If you have noticed more traffic on the road, there’s a good reason why. Jacksonville’s population has climbed to 40th place in the U.S. according to the recently released U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Jacksonville’s population was 1,122,750 in 2000, ranking 45th, and that rose to 1,328,144 last year for 40th place. While Jacksonville’s population increased, other Florida areas saw a decline including the Daytona Beach-Ormond, Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Punta Gorda, and Cape Coral-Fort Myers areas.

The Census estimates show that older Americans moved less in 2009, slowing down the growth in Florida cities and other popular retirement destinations in Arizona, New Mexico and California. The Census Bureau population estimates, which detail 940 areas across the country, are not part of the decennial census that is underway but reflect the population as of July 1, 2009.

It will be interesting to see if there is another increase in Jacksonville’s population when the decennial census results come out!