07/24/2026
The Sunshine State’s $1.8 trillion economy is now ranked No. 14 globally, according to new data from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. After 6.3% growth over the past year, Florida has passed Australia and Mexico. It sits just behind South Korea and would need about 2% more growth to overtake it — or roughly 21% to crack the top 10 ahead of Canada.
Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson puts it plainly: lower taxes, streamlined regulations, and free enterprise are the formula. “The best way to help America move forward is to have Florida lead the country forward when it comes to free enterprise and freedom. If we would follow Florida’s lead, everyone wins.”
While daily population inflows have settled at 500–600 people, the wealth migration remains blistering — more than $4 million every hour. Florida leads the nation in new business startups and manufacturing job growth, with strong momentum in aerospace, defense, fintech, healthcare, logistics, and Central Florida’s $11.6 billion modeling-and-simulation sector.
Wilson credits a 20-year, coordinated push from the governor’s office, the legislature, and the business community. Florida also carries the lowest state debt per capita in America — under $1,000 per resident — compared with more than $6,500 in New York.
The contrast with high-tax, high-regulation states is sharp. Wilson calls places like New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, and California “death spiral” states that keep raising taxes and driving people, businesses, and capital out. Meanwhile, Florida keeps attracting both.
The chamber’s Florida 2030 Blueprint aims to push the state into the world’s top 10 economies by the end of the decade, focusing on life sciences, defense, ag-tech, commercial space, logistics, and cybersecurity.
Florida isn’t just competing with other states anymore. It’s competing with entire countries and winning.