Florida Adds 38,000 New Jobs Since January, Up More Than 427,000 Since February 2022; Florida Consumer Sentiment Higher Than National Average and 6.6 Percent Growth of Sales Tax Collections Reflect Economic Growth

The second March edition of Florida By The Numbers is now available. Florida Chamber Foundation Research Economist, Sheridan Meek, takes us on a journey through the Florida 2030 Blueprint's Six Pillars Framework, highlighting some of the latest metrics that matter to securing Florida's future as a top 10 global economy by 2030. 

Key metrics covered in this update include:

• From the Talent Supply & Education Pillar - Florida's job numbers are up more than 38,000 from January and more than 427,000 since February 2022, continuing Florida's trend of year-over-year gain. The leisure & hospitality sector saw the strongest gains of any industry in the past month, growing roughly twice as fast as the 0.4 percent overall growth rate over the month. Florida is currently creating 1 out of every 10 jobs in the U.S.
• From the Infrastructure & Growth Leadership Pillar - In February, Single-family housing starts rose to more than 8,400, and existing single-family homes showed an increase to more than 18,600.
• From the Business Climate & Competitiveness Pillar - Florida's February consumer sentiment index value of 67.2 was nearly a two-point increase in consumer sentiment from the January figure. This improvement comes after a historically low 64.3 point index annual average at the end of 2022, keeping Florida's consumer sentiment higher than the national consumer sentiment. Sales tax data reported $4.6 billion of state sales taxes collected in January, which is nearly $286 million more than last January and reflects a 6.6 percent growth rate outpacing inflation over the same time period.

These metrics and more found on TheFloridaScorecard.org.