Florida Leads Nation in Skilled Job Growth
The state topped Lightcast’s 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard for the third time in a decade, driven by its focus on workforce education and high-demand job training.
MIAMI — When it comes to growth in the skilled employee population, Florida is No. 1, again.
According to Lightcast's Talent Attraction Scorecard for 2025, Florida ranks the highest, with several local cities helping drive the state to the top. It's the state's third consecutive time at the top spot in the past decade. Texas, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada round out the top five.
The scorecard evaluated all 50 states and more than 900 metropolitan and micropolitan areas across seven equally weighted components including overall job and college growth, regional competitiveness, attraction of earners and attraction of prime-age talent (ages 25-54).
Lightcast, a labor market data agency, issued its Scorecard for 2025 and said Florida has claimed the top slot every year since 2023; the rankings debuted in 2015.
"Florida set an ambitious goal to be number one in workforce education by 2030 and we continue to march towards this achievement," Gov. Ron DeSantis said. "We're not just preparing for the future, we're ahead of schedule, building a workforce ready for high-demand, high-wage careers today."
Seven Florida cities or metropolitan areas were ranked in the top 10 among municipalities, including the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area at No. 3, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford at No. 4, and Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin at No. 5. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota finished at No. 7 and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was No. 8.
Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly said Florida has gone out of its way to develop and expand its workforce with qualified talent.
"Under Gov. DeSantis' leadership, we're creating opportunities for both job seekers and job creators through a strong focus on education and workforce training," Kelly said. "Florida continues to lead the nation with an economy where workforce and talent development are a priority to our success as we continue to build a future full of opportunity for anyone ready to grow and succeed here in the free state of Florida."
Josh Wright, executive vice president of growth at Lightcast, said the agency measures all aspects of companies and cities' skilled employment growth to determine the top spots.
"A decade ago, talent attraction was emerging as a new concept in economic development," said Wright "Today, it's become the foundation of regional competitiveness. With demographic shifts, remote work and evolving worker preferences reshaping the landscape, data-driven talent strategies aren't just helpful, they're essential for community survival and growth."
Lightcast presented the Scorecard and other data on September 16 at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Annual Conference in Detroit, offering attendees an inside look at the newest trends shaping US talent mobility.
Wright was joined by Cecelia Thompson, Executive Director at Action Greensboro, to share new findings on migration, education, and job growth trends and how to turn those insights into action.
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