Some cities and states are friendlier for jobs than others, and according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida ranks towards the top for the nation's best states for job growth.
According to Professor Lee McPheters at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, the Sunshine State climbed toward the top among states and cities that experienced the strongest growth in non-agricultural jobs over the first three quarters of 2015, ranking second in overall job growth, and in the cities category, Orlando ranking second for job growth.
Florida tied with Washington for the second spot, seeing a job growth rate of 3.5 percent during the first three quarters of 2015. One-third of the nation’s jobs come from Florida, Texas, or California.
Utah took the top job growth honors, experiencing a growth rate of 4.1 percent.
Orlando received a similar ranking for its own job growth, placing second overall in the list. The Central Florida city saw a 4.1 percent growth rate in 2015, placing it above much larger cities like Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Florida gained 8,700 private sector jobs in September, which was still behind Texas’ growth of more than 31,000 jobs. But the Sunshine State’s job growth surpassed Texas' in job growth percentage.
The private-sector job growth rate in Florida was 3.4 percent in September, 1.2 percent higher than the nation’s rate of 2.2 percent. September was also the seventh straight month that Florida’s job growth was greater than states like California and Texas.
The report is good news for Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has centered his entire gubernatorial legacy on job growth. During Scott’s first run for governor in 2010, he campaigned on a promise to bring 700,000 jobs to the Sunshine State.
Since September 2014, the Sunshine State has added 234,400 private-sector jobs.
“Florida continues to lead other large states, including our No. 1 competitor, Texas, in job growth because our pro-business, low-tax policies are out-competing other locations as a top place for jobs,” said Gov. Rick Scott in a prepared statement Friday.
Since December 2010, an additional 941,000 jobs have been added to the private sector, according to a governor’s office press release.
Florida’s job growth has had a ripple effect on pushing a $250 million Enterprise Florida fund to help lure businesses to the Sunshine State. Gov. Scott is spearheading the initiative to help bring more companies to the state and the movement has gathered support from mayors like Bob Buckhorn of Tampa and Lenny Curry of Jacksonville.
Other groups like the Florida Chamber have endorsed Scott’s proposal, which heads to the Florida Legislature in January.
Reach Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com.
