East Central

Unique features, rankings and statistics

With its historic Space Coast, world-renowned theme parks, huge high-tech, aerospace and tourism industries, major academic and health care centers, rural inland hills and farms — and 120 miles of Atlantic coastline — the East Central region serves as a diverse microcosm of the entire state.

Orange County is the heart of this seven-county region, and is famously home to Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort, along with SeaWorld Orlando and the unique aquatic park Discovery Cove.

On the academic landscape, the University of Central Florida's 70,000 students make it the second largest — and by some metrics the largest — college in the U.S.

Despite its sprawling metro area and abundant man-made features, Orange County's natural assets include more than 100 freshwater lakes.

The county operates 114 parks, and the City of Orlando offers its own extensive list of more than 148 parks, gardens and recreation areas.

Brevard County is home to the historic Kennedy Space Center, a launch point for U.S. space missions and a hub of innovation that continues to shape future of space exploration.

There's probably no zoo in America like the Brevard Zoo, where visitors can kayak through waterways and observe animals such as giraffes, zebras and rhinos in their habitats.

Brevard is also home to the Indian River Lagoon, which harbors a remarkable aquatic biodiversity, with more than 2,200 species and flora found in its waters.

Volusia County's features include beaches where driving is allowed; the world-famous Daytona International Speedway; the highest shell mound in the U.S. (Turtle Mound); and the St. Johns River, designated an American Heritage River. The county also features diverse natural landscapes with clear springs, coastal ecosystems and a rich prehistoric history.

True to its name, Lake County is best known for its more than 1,000 lakes and extensive waterways.

And unlike much of the state's flat peninsula, Lake County features rolling hills and some of the highest points in the state, most notably Sugarloaf Mountain, which rises to the height of 312 feet above sea level.

Sumter County is home to The Villages, a sprawling, amenity-rich retirement community and one of the largest of its kind in the nation.

Osceola County's features include its storied cowboy and rodeo heritage, as well as vast natural landscapes such as the Kissimmee River and headwaters of the Everglades ecosystem, which supports the largest population of nesting bald eagles in the eastern U.S.

Another notable attraction is the Monument of States, a roadside landmark in Kissimmee built by Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis, featuring 1,500 stones from all 50 states and 21 foreign countries.

Seminole County features a rich Native American heritage with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, numerous natural attractions like Wekiwa Springs State Park and cultural sites such as the Central Florida Zoo.

Economic growth

During 2025, Brevard County achieved significant economic success as a result of its thriving and newly revived Space Coast industry, its robust tourism sector and key investments in infrastructure.

Multiple reports, including a recent study by the University of North Carolina's nonprofit Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, have ranked the county as having one of the fastest-growing economies in the U.S. among midsized communities.

What's more, the county also recorded the highest growth rate among 100 midsized U.S. communities over the past five years and is projected to rank among the top 10 growth markets in 2026.

This strong growth follows a major economic downturn caused by the cessation of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

Over the past decade, space giants such as Blue Origin and SpaceX have significantly expanded their presence. In September 2025, Blue Origin announced that it now employs nearly 4,000 people in Brevard County.

The company has expanded its manufacturing and operations footprint to 11 sites and invested more than $3 billion in facilities and infrastructure across the state, including at Cape Canaveral where launch activity has reached historic numbers.

In 2024, SpaceX conducted a record 107 launches from the Space Coast, with future projections reaching as high as 120 launches per year.

Meanwhile, Brevard County's tourism industry continues to thrive. A recent study confirmed that tourism pumps about $4.6 billion annually into the Space Coast's economy through visitor spending and job creation.

Based on state and federal data for 2025, Orange County's economic growth was marginally robust but showed signs of moderation while it faced some specific challenges, especially the downturn in residential construction.

Despite these headwinds, Orange County had the highest year-over-year employment growth rate among the 30 most populous U.S. metros during the first half of 2025.

Those gains were centered among the leisure and hospitality industries, construction, education, health services and government.

The region welcomed some 75.3 million visitors in 2024, and tourism is projected to see strong growth and similar numbers in the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

Volusia County's economy in 2025 weathered stagnant employment and a rising unemployment rate, despite continued capital investment in commercial and residential building projects. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida began seeing sizeable drops in its jobs market in the summer months of 2025, and that trend contributed to Volusia's rising unemployment.

The softening of the job market and slight easing of tourism numbers, however, did not spill over into Volusia's commercial and residential construction activity which saw strong growth in 2025.

Another bright spot for Volusia in 2025 and going into 2026 is its manufacturing sector, which includes more than 470 businesses producing a diverse range of products.

Elsewhere in the East Central region:

Lake County's economic growth in 2025 continued with sustained momentum, marked by strong residential real estate and wage growth, but showed signs of cooling in some sectors. While growth continued, it was generally slower than in the preceding years.

Osceola County experienced robust growth driven by its core tourism industry and its strategic industry diversification and marketing efforts.

Seminole County's economy in 2025 slowed but remained positive, reflecting broader state and national trends. The county’s housing market shifted in favor of buyers, and the county saw $124.3 million in income migration to its workforce payroll.

More specifically, Seminole's housing market has shifted toward buyers. Meanwhile, Seminole saw a healthy $124.3 million income migration in 2025 to its workforce payroll.

Sumter County's population and economic growth remained strong heading into 2025, driven largely by The Villages, the massive retirement community, which covers a significant portion of the county.

Top industries

Orange County has one of the most impressive and diverse portfolios of major industries in Florida.

This East Central region economic powerhouse hosts a wide range of sectors, including health care and social services, retail trade, hospitality and leisure, theme parks, food services, life sciences, medical technologies, semiconductors, modeling and simulation training, IT, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, transportation and clean energy technologies.

In terms of total jobs across all sectors, Walt Disney World, with its 58,500 employees, is by far Orange County's largest employer.

Orlando Health has nearly 20,000 employees; Orlando International Airport lists a workforce of 15,750; and the University of Central Florida has an employee base of more than 12,300.

Life sciences and health care in the greater Orlando area is an especially strong industry cluster focusing on medical devices, biopharmaceuticals and telemedicine.

Among the heavyweights in the tech sector are Siemens, an international company with a strong presence in advanced manufacturing; 3D imaging company FARO Technologies; and AMD, an American multinational semiconductor company with operations across the greater Orlando area.

Neighboring Orange County is Brevard County, with its revived Space Coast industry thriving from the presence of SpaceX, Blue Origin and OneWeb Satellites, all of which have significant operations in the Brevard area.

Major aerospace and defense companies with a strong presence include Boeing, Collins Aerospace, Leonardo DRS, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

The Brevard area has the highest concentration of engineers in the U.S., providing a deep talent pool for this high-tech sector.

Volusia County's largest industries and clusters include health care and social services, retail trade, and hospitality and tourism. Other key industry clusters included aviation and aerospace, manufacturing, financial services, IT and real estate development.

Volusia also has a robust tourism and hospital industry driven by the area's famous beaches, resorts and seasonal attractions such as the Daytona 500 NASCAR race held each February.

Other major industries in the East Central region include advanced manufacturing in Lake County; health care and logistics in Sumter. And given its proximity to Orlando's theme parks, Osceola's tourism and hospitality-related industries account for nearly 36% of its workforce and several billion dollars in economic impact.

Access to Capital

Based on their location within the vibrant East Central region economy, Brevard, Volusia, Orange, Lake, Osceola, Sumter and Seminole counties generally are considered to have good access to a variety of investment and venture capital sources.

The region's vibrant Space Coast and massive tourism and hospitality industries, along with anchor industries and a well-supported startup ecosystem, all have little trouble attracting private investment capital.

Also contributing to this access to capital are organizations, such as the state-funded Space Florida, which plays a vital role in green-lighting significant venture capital investment projects related to space exploration and aerospace industry development.

Among the major investment capital players in the East Central region is DeepWork Capital, an Orlando-based venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage tech companies throughout Florida, particularly those in the emerging aerospace and technology sectors.

The National Entrepreneur Center, located in Orange County, houses more than 20 business-support organizations and 16 local investors. It provides networking opportunities, coaching, and assistance with loan facilitation for entrepreneurs and small startup ventures across the East Central Florida region.

Culture, Personality and Seasonality

Orange, Volusia and Brevard counties contain the largest populations in East Central Florida. They share an energetic and creative personality shaped by the region’s tourism industry and the Space Coast’s strong focus on engineering, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

All three counties are vigorous supporters of the arts through performing arts centers, museums and a wide variety of cultural events that reflect the region's diverse and colorful demographics.

Away from the region's beaches and theme parks, East Central Florida retains elements of an Old Florida and a nature-connected, adventurous spirit, harbored along the inland waterways, lagoons, rivers and canals of rural Lake, Seminole, Osceola and Sumter counties.

These counties also exhibit a blend of traditional Southern culture and the significant influence and the heritage of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Known as the Unconquered People, the tribe maintains rich traditions, including its distinctive clan structure and vibrant patchwork clothing.