Gulf Coast growth to outpace state

State population experts predict the population of the Gulf Coast from Pasco to Collier counties will grow from the 2010 Census figure of roughly 4.4 million to more than 6.3 million by 2040, though the rate of growth will steadily decelerate.

That growth of 1.9 million represents a 42.8% increase, topping the state's 38.7% population growth rate projected for the next 30-year period. The Gulf Coast's share of the state's population will move up from 23.5% of Florida's 2010 population of 18.8 million to 26% of 26.1 million by 2040. The state grew by 2.8 million residents during the past decade, an increase of 17.6%.

Population analysts at the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, or BEBR, project that Hillsborough County's population will grow the most of the eight Gulf Coast counties. They predict a rise of 607,474 during the course of the next three decades. That figure also makes the county the third-biggest gainer behind Orange County, up 669,544; and Miami-Dade, up 653,765.