Florida has increased its private sector employment by 21,800 (+0.2%) jobs in April from the previous month, a Florida Commerce report announced on Friday.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida continues to expand target industries by remaining committed to growth and strategic investments,” Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly said. “With a $1.7 trillion economy, Florida ranks as the #1 economy in the nation, we continue to attract talent and build confidence for businesses and a future full of opportunity for Floridians.”
According to Florida Commerce, as of April 2025, Florida added jobs in 57 of the last 60 months since May 2020. Its private employment also increased by 125,700 (+1.4%) year-over-year.
Specifically, education and health services gained the most jobs, with 8,000. Professional and business services followed with 7,400.
The report also noted Florida's statewide unemployment has been below the national rate for 54 consecutive months since November 2020. Moreover, the state's private sector job growth rate has surpassed the national rate in 47 of the last 49 months since April 2021.
In addition, FloridaCommerce emphasized the following achievements:
- 3.6 million new Florida business formations since 2019
- A state labor force of over 11.2 million
- 33.1 million visitors to Florida in Q4, the highest in recorded history
With the figures, FloridaCommerce called the state an "economic powerhouse."
Recently, U.S. News and World Report ranked Florida as the top economy in the country for the second consecutive year. The state also ranked No. 1 for economic growth.
In addition, the report ranked Florida No. 1 for higher education for the ninth straight year and No. 2 in education overall. The state ranked sixth overall on the report.
