Here are several rankings showing the top ten Florida counties in terms of several indicators related to housing, based on charts published online by the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse. Population, median income, homeownership rate and the like are factors that influence the performance of the Florida real estate market and the direction of the larger residential construction industry.
Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located, is in most of these rankings. The Tampa Bay region has been showing growth rates faster than most other counties. As of last year, it was fourth in population, and in 2040, it is expected to become the third most populated county, behind only Miami-Dade and Broward and surpassing Palm Beach County.
Five counties have surpassed the seven-digit mark in population.
Ten Most Populated Florida Counties as of 2012
| 1 Miami-Dade County | 2,551,302 |
| 2 Broward County | 1,771,104 |
| 3 Palm Beach County | 1,335,413 |
| 4 Hillsborough County | 1,256,116 |
| 5 Orange County | 1,175,937 |
| 6 Pinellas County | 920,373 |
| 7 Duval County | 869,731 |
| 8 Lee County | 638,029 |
| 9 Polk County | 606,877 |
| 10 Brevard County | 545,625 |
Ten Counties Projected to be the Most Populated Florida Counties in 2040
| 1 Miami-Dade County | 3,179,655 |
| 2 Broward County | 1,946,402 |
| 3 Hillsborough County | 1,836,796 |
| 4 Orange County | 1,814,097 |
| 5 Palm Beach County | 1,769,493 |
| 6 Lee County | 1,077,301 |
| 7 Duval County | 1,071,597 |
| 8 Polk County | 918,100 |
| 9 Pinellas County | 908,712 |
| 10 Pasco County | 754,303 |
Top Ten Florida Counties in Number of Households as of 2009
| 1 Miami-Dade County | 859,953 |
| 2 Broward County | 706,176 |
| 3 Palm Beach County | 537,862 |
| 4 Hillsborough County | 471,336 |
| 5 Pinellas County | 421,562 |
| 6 Orange County | 416,755 |
| 7 Duval County | 361,751 |
| 8 Lee County | 259,258 |
| 9 Brevard County | 238,859 |
| 10 Polk County | 228,362 |
Based on median income for a family of four as of 2012, as estimated by the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Collier and Monroe posted the two highest medians.
Ten Counties with the Highest Median Income as Estimated by the HUD
| 1 Collier | $72,800 |
| 2 Monroe | $72,400 |
| 3 Okaloosa | $68,400 |
| 4 Nassau | $67,300 |
| 5 Clay | $67,300 |
| 6 St. Johns | $67,300 |
| 7 Duval | $67,300 |
| 8 Wakulla | $66,000 |
| 9 Gadsden | $64,300 |
| 10 Leon | $64,300 |
Median Income in Some Highly Populated Counties
| 21st | Orange | $58,200 |
| 32nd | Pasco | $56,400 |
| 33rd | Pinellas | $ 56,400 |
| 34th | Hillsborough | $ 56,400 |
| 42nd | Miami-Dade | $ 52,600 |
Hillsborough County was in the middle of the ranking of the top ten counties. The same with the other highly populated counties, namely Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Pasco.