JACKSONVILLE IS BOOMING!
Jacksonville Ranked 7th Among America’s Biggest Boomtowns, Has Fastest Growing Workforce in the U.S.
Jacksonville is booming. The city recently ranked No. 7 overall among America’s biggest boomtowns in LendingTree’s 2026 report on the nation’s 50 largest metros. The analysis also found that the 5.6% growth in Jacksonville’s workforce was the highest in the nation.
The experts at LendingTree conducted the analysis to learn more about where Americans are moving, building and starting businesses right now. They ranked the country’s largest metros using three categories to determine the results: people and housing, work and earnings, and business and economy.
In the People and Housing category, Jacksonville ranked No. 4 nationally. This ranking was tabulated by looking at population growth between 2023 and 2024, the combined percentage of the population that moved from another county, state or country in 2023 and 2024, and the change in the number of housing units between 2023 and 2024.
Jacksonville ranked No. 12 in the Work and Earnings category, with a 5.6% increase in workforce, the highest among the cities that LendingTree analyzed. To determine the findings for the Work and Earnings category, analysts compared the change in the number of people in the labor force between 2023 and 2024, the change in the unemployment rate between annual averages for 2023 and 2024, and the change in median earnings between 2023 and 2024.
“People are voting with their feet and moving to Jacksonville in droves because our city is a great place to live, raise a family, and start a business,” said Mayor Donna Deegan. “This recognition is further proof that we are a city on the move with a booming economy, talented workforce, and high quality of life.”
Eight of the 10 highest-ranked metros were in the South, including Jacksonville. Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst, said there are several reasons for this trend: “A lot of people and businesses have been heading South over the past several years, and that’s created a lot of momentum. In many places, you can still find a lower cost of living, a growing population and a business climate that’s attractive to employers. Those are all things that make it easier to start and grow a business.”
Earlier this year, WalletHub recognized Jacksonville as both the “best-run city in Florida” and the “3rd-best large U.S. city to start a business.”