Florida's manufacturing sector is a $86.6 billion industry that ranks sixth in the nation in the value of exported manufactured goods, employs more than 434,000 workers, and contributes 4.62 percent of the state's GDP — quietly outpacing both tourism and agriculture. Anchored by aerospace, defense, and space manufacturing firms along the Space Coast corridor, including global names like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SpaceX, and Raytheon, the industry also produces medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage products, and recreational boats. The sector offers high wages with low educational barriers: eleven of the fifteen largest manufacturing occupations require only a high school diploma or equivalent, with an average annual salary of $87,000. Modernized working conditions — built around computer-based tasks and precision environments — have made manufacturing jobs increasingly comparable to traditional white-collar work.

Manufacturing is one of Florida’s leading industries and a key driver of job growth and economic strength, contributing more than $80 billion to Florida’s annual GDP. With more than 27,000 manufacturers—most of them small businesses with fewer than 20 employees—Florida’s manufacturing sector supports more than 430,000 high-wage jobs, with average salaries exceeding $78,000.

For more than 60 years, Florida’s Space Coast—anchored by Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS)—has served as a premier gateway to space, driving tourism, high-tech jobs, and statewide economic output. After major federal program shifts in the 2010s led to significant regional job losses, Florida’s modern commercial-space resurgence—supported by Space Florida’s strategy to diversify the supply chain, modernize infrastructure, and attract private capital—has positioned the Space Coast to lead the next era of aerospace growth.

NSU generated an estimated $293.1 million in state and local taxes within the Tri-County region in FY 2024-25 and an estimated $305.1 million in state and local taxes in FY 2024-25.

Goodwill’s Economic and Workforce Impact in Florida: FY 2024 quantifies how the Florida Goodwill Association and its nine territories convert donated goods and mission-driven operations into jobs, higher earnings, and stronger local economies across the state. Using FY 2024 operational, employment, and capital spending data and the IMPLAN input-output model, Florida TaxWatch estimates that Goodwill generated $1.52 billion in total economic output, added $893.9 million to Florida’s GDP, and supported 21,471 jobs statewide.