Southeast Florida's Jewish population is growing - and getting younger

(JTA) - Picture a Jew in Miami. Is the person you're thinking of older? Perhaps a retiree from New York - complete with the accent - who lives in a condo on the beach?

According to a recent Jewish population study of Miami-Dade County, at least part of that snapshot is becoming outdated. The southeast corner of the Sunshine State is growing - and getting younger.

The new document, released Monday and titled "Jewish Miami: A 2024 Community Study," found that the Jewish population of Miami-Dade County had grown by 7 percent in the past decade, adding nearly 8,000 people for a total figure of 130,100.

That increase, the study found, is being driven by youth. While the adult population grew by 5 percent, the number of Jewish children grew by 13 percent.

The study helps quantify a Jewish boom that has burgeoned in southern Florida in recent years. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the area saw a large influx of Orthodox Jews, in line with an overall spike in Florida's population.

In that vein, the study found that South Florida's Jewish population skews more Orthodox than the rest of the U.S. Jewish population. 13 percentof Jews in the county identify as Orthodox compared to 9 percent nationally.

The study covers just Miami-Dade and does not include other heavily Jewish areas in the region, such as Palm Beach County. It was commissioned by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

"We are excited about the many areas of growth, particularly in the Central region, where so many young adults are participating in Jewish life and community," Federation CEO Scott Kaufman told the Miami Herald. He said the study "shines a light on a bright future for Jewish Miami."

But retirees looking to find a home in Miami-Dade will still have company: The study found that the county's Jewish community is older, on average, than in other states. Miami-Dade's Jewish adults have a median age of 59, compared to a median Jewish adult age of 49 nationwide.