The tourism industry is one of the most important providers of jobs in Florida. The state’s abundant sunshine and numerous beaches and amusement parks have made it a popular destination for vacationers worldwide. The Sunshine State is America’s dominant producer of citrus fruit, and agriculture vies with tourism as a leading source of Florida jobs. More than 50% of all sugarcane, grapefruit, tangerines and oranges produced in the U.S. come from Florida. Aerospace, phosphate mining, finance and biotechnology are also key industries for the Florida economy.

Tourism and international banking and finance are the major industry sectors in Miami, the largest city in the South FL metro area. Location is a critical factor in the creation of Miami jobs; its proximity to South America makes it a major port of entry for cargo, and hundreds of U.S. corporations run their Latin American operations out of Miami. Though conventions and tourism drive the creation of service-sector jobs in Orlando, Florida, manufacturing, biotechnology and software have become increasingly important for the city’s economic growth. At the opposite end of the state, Jacksonville is not just one of the most populous cities in the U.S.; it was also named by Forbes as one of the top 3 American cities to relocate to for work. Jacksonville jobs are evenly distributed between such diverse sectors as manufacturing, transportation, aviation, entertainment and import/export.