s decision to make the move south from Cincinnati.

“We chose The Villages because of all the activities,” Debbie said. “There are so many opportunities to just try doing different things.”

People like the Forneys are the reason The Villages is once again the fastest-growing metropolitan statistical area in the United States, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. The Villages MSA’s population grew 16.8% from 2020 to 2023, and Sumter County is the 12th fastest growing county in the nation.

Social enrichment opportunities help account for The Villages’ popularity as a world-class destination for retirees, said John Rohan, director of The Villages Recreation & Parks Department.

“Our residents know that this community is master-planned, with great infrastructure,” he said. “We offer world-class amenities, and The Villages is self-contained, clean, safe and friendly.”

The sense of community and convenience of living in The Villages also are major draws.

“The Villages is vibrant and full of life,” Rohan said. “The people moving here know about the quality and high standard of living they’re going to experience living here.”

Neither the county nor the MSA’s standings were a surprise for Stefan Rayer, population program director for the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Florida.

“Our own population estimates … also showed high growth for the county since 2020,” he said. “Both estimates clearly show (Sumter County) is growing strongly.”

Domestic migration accounts for much of the flow of people moving to The Villages, Rayer said.

“The majority of migrants come from other states, in particular the larger states in the Northeast and Midwest, as well as California and Texas,” he said.

Around 21,000 people moved to The Villages area from 2020 to 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The figure accounts for the metropolitan statistical area that includes all of Sumter County, but not the parts of The Villages in Lake and Marion counties.

BEBR’s demographers forecast The Villages will see another 36% population increase in the next decade.

And The Villages isn’t the only area in Florida that’s growing quickly. In fact, Florida had four of the five fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country from 2022 to 2023.

While The Villages came in at No. 1 in the year-over-year analysis, the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area was the second fastest growing in the country, followed by the Ocala MSA at No. 4 and the Port St. Lucie MSA at No. 5. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, metropolitan area was the third fastest growing.

This increase in population is an important source of growth for both the local and state economies, said Sean Snaith, a University of Central Florida professor of economics and director of the UCF Institute for Economic Forecasting.

“It affects the local economy tremendously,” he said. “There’s an increased demand for housing, medical care, financial services and more.”

Heightened demand for these necessities creates jobs in the region, with those jobs then driving consumers to the area, Snaith said.

The growth of the area and the amenities that come with it helped create what the Forneys wanted in a destination community.

“You can just always stay active and stay busy,” Debbie said. “We wouldn’t be able to do this without The Villages.”

Senior Analyst Mia Stephens can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5357, or mia.stephens@thevillagesmedia.com.