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The Regions
Florida Fast Facts
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Population
- Florida is poised to pass New York as the third most populous state by 2011.
Economy
- Florida's $674.0 billion Gross State Product is the fourth largest in the U.S.
Location
- No business in Florida is more than 90 miles from one or more of the state's 14 deepwater seaports.
Trade
- Florida is a national leader in international commerce, with $95.3 billion in trade, proximity to Latin America and a multicultural population.
- High-tech exports from Florida reached $11 billion in 2005, the third highest nationwide.
Jobs
- Florida's 3.8% unemployment rate was the second lowest among large states in 2005.
- Florida added 259,800 new jobs from July 2005 to July 2006 and ranks first in the nation for job creation.
- Florida remains one of only 10 states with a right-to-work provision in its constitution.
- Florida's metro areas hold the top three spots and 12 of the top 30 on the Milken Institute's Best Performing Cities Index of where jobs are created.
Technology
- Florida ranks fourth in the nation for total high-tech employment: 265,484 high-tech workers.
- Florida added 6,700 high-tech jobs in 2004 to become the second fastest growing state in high-tech industry employment.
Finance
- Florida has 354 financial institutions, including 56 international banks.
Defense
- Defense-related industries are a $44 billion segment of the state's economy, representing 714,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Education
- Every Floridian lives within 50 miles of an institution of post-secondary learning.
Telecommunications
- Eight Florida cities are on Intel Corporation's list of top 100 for greatest wireless accessibility.
Quality of Life
- Florida has earned top rankings in Harris Poll's "most desirable places to live" since the survey's inception.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation; AeA Cyberstates 2006.
To view an interactive map of Florida and news from each region, please click here.