Jacksonville has the second-hottest job market in the country, according to an analysis from The Wall Street Journal and Moody's Analytics — jumping three spots from the area's No. 5 showing last year.
This is the fifth year the newspaper has conducted the analysis, which ranks areas based on unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, job growth, labor force growth and wage growth. This year's ranking is based on 2022 data.
The First Coast came in only behind Salt Lake City in the study and led a slate of other Sunshine State metro areas, with Orlando at No. 3, Tampa at No. 4 and Miami at No. 6. Oklahoma City squeezed in at No. 5.
While Tampa and Miami both outclassed Jacksonville when it came to wage growth, and Austin had the largest labor force participation rate, Jacksonville led the country's large metros in the increase in the size of its labor force.
Jacksonville's strong showing is a result of companies ranging from corporate offices to warehouses relocating from the Northeastern corridor to Jacksonville, the Wall Street Journal said.
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