Among the larger states, the two that are closest to each other in population and demographics are New York and Florida. According to the latest U.S. Census data (from July 1, 2024), the population of New York was 19,867,248, while the population of Florida was 23,372,215. More recent estimates from a source called World Population Review put New York’s 2025 population at 19,997,100 (an increase of about 130,000 on the year), and Florida’s at 23,839,600 (an increase of about 467,000 over the same year).
Yet in terms of the approach to state government — taxing, spending, and government programs overall — there could not be a greater contrast than between these two states. And that contrast only grows stronger every year.
In recent weeks the two states have finalized their budgets for the 2025-26 fiscal years. Here is New York’s Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget Briefing Book. The budget was enacted in May. The total of the budget can be found in a table on page 21: $252 billion, an increase from $243.4 billion last year. Florida’s legislature just finished work on that state’s budget this week, on June 17. The total as enacted, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, is $115.1 billion. That’s actually a decrease of about $3 billion from the current year. And it’s still subject to line item vetoes from the governor, which could reduce it still further.
So how could Florida, a state with almost 20% more people than New York, have a state budget that’s less than half the size? Doing a little arithmetic, the Florida state government spends $4,828 per person, while New York’s spends $12,602 per person, more than two and a half times as much.
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