April 25, 2024
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Economic yearbook 2011
Treasure Coast - Yearbook
Mike Vogel | 4/1/2011
Economic developers now call the region the Research Coast — and with good reason: Torrey Pines and the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute are promising to diversify the economy.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY GOALS
Raise awareness of the economic importance of the agriculture industry to St. Lucie County.
Diversify the county's economic base.
Reduce the inventory of unsold homes.
| Jobs | ||||
| MSA | DEC. 2010 | DEC 2009 | % Change | Jobless Rate |
| Port St. Lucie |
161,679 | 161,133 | +0.3% | 13.4% |
| Sebastian Inlet Vero Beach |
53,799 | 53,663 | +0.3% | 13.6% |
| Source: Agency for Workforce Innovation |
||||
| Homes Single-family, existing-home sales by Realtors | ||||
| MSA | Jan. 2011 Sales | 1-Year Change | Jan. 2011 Price | 1-Year Change |
| Fort Pierce/ Port St. Lucie |
345 | -25% | $98,800 | -2% |
| Source: Florida Realtors | ||||
| St. Lucie Population: 281,452 | ||||
| Population Growth Rate (2007-11): 1.62% | ||||
| Population by Age: | ||||
| 0-14 |
15-19 | 20-39 | 40-64 | 65+ |
| 18.8% | 5.8% | 22.9% | 32.1% | 20.4% |
| Per Capita Income: $29,676 | ||||
Director Jay Nelson, at the site of the Port St. Lucie campus of the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida, an offshoot of an Oregon research center. Its 100,000-sq.-ft. facility, focused on HIV/AIDS, cancer and infectious diseases, joins nearby Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies as the county's life science cluster. VGTI got $60 million in incentives from the state and $53 million in infrastructure development from the city. The campus, scheduled to be completed in 2012, is seen as an important step in diversifying the county's economy. [Photo: Steve Martinel] |
