JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville is booming! That’s the conclusion of Lending Tree, an online financial marketplace that conducted an analysis of the nation’s 50 biggest metros in categories of people and housing, work and earnings, and business and economy.
The city ranked No. 7 overall among America’s biggest boomtowns in LendingTree’s 2026 report, an analysis of cities that found the city’s 5.6% recent workforce growth was the nation’s highest.
LendingTree experts conducted the analysis to learn more about where Americans are moving, building and starting businesses, ranking largest metros in categories of people and housing, work and earnings, and business and economy.
In the people and housing category, Jacksonville ranked No. 4 because of its population growth between 2023 and 2024. It tabulated the combined percentage of the population that moved from another county, state or country in 2023 and 2024, and the change in the number of housing units between 2023 and 2024.
Jacksonville ranked No. 12 in the work and earnings category because in part of a 5.6% increase in workforce, the highest amongst the cities that LendingTree analyzed.
The figure was determined after analysts compared the change in the number of people in the labor force from 2023 to 2024.
To determine the findings for the entire category, analysts also looked at the change in the unemployment rate between annual averages for 2023 and 2024, and the change in median earnings between 2023 and 2024.
“People are voting with their feet and moving to Jacksonville in droves because our city is a great place to live, raise a family, and start a business,” said Mayor Donna Deegan. “This recognition is further proof that we are a city on the move with a booming economy, talented workforce, and high quality of life.”
Eight of the 10 highest-ranked metros were in the South, including Jacksonville. Earlier this year, WalletHub recognized Jacksonville as both the “best-run city in Florida” and the “3rd‑best large U.S. city to start a business.”
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