Population: 2.4 million (13.2% of state’s population). Slightly more than half of the county’s population lives outside the incorporated areas.

The county has 35 municipalities, including Miami (second-largest city in Florida); Hialeah (sixth-largest city); Miami Beach; Coral Gables; and Homestead.

Density: 1,261 people per square mile vs. 340 in Florida overall. Measured against developable land, the density is actually higher — the urban development boundary and the Everglades restrict the amount of land actually available for development. The city of Miami, with more than 12,500 people per square mile, is one of the most densely populated cities in the U.S.

Between 2000-06, the county’s population grew only about half as fast as Florida’s population overall (6.6% vs. 13.2%). The city of Miami’s population grew by around 11.5% during that period. Leading sources of residents who move to the area: Foreign countries, Broward and Palm Beach counties and New York County, N.Y. Nearly 4% of the county’s resident taxpayers in 2006 lived in other counties in 2005 — their average adjusted gross income (nearly $43,000) matches the county’s median income and is higher than the city’s ($29,000).

The median age of residents in both county and city roughly matches the state’s average of 39.6. About four in 10 of the households in the county have children under 18 living in them, although school enrollment shrank by 1,680 students from 2007 to 2008. Families represent more than two-thirds of all households. Single women with children make up more than 18% of all families in the city of Miami. Among grandparents living with children under 18, nearly a third are responsible for caring for the children.

Miami tends to be less religious than the U.S. overall, with about 40% of the population indicating they’re religious vs. half nationally. Relative to the U.S. overall, Miami has a slightly higher percentage of Catholics. Compared to the U.S. overall, there are fewer than half as many Baptists in Miami and between three and eight times fewer members of mainstream Protestant groups like Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and Episcopalians. While the Jewish population of Miami has declined to roughly 5% of the total today, it is twice as high as the national average of 2.1%.

Among registered voters countywide:
» 45% are Democrat
» 31% are Republican
» 20% have no party affiliation

Obama: 51% (51% statewide)
McCain: 48.2% (48% statewide)

Miami-Dade County residents derive most of their income from labor. Overall, 74% of residents’ income comes from their jobs — as opposed to interest and dividends — vs. 67.6% for state residents overall. That ranks Miami-Dade as the 12th-highest in the state in income from labor — even while it ranks among the top 18 counties in the state in per-capita income at $37,370. Miami-Dade County accounts for 12% of all jobs in Florida.

» The Toyota Corolla is the top-selling new car in Miami-Dade.

» South Florida consumers (from Miami to Fort Lauderdale) are 58% less likely than those elsewhere in the nation to own a domestic truck.

» Residents in the region consume more rice than residents in the U.S. overall — more than 200% more — and 60% more dry beans.

» South Florida buys less pet food than the nation — a function of its number of apartments and condos that don’t allow pets.

» Tourism: Miami and Miami Beach attract visitors worldwide. A record 12 million people visited Miami-Dade County in 2007, spending $17.1 billion. While most of those visitors were domestic (54.1%), foreigners made up 45.9%, including more than 3.5 million from Latin America, 1.3 million from Europe and 556,000 from Canada. Art Basel Miami attracts more than 40,000 visitors. The county collected more than $93.6 million in tourist taxes in 2008. In 2005, it collected $75.9 million. With some 3.7 million passengers, Miami is also known as the cruise capital of the world.

» Biomed and Overall Medical Sector: Biomedical companies with operations in Miami-Dade include Cordis; Beckman Coulter; Boston Scientific; Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries; Noven Pharmaceuticals; and Schering-Plough. With 28 hospitals and more than 32,000 licensed healthcare professionals, Miami-Dade County has the state’s largest concentration of medical facilities. Among the notable healthcare facilities are Jackson Memorial Hospital; Baptist Hospital; Bascom-Palmer Eye Institute; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; Diabetes Research Institute; and the National Parkinson Foundation.

» Trade: The county also benefits from its proximity to the Caribbean and South America. Nearly $90 billion in total merchandise trade passed through the Miami Customs District in 2008. Approximately 1,300 multinational corporations from 56 countries are established in the region. With an economic impact of $18.6 billion, Miami International Airport is the nation’s top airport for international freight and third for international passengers. The Port of Miami, which contributes $8 billion to the local economy, ranks first among the state’s containerized ports and ninth in the United States. Some 20 shipping lines sail to more than 250 other ports in more than 100 countries. The World Trade Center Miami is Florida’s oldest international organization and assists member companies in expanding their international presence. Miami is home to more than 64 foreign consulates, 25 international trade offices and 32 binational chambers of commerce. Two free trade zones exist in greater Miami, the Homestead Free Zone and the Miami Free Zone, one of the world’s largest privately owned and operated zones.

Don Francisco’s “Sabado Gigante” — the world’s longest-running TV variety program — films in Miami. [Photo: Brian Smith]

» TV/Film Production: Film, television and entertainment production — including production of telenovelas for the Latin market — have an estimated $2 billion impact on the local economy.

» International Banking: About 100 commercial banks, thrifts, foreign bank agencies and Edge Act banks are located in Miami. They account for total deposits of more than $75 billion. The concentration of domestic and international banks is the largest on the East Coast south of New York.

» Diversity: Miami’s rich demographic salad bowl consists of residents from at least 120 countries, speaking more than 65 languages.

The New World Symphony has annual attendance of more than 80,000 and plans to build a new academy campus. [Photo: Craig Hall]

» Diversions: Clubs and restaurants, including the ever-changing, vibrant South Beach scene. Professional sports teams in football (Dolphins), baseball (Marlins), basketball (Heat) and hockey (Panthers). Attractions like the Miami Seaquarium, MetroZoo, Fairchild Botanical Tropical Garden and Monkey Jungle, and 80 parks. Everglades National Park.

» Cultural Infrastructure: The annual Art Basel exhibition. The newly opened Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. The Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony. Numerous theaters and museums, including the Miami Art Museum and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University.

» Allure: Miami’s tropical ambience and weather give it a unique style and appeal for both young people and families. Child magazine named Miami the fourth-best city in the country to raise a family. The city boasts some of the nation’s most stunning modern architecture and is a fashion center and a base for some of the top modeling agencies in the world. Forbes magazine ranked Miami as “America’s Cleanest City” in 2008.

» Economic Vitality: The area’s international connections and appeal have positioned it well for success in the globalizing economy. The area’s unemployment rate, once higher than the state’s average, has remained below average as the economy has slowed, possibly reflecting the strength of international trade. The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s economic development partnership, represents the area aggressively.

» Higher Education: The University of Miami and Florida International University are strong points, along with Miami-Dade College, formerly a community college, now the largest and most diverse degree-granting institution in the nation.

» Human Capital/Immigrants: The presence of so many recent immigrants, many of whom are poor and don’t speak English well, creates vitality but also huge challenges for the social services and educational infrastructure.

» Traffic: Commute times — an average of 30 minutes one way — are among the highest in Florida. Nearly 70% of the county’s residents drive to work — alone.

» Crime: The crime rate within the city of Miami has fallen in recent years but still remains high. Most municipalities in the county, including some upscale communities like Pinecrest, do poorly on various “crime index” measurements, particularly on property crimes like burglary and motor vehicle theft. The predominantly Cuban blue-collar community of Hialeah has among the lowest crime indices of the county’s 35 municipalities.

» Housing costs: Housing affordability has been a major problem for the area, lessening somewhat as the real estate bubble burst.

» Vulnerability: The county is among the most vulnerable in the U.S. to hurricanes.

» Housing: Nearly two-thirds of homeowners and renters spent more than 30% of their income on housing in 2007.

» Air Quality: The county ranks high on releases of toxic substances and some pollutants, but air quality is good on nearly nine days out of 10.

» Governance: The city of Miami has come light-years after teetering on the edge of bankruptcy in the late 1990s. The administration of city Mayor Manny Diaz has provided sound fiscal leadership and broadened the city’s tax base while abandoning old-style exile politics in campaigning for office. Similarly, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez is trying to use new “strong mayor” powers to bring more accountability and integrity to a county government short on both.

» Reputation: Some businesses with presences throughout the rest of Florida avoid south Florida, particularly Miami-Dade, because of the area’s reputation for crime and corruption. Both, to varying degrees, are real, but the perception often says more about the comfort level of Anglo businesspeople with Hispanics than it does about Miami’s business climate.

» Growth: Developers have tried to push development beyond the county’s urban services boundary. It will be a major test of county government to continue to hold that line.

» Water: The county has one of the lowest water-reuse rates in Florida and one of the biggest water-supply challenges.

» Mass Transit/Transportation: The Metromover, Metrorail and Tri-Rail give the area the beginnings of a real mass transit infrastructure that saw ridership explode as gas prices rose. Currently, the biggest challenge is the possible loss of state funding for a $1.7-billion tunnel between the port and I-395.

» Schools: The Florida Department of Education gave Miami-Dade schools a “B” overall in 2008.

Taño Feijoó

“I lived in New York for 10 years while going to architecture school, and I missed the warm weather. I love Miami’s diversity. Having lived half of my life in South America (Uruguay and Brazil), I love the interaction of people from many countries and diverse cultures. I also identified early that there are a lot of things to be done in Miami. Miami is a very young city, and I could make a difference if I get involved in the community. One of the most important aspects that makes me call Miami home is that we have become a very important world business city. There is no better place for business professionals to conduct business in Latin America than in Miami. There are many things to be done in Miami, and I would like to be a part of its future for a very long time. I could very well live anywhere in the world, and I probably will one day, but I will always have a home in Miami.”

— Ricardo Taño Feijoó is a principal at architectural firm RTKL.

Florida Trend asked an economic development professional in a market that competes with Miami-Dade to assess the area:

» Strengths: “Miami is one of the greatest cities in the Western Hemisphere — situated at the “crossroads” of trade to and from Central and South America. Its global significance for over 100 years, along with its rich diversity in culture, language and history, helps to position Miami as a “Super Region” unto itself. In many ways, Miami is a microcosm of the new economy, blending spectacular opportunities for newcomers and lifelong residents, facing the growing challenges of this new century, years ahead of other parts of our country. The world is now focused on this great region of America and is ready to follow its lead.

» Weaknesses: “Because it’s a complex region with competing priorities, combined with competing local governments and overlapping civic organizations, it’s difficult to “connect” Miami with the other regions of Florida. Accessing leaders is a challenge, since the “civic architecture” does not yet enjoy a shared regional platform or a shared vision when it comes to its collective future. Miami has every opportunity to lead all of Florida, but at the same time, Miami must recognize that it is part of Florida, understanding that the growing strength of other regions in our state will only work to complement the growth and strength of Miami.