Co-written with AI assisted search.
Florida sees a high percentage of home buyers aged 60 or older—typically ranging from 25% to 35% annually since 2000, with peaks above 40% in some years. This reflects its appeal as a retirement and relocation destination for older adults.
Historically, about 20+/-% of home buyers, nationally, are age 60 or older. This reflects a combination of moving – or downsizing – for retirement. Estimates are that up 8-12% of retirees move each year, and up to 20-30% of all retirees move between age 65 and 70.
Reasons for moves include downsizing, moving to better weather, moving to be closer to family members, or to reduce expenses.
Because the “peak” of the Baby Boom (peaked in about 1960) is now retiring +/- 2025, there has been a large increase in the number of older adults moving to Florida. Couple that with the effects of Covid restrictions, at the beginning of the period, and perhaps even more older adults are now buying homes in Florida.
Florida Home Buyers Age 60+ (2000–2025)
While exact year-by-year data is limited, aggregated reports from the National Association of REALTORS® and Florida Realtors show:
- 2000s:
- Roughly 25–30% of buyers were age 60+
- Driven by early Baby Boomers entering retirement
- 2010s:
- Share rose to 30–35%, especially post-2008 housing crash
- Florida’s affordability and climate attracted downsizers and second-home buyers
- 2020–2023:
- 35–40% of buyers were age 60+
- Pandemic-era migration and remote work accelerated retiree relocations
- In 2023, 38% of Florida buyers were age 60 or older, compared to 27% nationally
- 2024–2025 (estimates):
- Holding steady around 35–38%, with slight regional variation
- Coastal and suburban counties show higher concentrations of older buyers
Generational Breakdown (Recent Years)
| Age Group | % of Florida Buyers (2023) |
|---|---|
| 60–69 | 24% |
| 70+ | 14% |
| Combined 60+ | 38% |
| National Average | 27% |
Source: Florida Realtors 2023 Home Buyer Profile
Why Florida Attracts Older Buyers
- Climate and lifestyle: Mild winters, coastal living, and recreation
- Tax advantages: No state income tax, favorable estate and retirement tax treatment
- Healthcare access: Dense network of hospitals and specialists
- Housing stock: Abundant single-level homes, condos, and retirement communities
Generation Bashing
The media and social media have accused older adults of “hoarding” family homes; in fact, those age 65+ are already living in smaller homes than younger generations.
These accusations have turned social media into a forum for “generation bashing” – it’s the boomer’s fault or Gen Z is lazy, etc.
In real life, every Gen Z I’ve met seems to be intelligent and hardworking.
But social media seems to attract dysfunctional people that blame everyone else when their wants du jour are not met immediately – it’s always someone else’s fault on social media. The subset of Gen Z that posts on social media seems to lack historical context and are typically making untrue assertions about the past and about other generations.
Back in the real world, real Gen Z is doing good things! In the real world, the Gen Z I know are smart and hardworking.
Furthermore, a reminder – “Baby Boom” is the only US Census designated “generation” label. All others were defined by the media, primarily The Pew Research Center. While a “generation” is typically 20 years, those definitions randomly define generations anywhere from 13 to 27 years! The original intent of “generation labels” – to identify common attributes for marketing purposes – did not work out, and in recognition that today they are used more for divisiveness, Pew is moving away from using the labels. Unfortunately, everyone else is using them, mostly to hate on each other.
