The city also passed one million mark for population for first time in 2024
The city of Jacksonville, Florida, has long been ranked as the top city in the continental U.S. for total land area, but it is also the driving force behind one of the fastest metropolitan area expansions in the country.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data that places Jacksonville as one of the top U.S. metropolitan areas for numeric population increase between July 2023 and July 2024. The city’s population increased by 16,365 people during that period, just behind Seattle and just ahead of Miami. The city also crossed the one million population mark for the first time, narrowly edging out Fort Worth, Texas, by just over 1,700 people and placing 10th on the list of the most populous cities in the nation.
Population growth in the region is not restricted to the city of Jacksonville itself. Across the broader Jacksonville metropolitan area, Oxford Economics estimates that net in-migration in 2024 totaled 31,700 people, and another 20,500 new residents are expected by the end of 2025. Over a longer time horizon, net in-migration through 2029 is forecast to total more than 97,000.
Leading Area for Job Growth
The First Coast region has been a draw in recent years for several reasons. It has posted steady employment and GDP growth in multiple sectors, particularly within the finance, tourism and hospitality, and construction sectors.
The region also has a growing fintech sector and is home to companies including FIS, Nymbus and Black Knight. Furthermore, the region has a higher share of construction, and wholesale and retail employment than the nation as a whole, though it has a smaller share of manufacturing and information employment.
The strength of the local economy, quality of life factors and a relatively affordable housing market have fueled population expansion in this area. U.S. News & World Report ranked Jacksonville as the #7 Best Big U.S. City to Live in May 2025, and the Wall Street Journal and Moody’s Analytics named it as having the second strongest job market in the nation. The ranking was based on unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, job growth, labor force growth and wage growth. The city ranked behind Salt Lake City but ahead of both Orlando and Tampa. It also led the U.S. in the year-over-year increase in its labor force from 2022 to 2023 on a percentage basis.
Additionally, Search Logistics ranked Jacksonville the top city for young entrepreneurs in November 2024, and Wallet Hub named it the fourth best city in the U.S. to start a business.
What Lies Ahead
While the pace of population growth in the First Coast region has significantly outpaced the nation in recent years, it has been moderating since 2023. That year, it grew by 2.5% compared to 0.8% for the U.S., but it slowed to 2.2% in 2024 and is expected to decelerate further to 1.7% in 2025.
Looking ahead, Oxford Economics projects that the pace of population will continue to slow compared to recent highs but will still expand by an average of 1.3% per year over the next five years through 2029. GDP growth over that period is projected to be in line with the Miami area but behind the pace of the nearby Orlando market.
GDP growth in 2023 totaled $130 billion, and Oxford Economics projects that the economy expanded by another 3.6% in 2024 with an expected pace of annual growth of 4.6% from 2025 through 2029.