Is Miami-Dade's Jewish population growing? A major new survey has the answer

MIAMI — The Jewish population in Miami-Dade County has grown by 25% over the last ten years, according to a new study from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. That growth can be largely attributed to a crop of mostly young under-40 newcomers.

Those are some of the findings from a once-a-decade population survey, called Jewish Miami: A 2024 Community Study, conducted by the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, using data collected from over 2,600 Jewish households across the county in 2024.

The survey offers a detailed portrait of a diverse and evolving Jewish community and its religious beliefs, political identities and migration patterns.

“Miami’s Jewish community is changing every day,” said Robert Gilbert, chair of the 2024 Community Study. Gilbert said as someone who grew up in Miami, he welcomes newcomers who “bring many great things to our community, including new ideas that can benefit us all.”

It’s a growing community. Miami-Dade is now home to some 69,700 Jewish households, a 25% increase from 2014. In overall numbers, the population makes up 5% of Miami-Dade County, which is much higher than the national average of about 2%. It’s also a population that skews older — with the median age of 59 compared to 49 nationally.

‘Many areas of growth’

One finding may be surprising. While Miami Beach, once a retirement haven and home to the evocative Holocaust Memorial, has long been considered the cultural center of the community, the population is actually higher in other areas.

North Miami-Dade is home to the largest number of Jewish households, with 33%, and overall population at 39%. A third of those residents are 17 or younger and 37% of the Jewish adults in North Dade are new to Miami. South Dade came in close second with 32% of all of Jewish households and 29% of Jewish individuals residing there.

The third largest concentration of households and individuals, with 20 and 18%, live in what the survey calls the Beaches. Central Miami-Dade is not far behind with 16% of households and 13% of Jewish individuals, with the largest age groups being 18-34 (22%) and 50-64 (20%).

“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,” said Scott Kaufman, Federation president and CEO. He said the study “shines a light on a bright future for Jewish Miami.”

The study also found that Jews new to Miami over the decade, who make up a quarter of Jewish adults, are mostly under the age of 40 — 52% compared to 25% of all Miami Jewish adults. Just over a quarter of those newcomers moved from New York, and 17% moved from Latin America.

Another interesting finding is that Miami’s Jewish community — much like the larger Miami population — is one of the most internationally diverse in the U.S. 45% of households include at least one adult born outside of the United States, according to the study, with 24% identifying as a part of the Latin American Jewish community. 23% include someone who considers themselves Israeli-American and 6% are Russian-speaking.

“Jewish Miami: A 2024 Community Study provides us with so many reasons to be Jewish Miami Proud,” said Lily Serviansky, chair of the Federation board. “Yet, as our community continues to grow and change, we must be proactive in our planning and investment in communal resources that will ensure a vibrant, inclusive and resilient Jewish future.”

On the topic of religious beliefs, Miami has a higher percentage of Jews who identify as Orthodox, 13% compared to 9% nationally according to the study. Jews who identify as Reform make up 31%, while 23% are Conservative Jews. 25% do not identify with any denomination.

Regardless of where they fall on the religious spectrum, a large portion of Jewish adults in Miami engage in some type of Jewish ritual or community — whether that’s through synagogue membership or holiday celebrations or organizations. And 47% of Miami Jewish adults say that being Jewish is a core part of their daily life, which is nearly double the national rate. For example, 81% of Jewish adults say they attend or hold a Passover seder and 73% have a mezuzah on their front door.

“The study presents a picture of a strong and highly engaged Jewish community,” said Dr. Janet Krasner Aronson, asssociate director of CMJS at Brandeis University and principal investigator for the study.

Politics, LGBTQ groups and views on Israel

On the subject of politics, Jewish community in Miami is fairly divided across political viewpoints, but has a higher number of conservative Jews than the national average. Some 35% of Miami Jewish adults identify as liberal, compared to 50% nationally; 34% identify as moderate, compared to 32% nationally and 32% as conservative, compared to 15% nationally.

On sexual orientation, 7% of Miami Jewish adults identify as LGBTQ+, 12% of households include someone who is LGBTQ+ and 7% of households include a transgender individual.

The study also measured more nuanced topics, like concerns about antisemitism, connections to the larger Jewish community and to Israel.

The study found that the Jewish population in Miami has the strongest connection to Israel when compared to national averages, with higher travel rates, engagement and philanthropic support.

For example, 95% of Jewish adults engaged in some Israel-related activity after Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and 71% have traveled to Israel at some point, which is significantly higher than the national average of 45%.

The study asked detailed questions about views on Israel and found that 77% of Jewish adults in Miami consider caring about Israel as “essential” to their Jewish identity. That’s higher when compared to the national number of 45%, which comes from Pew Research Center’s 2020 study “Jewish Americans in 2020.”

The majority of Jewish adults in Miami (85%) strongly agree in Israel’s right “to exist as a refuge for the Jewish people, now and in the future.”

Seventy-four percent of Jewish adults agree in some capacity that “American Jews have the right to criticize Israel’s government or its policies,” while 88% agree that they often “see or hear criticism of Israel” that they consider to be “inaccurate or unfair.”

On the topic of antisemitism, 45% of Jewish adults are very concerned, with the older population more concerned than young adults. Nearly one in three Jewish adults (29%) has personally experienced an antisemitic incident in the past year with the vast majority being online remarks, according to the study.

The Jewish community in Miami also tends to be insular, according to the survey, with a higher connection to Jewish social networks and organized Jewish activities than the national average. Fifty-seven percent of Jewish adults, for example, say most or all of their friends are Jewish, nearly double the 29% national average. 30% belong to a Jewish organization or informal group (excluding synagogues) compared to 20% nationally.