Texas Is the Big Winner in Recession Migration

In the race for largest population growth over the last decade, Texas has won out over Florida. Prior to the recession, Florida was expected to be the biggest population gainer, but Texas' late addition of jobs helped it to pull ahead. Between July 2005 and July 2009, the Lone Star State added 648,600 nonfarm jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the collapse of the construction industry cut jobs in the Sunshine State. More recently, as the recession took hold and people cut back on travel, Florida's service industry has lost jobs as well.