The latest Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data shows that Leon County economy ranks 37th among the 67 Florida counties in job growth from 2019 to 2025. The data also shows that 2025 Leon County annual wages ranked 13th in Florida.
The analysis below provides a comparison between Leon County and a peer group that includes 11 other counties. For comparison purposes, the peer group includes counties that produced between 100,000 and 200,000 jobs in 2019.
Leon County Added 12,000 jobs Since 2019
Leon County added more than 12,000 jobs over the past six years, ending 2025 with an average of 165,332 jobs. The pace of employment growth (7.67%) ranked 7th in the peer group of ten counties. See table below.
Among the 11 peer counties included in the comparison, Alachua County (4.99%), Escambia County (5.97%) and Seminole County (6.64%) recorded lower growth rates than Leon County.
The strongest performers were Pasco County, which added 28,535 jobs for a 23.44% increase, followed by Marion County at 15.15%, Collier County at 13.79%, Sarasota County at 12.92% and Manatee County at 11.93%. Lake County also posted double-digit growth at 17,314 jobs, or 17.09%.
Statewide, Florida employers added more than 1.03 million jobs during the period, an increase of 11.68%.
The gap narrows somewhat when looking only at the post-pandemic period from 2022 to 2025. During those three years, Leon County added 9,452 jobs, representing 6.06% employment growth.
That growth matched the statewide average of 6.03% but still ranked below six of the peer counties. Pasco again led the group with 11.22% growth, followed by Manatee (9.20%), Lake (8.56%), Collier (7.83%), Sarasota (7.71%) and Marion (7.45%). Leon outperformed Volusia (4.69%), Alachua (3.85%), Escambia (3.26%) and Seminole (3.00%).
The data suggest Leon County has experienced steady job gains but has not kept pace with many of Florida’s fastest-growing counties over the longer six-year period. However, its performance since 2022 indicates the county’s labor market has largely kept pace with statewide employment growth as Florida’s economy has continued to expand following the pandemic.
Leon County wage growth ranks among Florida’s strongest
While Leon County has trailed some of its Florida peer counties in overall job growth since 2019, workers have experienced one of the stronger increases in wages over the same period. The QCEW data shows that Leon County economy ranks 13th among the 67 Florida counties in annual wages in 2025. From 2019-25, Leon County wages grew 39.6%, which ranks 22 among the 67 counties. The table below lists the top 20 Florida counties ranked by 2025 annual wage.
Among the 10 peer counties in the comparison, Leon ranked fifth in wage growth. See table below, which display the counties ranked by the 2025 annual wage.
Florida’s average annual wage climbed from $51,744 in 2019 to $72,732 in 2025, an increase of 40.6%. Leon County’s 39.6% increase was just one percentage point below the statewide average.
Only four peer counties recorded stronger wage growth than Leon. Manatee County led the group with a 43.3% increase, followed by Pasco County at 42.1%, Sarasota County at 41.6% and Collier County at 40.1%.
Leon County outperformed Lake County (38.5%), Marion County (38.0%), Escambia County (37.0%), Volusia County (36.2%), Seminole County (35.6%) and Alachua County (34.5%).
Leon ranked in the middle of the peer group for wage growth with average annual wage of $64,947 ranked behind Collier County ($70,215), Seminole County ($68,003), Sarasota County ($67,589), Alachua County ($66,042) and the statewide average of $72,732.
The comparison suggests Leon County’s labor market has produced steady wage gains even as employment growth has lagged many of Florida’s faster-growing counties. Workers saw average annual pay increase by more than $18,400 over the six-year period, reflecting continued upward pressure on wages despite more modest job creation than many of the state’s high-growth markets.
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