Miami-Dade Population 2021
The Miami-Dade County population is 2,693,117 (US Census Bureau Data 2015). This makes Miami-Dade the largest county in Florida by population, and the 7th largest county in the US.
Miami-Dade County is located on the coast, at the South-East tip of Florida. Despite being home to a grand total of 34 incorporated cities including Miami, the largest city in the county, Miami-Dade is only the fourth most densely populated county in Florida.
Largest cities in Miami-Dade County
Miami is the largest city in Miami-Dade County. It is also the second most populous city in Florida (click here to see a full list of Florida cities by population) and the 44th most populous city in the United States. Latest estimates from the US Census Bureau (2015) put the population of Miami at 441,003 people.
In total, there are 34 incorporated cities in the county of Miami-Dade. Only three have a population of more than 100,000 people – Miami (441,003), Hialeah (237,069) and Miami Gardens (113,187).
There are five other Miami-Dade cities with a population of more than 50,000 people – Miami Beach (92,312), Homestead (60,512) and North Miami (62,435), Doral (56,035) and Coral Gables (51,117).
| City | Population (2015) |
| Miami | 441,003 |
| Hialeah | 237,069 |
| Miami Gardens | 113,187 |
| Miami Beach | 92,312 |
| Homestead | 60,512 |
| North Miami | 62,435 |
| Doral | 56,035 |
| Coral Gables | 51,117 |
Source: US Census Bureau American Fact Finder 2015.
Ethnicity / Race in Miami-Dade County
Unsurprisingly for a city so close to Cuba, Hispanic or Latino is the largest single ethnic or racial group in Miami-Dade. As of 1 July 2015, 66.8% of residents are reported to be Hispanic or Latino.
The second largest group in Miami-Dade is Black or African American (18.7%), followed by White non-Hispanic (14.4%). The percentage share of population for each of these groups is falling.
More than half (54%) of Latinos in Miami are Cuban-Americans. A further 13% are from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic or Mexico and the remaining 32% are from elsewhere in Central or South America.
More than half (52%) of the people who live in Miami-Dade were born outside of the USA.
Miami-Dade languages
Because of its high Hispanic and Latino population, almost two thirds of the population speaks Spanish as their mother tongue.
Census data from 2010 shows that 63.8% of people in Miami-Dade speak Spanish as their primary language, 28.1% speak English and 4.2% speak French Creole.
Of those people in Miami-Dade whose first language is Spanish, more than half are not fluent in English. Almost all of the county’s English speakers are fluent only in English.
Economy and Income
Per capita income in Miami-Dade County is $22,957. This is lower than the US average of $27,334, and places Miami-Dade 33rd out of 67 in the Florida state rankings.
Data on household income (2013) shows that each household earned on average $41,913. This puts Miami-Dade 242nd out of 263 US counties with a population of more than 250,000 people. Almost two-thirds of households earned less than a living income, demonstrating that poverty is an important issue in the county.
Miami-Dade County Population Density
Miami Dade is the third largest county in Florida by area, and the fourth most densely populated.
The county’s total area is 2,431 square miles (6,296 km²). This means that, as of 2015, 1,378.9 people live in each square mile – that’s 532 people per km².
MIami-Dade County Population Growth
Miami-Dade was founded (as Dade County) in 1840 and, almost immediately its population of 446 began to shrink. Between 1840 and 1860 it fell to just 83 people. This drop in the Miami-Dade County population is probably due in part to the ongoing conflict between the US Army and the Seminoles, known as the Seminole Wars, which were fought between 1816 and 1858.
Since then, however, growth has been steady – as high as 475% per decade in the late 19th century. Today growth hovers between 10-20% per decade.
The table below details the population of Miami-Dade county at the time of each US census.
| Census Year | Population | Percentage change |
| 1840 | 446 | n/a |
| 1850 | 159 | -64.3% |
| 1860 | 83 | -47.8% |
| 1870 | 85 | 2.4% |
| 1880 | 257 | 202.4% |
| 1890 | 861 | 235.0% |
| 1900 | 4,955 | 475.5% |
| 1910 | 11,933 | 140.8% |
| 1920 | 47,753 | 258.3% |
| 1930 | 149,955 | 234.4% |
| 1940 | 267,739 | 87.3% |
| 1950 | 495,084 | 84.9% |
| 1960 | 935,047 | 88.9% |
| 1970 | 1,267,792 | 35.6% |
| 1980 | 1,625,871 | 28.2% |
| 1990 | 1,937,094 | 19.1% |
| 2000 | 2,253,362 | 16.3% |
| 2010 | 2,496,435 | 10.8% |
Sources and Further Reading
Unless otherwise noted, data in this article about how many people live in Miami-Dade County comes from the US Census Bureau. Other resources we recommend are the Miami Dade government’s Regulatory and Economic Resources page and Miami Dade Matters, which is provided by the Health Council of South Florida.