Half of Puerto Rican residents surveyed in Central Florida say they've thought about packing up and moving back to the island, a striking jump from past years, as grocery bills, gas prices and housing costs squeeze household budgets across Orange County. The trend marks a potential reversal for a region that has spent nearly a decade absorbing one of the largest waves of island-to-mainland migration in U.S. history.
The finding comes from a University of Central Florida primary election exit poll, which found that economic issues and cost of living were the top concerns for Orange County voters across party lines, as reported by WFTV. Voters listed groceries, gas, housing and schools as their primary financial burdens, according to the same survey. The poll highlighted economic issues and everyday concerns among voters across party lines.
Rivera said economic pressure influences where residents choose to live, and that Puerto Ricans might return to the island if opportunities remain unavailable in Florida or elsewhere in the United States. UCF's survey work has tracked this sentiment over time: previous polling recorded 6% of respondents as very likely to return to Puerto Rico, then 19% in a later round, with 28% eventually answering yes when asked about returning. The latest survey found that half of respondents had considered moving back.
Why Orlando's Cost Squeeze Is Hitting So Hard
The numbers behind that frustration are steep. Median apartment rent across Orlando now sits at $1,529 a month, with two-bedroom units averaging $1,619, roughly 10% above the national median, according to Apartment List. Meanwhile, average renter wages in Florida hover around just $24 an hour, a gap the National Low Income Housing Coalition says leaves service and hospitality workers straining to keep up with rent, as detailed by the report cited in Orlando Weekly.
Florida is home to the largest Puerto Rican population of any U.S. state, an estimated 1.3 million residents, with between 500,000 and 550,000 concentrated in the Orlando-Kissimmee metro area, per the Hope Research Group. Central Florida surpassed New York as the primary mainland destination for Puerto Ricans following Hurricane Maria in 2017, cementing the region's status as the community's demographic and economic hub. Rivera has questioned whether Central Florida can continue sustaining that growth, even as the area's Hispanic population — still primarily Puerto Rican — has also seen expansion among Venezuelan, Colombian and Brazilian communities.
A Wider Pattern of Return Migration
Central Florida's cost anxieties echo a broader trend already showing up in federal data. In 2024, roughly 38,300 residents moved from Puerto Rico to a U.S. state, while about 24,500 people moved to the island from elsewhere in the country, leaving a net island migration loss of 13,800 people, according to USAFacts. In 2024, more people moved from Puerto Rico to a U.S. state than moved to the island.
Moving back to the island isn't a simple cost fix, however. The decision involves trade-offs, and family needs and personal concerns can draw people back despite them; interest in returning alone does not predict long-term migration trends.
Puerto Rico's Own Push to Win Residents Back
The interest in return migration arrives as island officials grapple with their own demographic crisis. A January 2025 report from the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico discussed declining and aging population trends linked to out-migration and decreasing birthrates.
The stakes for Puerto Rico's population are significant. Puerto Rico has experienced out-migration, and the phaseout of Section 936 tax exemptions, which had once anchored manufacturing jobs on the island, affected the island's economy. Puerto Ricans live both across the 50 U.S. states and on the island. Whether Central Florida's cost pressures translate into a meaningful change in migration patterns remains uncertain.
