Florida lands 19 cities among nation’s top boomtowns
Florida placed 19 cities among SmartAsset’s top 75 U.S. boomtowns, led by Palm Coast, North Port and Palm Bay, based on housing, workforce and economic growth.
Florida has more of the nation’s fastest-growing “boomtowns” than any other state, with communities from Palm Coast to South Florida showing strong gains in housing, workers and economic activity, according to a new SmartAsset analysis.
Florida landed 19 cities among the 75 highest-ranked nationally, edging Texas, which had 18. Palm Coast ranked No. 6 overall – the highest of any Florida city – followed by North Port at No. 12 and Palm Bay at No. 14.
SmartAsset analyzed more than 400 U.S. cities with populations above 65,000, looking at changes from 2019 to 2024 in housing units, labor force size and county-level real gross domestic product. The company said boomtown status reflects “a city’s expanding economic capacity and the new opportunities that come with it.”
Florida’s highest-ranking cities were:
- Palm Coast, No. 6: Housing units increased 27%, the labor force grew 21% and real GDP grew at a 6.7% annual rate.
- North Port, No. 12: Housing units jumped 42% and the labor force increased 78%, the largest workforce gain among Florida cities on the list.
- Palm Bay, No. 14: Housing units grew 19% and the labor force increased 27%.
- Fort Myers, No. 20: Housing units rose 21% while the labor force grew 42%.
- Cape Coral, No. 22: Housing units increased 30% and the labor force grew 22%.
Other Florida cities making the list included West Palm Beach, Doral, Homestead, Lauderhill, Daytona Beach, Tampa, Jacksonville, Deerfield Beach, Lakeland, Kissimmee, Orlando, Tamarac, Melbourne and Pompano Beach.
SmartAsset cautioned that rapid growth does not necessarily benefit everyone equally, but the rankings show where housing construction, workforce expansion and economic growth are moving together.
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