JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s no secret the City of Jacksonville and Duval County as a whole are booming.
A recent study places our town above major metro areas like Los Angeles and New York for job growth. Jacksonville ranks alongside Dallas, Tampa and Phoenix for job creation since pre-pandemic times.
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US Auto Credit recruiter Maria Velez said her company is growing rapidly.
“We’re always making new positions, absolutely,” Velez said.
The company is spread across 25 states, but Florida is its home. Velez said they’re here to stay and actually looking to grow right here in Jacksonville.
“We’re in the auto finance industry. It’s a business that I don’t think is ever going to die,” Velez said.
You could say “growing” is a trend across the county.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest in Jacksonville in both the office, financial services, particularly, sector as well as manufacturing and distribution,” City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development Executive Director Kirk Wenland said.
According to the U.S. Census, the city’s population has grown by nearly 130,000 in the past 10 years. Duval County mirrors that growth. The population is now nearing one million residents.
According to Economic Innovation Group, Jacksonville’s job growth from December 2019 to December 2021 comes in at 1.6%, rivaling big cities like Phoenix and Raleigh.
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“A lot of big names have come to the area as well as some names maybe some people don’t recognize,” Wenland said.
City officials said several big names have joined the ranks of Jacksonville.
“SoFi now has a big office here. Of course, FIS is building their new headquarters down in Brooklyn,” Wenland said.
CareerSource Northeast Florida reports the Jax metro area saw more than 29,000 jobs added last year.
The state of Florida added almost half a million jobs in 2021.
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