Florida surpasses NY as 3rd most populous state

Americans are flocking to the sunshine state.

Florida has surpassed New York to become the third most populous American state, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday. Florida's population reached 19.9 million after surging by 293,000, or 803 residents per day, between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014.

Miami Beach, Florida.

FotoMak | iStock | Getty Images

It now trails only California and Texas, which have populations of 38.8 million and 26.9 million, respectively. New York sits fourth at 19.7 million.

Read MoreGermans must make more babies: IFO

North Dakota grew the fastest in that period with a 2.16 percent increase, followed by Nevada at 1.71 percent. The nationwide population climbed by 2.4 million to 318.9 million, a .75 percent increase.

The Census Bureau said it will release 2014 population and demographic estimates throughout 2015.