With two deep water ports, two commercial airports, three railroads and three interstate highways, Jacksonville was named a top 10 U.S. city for logistics and infrastructure in 2014 by Global Trade magazine.
Photo: Ryan Ketterman
Manufacturing is big business in northeast Florida. The iconic Maxwell House coffee plant, a downtown Jacksonville fixture since 1910, today employs more than 200 and is one of the largest coffee plants in the world.
Photo: Will Dickey/Times Union
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Business Florida 2016 - The Regions
Northeast Florida
Boasting four Fortune 1000 and three Fortune 500 companies — more than any other city in Florida — and the national or divisional headquarters of some 80 firms, Northeast Florida offers a dynamic market for business relocation and expansion. Served by a world-class intermodal transportation system consisting of multiple seaports, airports, railways, highways and a commercially licensed spaceport, this seven-county region of close to 1.6 million residents and a workforce exceeding 790,000 is a focal point for international and domestic commerce.
In Jacksonville — the nation’s largest city by area — city and county governments operate as one, helping to ensure smooth transitions for businesses looking to relocate or expand. Banking, aviation, healthcare, logistics and manufacturing are among the strongest industry sectors. Across the region, home sales are rising, and educational excellence abounds. Five Northeast high schools earned gold medals in U.S. News & World Report’s “2015 Best High Schools” rankings; the University of North Florida was named one of the best colleges in the Southeast by The Princeton Review for a sixth consecutive year in 2014; and Flagler College was ranked among the top 10 “2015 Best Regional Colleges in the South” by U.S. News & World Report.
WHO LIVES HERE
Young and creative With a population of 853,382 and a median age of 36, Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city and one of its youngest. It is also highly creative. According to the Creative Council of Greater Jacksonville, arts and culture generated an economic impact to the region of $70 million in 2013-14 and nearly 27,000 jobs. Creative industry jobs here in fields such as photography, music, writing, graphic design and advertising sales grew by 6% between 2010 and 2013.
Opportunity seekers In May 2015, Forbes named Jacksonville 5th best city in the U.S “for finding employment right now” based on factors such as cost of living and the presence of companies with varied employment opportunities. Top industry sectors hiring: logistics and industrial.
Skilled and ready Northeast Florida’s four military installations provide direct employment for some 50,000 active duty, reserve and civilian men and women. And of the personnel who exit the military here each year, more than 3,000 remain, providing a ready pool of workers with military-honed skills in electronics, technical maintenance and management. Military veterans make up 14% of this region’s workforce, compared to 7% for the U.S. overall.
People who care Among 50 large U.S. cities, Jacksonville was the 6th most generous in charitable giving between 2006 and 2012, according to a report issued by The Chronicle of Philanthropy in fall 2014. Jacksonville residents gave 3.8% of their income away compared to top-ranked Salt Lake City where residents gave 5.4%.
