Florida Chamber Foundation – 50 Florida Facts
1. Florida’s total economic activity in 2010 measured by gross domestic product ranks 4th in the United States at $747 billion.
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
2. In 2010, Florida ranked 6th best in the nation on the Small Business Survival Index, which measures major government related costs that effect small business and entrepreneurship.
Source: Small Business & Entrepreneur Council
3. The value of Florida origin exports reached $55.2 billion in 2010. The three largest international markets for Florida goods were Switzerland ($5 billion), Brazil ($4.7 billion) and Canada ($3.9 billion), respectively.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau of Foreign Trade; International Trade Administration
4. A total of 38,210 companies exported from Florida locations in 2008. Of those, 96% were small and medium sized businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
Source: International Trade Administration
5. Visitors traveling to Florida from Brazil registered the top spending levels in 2010 at a total value of $1,398,670,000.
Source: Visit Florida
6. In 2008, foreign-controlled companies employed 254,000 Floridians. Major sources of foreign investment in Florida included the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Japan.
Source: International Trade Administration
7. Trade, logistics and distribution industries employed 531,000 Floridians in 2010, with an average wage nearly 30% higher than the average for all industries in the state.
Source: The Florida Trade and Logistics Study
8. At a level of 2,978 patents, Florida ranked 12th in the nation in the number of patents issued in 2010.
Source: United States Patent Office
9. At nearly $7 billion, research and development expenditures in Florida ranked 16th highest in the nation in 2007; however research and development spending as a percent of Florida’s economy ranks 41st among states.
Source: National Science Foundation, Science & Engineering Indicators
10. Business formation of high-technology and innovation-based businesses in Florida ranked 20th in the nation, with a rate of 12 high-tech firms created per 10,000.
Source: Milken Institute; State Science and Technology Index
11. In 2010, Florida companies garnered less than 1% of the early stage venture capital funding available in the United States.
Source: Price Waterhouse Coopers Quarterly Money Tree Report
12. Florida attracted a total of 82.6 million domestic and international visitors in 2010, which contributed $60.9 billion in tourism spending, $3.7 billion in tax revenue and 962,000 direct jobs.
Source: Visit Florida
13. Florida led the nation in the production of oranges and was 2nd in producing strawberries and tomatoes in 2009.
Source: Economic Research Service/USDA
14. There are 459 Charter Schools operating in the state of Florida, which comprise approximately 13% of public schools.
Source: Florida Department of Education
15. In 2010, Florida ranked first in the nation for the having the highest number of high school students taking advanced placement courses.
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Enterprising States Report
16. In 2007, 30% of higher education degrees awarded in Florida were in fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
Source: National Science Foundation, Science & Engineering Indicators
17. Florida’s education system was ranked 5th in the nation based upon a number of factors including early childhood education, K-12 achievement and school accountability. Florida has made steady progress in education rankings in recent years, up from 31st in the nation in 2007.
Source: Education Week, 2011 Annual Quality Counts Report
18. In 2009, 68% of Florida’s high school graduates continued their education in post secondary institutions.
Source: Florida Department of Education
19. Florida spent an average of $331 on state highway spending per person in 2009, which was the 34th highest average in the nation.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2009 Survey of State Government Finances. Calculations by The Taxpayers Network
20. Floridians drove an average of 10,564 vehicle miles in 2008, which is 21st highest among states and above the national average of 9,630 vehicle miles annually.
Source: US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Calculations by The Taxpayers Network
21. Florida currently ranks 3rd in the nation for energy intensity, which is a measure of the amount of energy that is used to produce a dollar’s worth of goods and services within the state.
Source: Energy Information Administration
22. In 2008, 14.6% of Florida’s energy generation was nuclear and another 2.1% came from renewable energy sources.
Source: Energy Information Administration
23. Florida experienced the highest number of unemployment compensation claims in recent history during 2010, with more than 2.76 million Floridians filing a claim during the year.
Source: Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation
24. The liability and litigation systems in Florida ranked 42nd worst in the nation according to a 2010 study by the Institute for Legal Reform.
Source: US Chamber Affiliate Institute for Legal Reform, 2010 State Liability Systems Ranking
25. Florida has made great headway in reducing workers’ compensation insurance costs. Florida went from having the 2nd highest rates in the nation in 1998 to the 10th lowest rates in 2010.
Source: 2010 Oregon Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Ranking
26. In 2010, Florida was the 4th highest ranked state in terms of net business relocations in the United States, which measures the total businesses moving to Florida from other states, minus the number of businesses relocating to other states from Florida.
Source: Dun & Bradstreet
27. Florida’s Qualified Target Industry projects in 2010 have an estimated 10 year payback ratio of a $19.25 return for every $1 invested.
Source: Enterprise Florida
28. Florida had a public welfare expenditure of $988 per person in 2009, which ranked the 46th lowest among states.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Calculations by The Taxpayers Network
29. Over the ten year span between 2000 and 2010, Florida’s total population grew 17.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
30. Florida is projected to add five million new residents by 2030. Currently the fourth largest state in the nation, Florida’s population of 18.8 million is estimated to grow to 23.6 million residents by 2030.
Source: Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research
31. Among Florida’s foreign born population, 73.8% are from Latin America, 11.2% are from Europe and 9.8% are from Asia.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2009
32. Florida ranked 4th in the nation in 2009 for net domestic and international migration flows, which measures the number of new residents choosing to relocate to Florida
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates
33. Annual average wage, or the income earned from wages and salaries per capita in Florida was $40,970, nearly $5,000 below the national average in 2009.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
34. The homeownership rate in Florida was 69.3% in 2010, which ranks 27th in the nation.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership
35. In June 2011, Florida had the seventh highest foreclosure rate in the nation with 1 in every 372 units receiving a foreclosure filing for a total of 23,769 units. Although there continues to be a high volume of foreclosures in Florida, June’s figures represents a decrease of 53.9% from June 2010.
Source: RealtyTrac
36. With an uninsured rate of 24.4%, Florida’s rate of uninsured residents is higher than the national average of 17.2%. The same holds true for low-income children in the state of Florida, with a 30.5% uninsured rate compared with the national average of 18%.
Source: Corporation for Enterprise Development, 2009-2010 Assets and Opportunities Scorecard
37. In 2010, Florida had 9.3 million acres of actively managed conservation lands, which ranks 25th nationally for conservation acreage per person.
Source: Florida Natural Areas Inventory
38. Floridians used 158 gallons of water per person per day in 2005, which ranks 22nd in the nation in total domestic water use.
Source: United States Geological Survey
39. In the 2011-2012 state budget, approximately 21.8 billion of the $69.7 billion budget was dedicated to Medicaid and TANF funding. This represents 31 cents of every dollar spend by state government.
Source: Florida Senate Bill 2000 Conference Report, p. 395
40. A recent poll of Florida voters indicates that their top concerns are jobs and the economy (46%), followed by education (11%) and healthcare (10%).
Source: Florida Chamber Political Institute
41. Voter participation in Florida, which reports the number of citizens over the age of 18 who voted in a previous election versus those eligible, was 63.8% in 2008.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration
42. In 2009, approximately 3.3 million volunteers in Florida contributed 516 million hours of service to local organizations. However at a volunteerism rate of 22% of the population, Florida is only 47th highest in the nation.
Source: Corporation for National and Community Service
43. The number of minority-owned businesses in Florida climbed 66%, outpacing the national growth rate of 45%, between 2002 and 2007.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
44. In 2010, Florida’s workforce and training system was ranked number one in the country due to efficient job placement, among other factors.
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Enterprising States Report
45. The average life expectancy for Floridians is 78 years of age, which ranks 22nd in the U.S.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, World Fact Book
46. Only 51% of Florida’s resident population falls within the prime working age categories of 25-64 years of age.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
47. Creative industries in Florida employ 184,708 people across the state at 52,869 arts related businesses.
Source: Americans for the Arts
48. Publix Super Markets is Florida’s largest corporation by sales revenue and is ranked 102nd on the Fortune 500.
Source: Florida Trend, Top Florida Companies Rankings
49. Florida has a regional competitive advantage in twenty-two industries based upon a broad economic base and positive long-term growth projections.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce and Wells Fargo Securities
50. Florida is ranked as the 8th highest in foreign direct investment within the state at an estimated $35.9 billion in 2008.
Source: Enterprise Florida