A 2018 analysis by WalletHub scored Orlando as the best city in Florida to find a job and the 13th-best for job seekers in the United States. The Sunshine state is fully recovered from the Great Recession, with a 3.9 percent unemployment rate in mid-2018 and an economy poised to exceed $1 trillion, more than all but 15 countries in the world. Orlando jobs are mostly in the hospitality industry (hotels) and food services, and health care.
WalletHub compared 182 of America's most populous cities using 26 metrics, among them job opportunities, job growth, monthly median salary, unemployment rate, average work and commute time, and housing affordability.
For complete details, check out the survey results here.
Orlando economy poised for growth
Orlando's job market expanded by 2.5 percent over the past year and is predicted to see a 41 percent expansion over the next decade, which is higher than the national projection of 38 percent, according to BestPlaces.net, which draws its figures from government statistics.
Orlando's median salary is a bit below the national average, but that is at least partially offset by the fact that Florida has no state income tax, and the cost of living is lower than in Florida and the United States as a whole. The average Orlando resident makes $25, 664 a year, almost $3,000 a year below the national average. The median household income is $41,904, compared to $53, 482 for the United States.
Areas of growth in Orlando
The Orlando area's increase in jobs and overall economic growth paints an overall positive picture.
Manufacturing has seen the biggest percentage increase in job growth in the past year, hovering between 8.2 and 9 percent higher than 2017. Construction has been booming too, with a significant increase in job growth in the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction has seen a jump of almost 7 percent since summer 2018, though it has tapered down after a 9 percent rise year-over-year in January 2018. Almost all areas of the Orlando metro area have seen positive job growth in 2018, with financial services, professional and business services, education and health services and leisure and hospitality hovering around a 4.5 percent growth rate.
Wages in Orlando metro
About half the population of the Orlando metro area earn between $15,000 and $50,000 a year. About 51 percent of the population makes between $50,000 and $200,000 and higher, according to BestPlaces.net. Of the top half of the earners, about 35 percent make between $75,000 and higher, with a significant 5 percent earning more than $200,000 per year.
Disney top employer in Orlando
Walt Disney World is the leader in providing Orlando jobs with more than 53,000 employees, and the amusement park and entertainment giant is the engine that drives much of the regional economy. Recent expansion at Disney World is likely responsible for a good amount of the growth in construction and manufacturing.
Many people in the Orlando area earn their living in fields related to the Disney theme parks. About 14.5 percent of the population works in the hotel and accommodation industry, more than twice the national average.
However, health care and social assistance are large growing segments of the employers in the area, with more than 12 percent of the population involved in those industries, likely owing to the large number of retirees who live in Central Florida.
Cox Media Group
