Business Florida: Your 2018 Florida Opportunity Guide

Why is Florida the right choice for business?

Florida has long been a place where dreamers and doers could craft their future. Some 450 years go, when Florida was still mostly swampland, Spanish explorers recognized its possibility and built the first permanent European settlement here. The rocket scientists who followed in their wake centuries later would launch men to the moon and a rover to Mars from these shores.

Today, dozens of companies choose to stake their futures on Florida by relocating and expanding here each year.

Why? ... Read More »

TARGETED INDUSTRY SECTORS

In Florida, opportunities for success are truly boundless. With a highly-skilled and diverse workforce of nearly 10 million, an expansive and state-of-the-art infrastructure and unmatched global access, this state offers businesses across all industries the resources needed to prosper and grow. These advantages have helped Florida retain its position as the second best state for business, as determined by the votes of C-Suite leaders, in Chief Executive magazine’s “2017 Best and Worst States for Business” for five consecutive years. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created more than 1.4 million private-sector jobs.

Aviation & Aerospace

Finance & Professional Services

Information Technology

Defense & Homeland Security

Life Sciences

Logistics & Distribution

Corporate Headquarters

Manufacturing

Clean Technology

FLORIDA'S REGIONS

Florida is a dynamic mix of eight economic development regions, at least one of which is right for you and your business. From Naples up to Jacksonville and from Pensacola down to Miami and the Florida Keys, this state boasts a blend of cutting-edge innovation and kickback style that is second to none. In any region of Florida, you are never more than 50 miles from a postsecondary educational institution or 90 miles from a deep water port. It’s a good bet you’ll find a golf course, theme park, shopping mall and/or sandy beach within close proximity too.

The Regions

FLORIDA AT A GLANCE

Population 20.3 million
3rd largest in the U.S.

Civilian Labor Force 9.7 million
3rd largest in the U.S.

Gross Domestic Product $839.9 billion
4th largest in the U.S.

Total Personal Income $894.2 billion
4th highest in the U.S.

Per Capita Personal Income $44,101
2nd in the Southeast

Households 7,994,749

Median Per Capita Income $41,824

Total Retail Sales $295 billion

FLORIDA BY THE NUMBERS

Population 20.6 million
3rd largest in the U.S.

Civilian Labor Force 9.8 million
3rd largest in the U.S.

Gross Domestic Product $926.9 billion
4th largest in the U.S.

Total Personal Income $944.4 billion
4th highest in the U.S.

Per Capita Personal Income $45,819
2nd in the Southeast

Households 8,403,763

Total Earnings $511.2 billion

Total Retail Sales $328.5 billion

Airports
• Destin-Fort Walton Beach
• Northwest Florida Beaches International
• Pensacola International
• Tallahassee International

Seaports
• Port Panama City
• Port of Pensacola
• Port of Port St. Joe

Northwest
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Key Demographics

Population	1,459,145
Labor Force	666,854
Households	592,128
Total Earnings	$33.56B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$33,971
Total Retail Sales	$20.45B

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

North Central
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Key Demographics

Population	904,527
Labor Force	381,703
Households	384,975
Total Earnings	$16.82B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$30,336
Total Retail Sales	$11.46B

Airports
• Gainesville Regional

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

Northeast
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Key Demographics

Population	1,658,799
Labor Force	806,615
Households	680,130
Total Earnings	$44.03B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$39,855
Total Retail Sales	$23.89B

Airports
• Jacksonville International
• Northeast Florida Regional

Seaports
• JAXPORT
• Port of Fernandina

Spaceports
• Cecil Spaceport

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

Tampa Bay
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Key Demographics

Population	4,630,398
Labor Force	2,159,464
Households	1,973,782
Total Earnings	$109.93B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$40,639
Total Retail Sales	$68.34B

Airports
• St. Peteg-Clearwater International
• Sarasota Bradenton International
• Tampa International

Seaports
• Port Manatee
• Port of St. Petersburg
• Port Tampa Bay

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

East Central
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Key Demographics

Population	3,673,747
Labor Force	1,791,717
Households	1,454,169
Total Earnings	$88.74B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$40,480
Total Retail Sales	$61.9B

Airports
• Daytona Beach International
• Orlando Melbourne International
• Orlando International
• Orlando Sanford International

Seaports
• Port Canaveral

Spaceports
• Cape Canaveral Spaceport

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

Southwest
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Key Demographics

Population	1,265,937
Labor Force	565,401
Households	540,711
Total Earnings	$26.1B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$45,821
Total Retail Sales	$20.75B

Airports
• Punta Gorda
• Southwest Florida International

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

South Central
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Key Demographics

Population	257,651
Labor Force	98,860
Households	104,061
Total Earnings	$3.71B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$28,306
Total Retail Sales	$2.62B

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

Southeast
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Key Demographics

Population	6,762,235
Labor Force	3,370,328
Households	2,673,807
Total Earnings	$188.3B
Med. Per Cap. Income	$67,096
Total Retail Sales	$119.05B

Airports
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
• Key West International
• Miami International
• Palm Beach International

Seaports
• Port Everglades
• Port of Fort Pierce
• Port of Key West
• PortMiami
• Port of Palm Beach

Sources: US Census Bureau, 2016; Labor Market Statistics Center, Florida DEO 2016; Woods & Poole Economics, 2017

How to use the map: Click a region for key statistics and a link to the full report.Click the in the upper right corner to return to the main map.