Gai n e svi lle
Profiles
Outlook Summaries
The Gainesville MSA is comprised of Alachua and Gilchrist Counties and is located in the centralnorth portion of the state. This Metro is home to the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History, Florida’s official natural history museum.
The Gainesville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA is expected to show relatively low growth in most of the economic indicators measured in this forecast. Personal income growth will see a 3.8 percent growth, the lowest of the MSAs studied. Per capita income level is expected to average 32.1. Average annual wage growth is expected to be 2.9 percent, while the average annual wage level will be at 45.6. Population growth will average the lowest of the studied areas at 1.0 percent annually. Gross Metro Product will be the second lowest of the studied MSAs at a level of 8,850.00 (Mill). Gainesville will see an employment growth rate of 0.7 percent annually. The Gainesville MSA will maintain the lowest unemployment rate of the twelve studied, at 6.4 percent. The fastest growing sector in the area will be the Construction and Mining sector, with an average growth rate of 5.1 percent annually. This is followed by the Professional and Business Services sector with an average annual growth rate of 3.7 percent. State and Local Government, and Federal Government sectors will experience a decline, with annual growth rates of -0.2 and -3.3 respectively.
Quick Facts: • Metro population estimate of 266,369 as of July 1, 2011 (U.S. Census Bureau). • Alachua County population estimate of 247,418 as of July 1, 2011 (U.S. Census Bureau). • Gilchrist County population estimate of 17,004 as of July 1, 2011 (U.S. Census Bureau). • A civilian labor force of 137,753 in April 2012 for the Metro area (Florida Department of Economic Opportunity). • An unemployment rate of 6.3% not seasonally adjusted for the entire Metro. This amounts to 8,691 unemployed people (Florida Department of Economic Opportunity). Top Area Employers: • University of Florida – 14,723 employees • Shands HealthCare – 12,588 employees
Metro News Summaries
• Malcom Randall VA Medical Center – 4,317 employees
Mayor Lowe talks up Gainesville in Washington, D.C.
• Alachua County School Board – 4,299 employees • City of Gainesville – 2,200 employees • Publix Super Markets, Inc. – 2,056 employees • North Florida Regional Medical Center – 1,700 employees • Nationwide Insurance – 1,300 employees • Alachua County Government – 1,120 employees • Santa Fe Community College - 796 employees Source: City of Gainesville, 2011
• On April 18, there was a roundtable discussion which was named, “Perspectives from the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Creating Jobs and Growing Businesses through Entrepreneurship.”
• Lowe’s role was informing the group on how local governments can foster growth for entrepreneurs. He shared how UF was part of a joint effort with Innovation Hub and Innovation Square. • His ideas may later be included in later legislation.
Source: Gainesville.com, April 18, 2012
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Florida & Metro Forecast - July 2012