{"schema_version": 1, "id": "jacksonville-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 186, "label": "Jacksonville, FL MSA", "slug": "jacksonville-fl-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:40:20.868647+00:00", "headline": "Jacksonville job growth flatlines as workforce quietly shrinks.", "headline_summary": "Jacksonville added just 500 net jobs over the past year and resident employment fell 1.1%, even as Duval County's unemployment ticked down to 4.9% in August.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro net job growth (12-mo)", "value": "0.1%", "context": "500 jobs added vs Florida's 0.6% statewide pace"}, {"label": "Duval County unemployment", "value": "4.9%", "context": "Up from 4.2% a year ago; state is 4.5%"}, {"label": "Resident employment change", "value": "-1.1%", "context": "8,848 fewer employed residents, year-over-year"}, {"label": "Florida minimum wage (effective 9/30)", "value": "$15.00/hr", "context": "Up from $14.00; tipped wage to $11.98"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Jacksonville's job growth has effectively stalled, not collapsed.", "body": "Net nonfarm job additions of just 500 over twelve months (0.1% growth) sit well below the statewide 0.6% pace, suggesting the metro is plateauing rather than contracting outright. That distinction matters for how press and officials characterize local momentum this fall."}, {"headline": "Resident labor force shrinkage is the quieter story.", "body": "Resident employment fell 1.1% (down 8,848 people) through June even as unemployment ticked down slightly \u2014 a pattern consistent with people leaving the labor force rather than a strengthening job market. Falling participation alongside flat job creation complicates a simple 'unemployment is improving' narrative."}, {"headline": "Government and finance are the metro's soft spots, not its story.", "body": "Government shed 2,400 jobs and financial activities lost 4,000 over the year, echoing the national trend of white-collar and public-sector softness. Education and health services (+4.8%) more than offsets this, underscoring how sector mix \u2014 not headline unemployment \u2014 now drives the local reading."}, {"headline": "Minimum wage increase lands amid a cooling, not overheating, market.", "body": "Florida's minimum wage rises to $15.00 (then $16.00 after the 2026 adjustment) effective September 30, arriving as metro job growth has nearly flatlined. The timing means the wage floor is rising into a labor market with less hiring pressure than a year ago, worth watching for its effect on lower-wage retail and food-service pay dynamics already showing isolated softness."}], "local_conditions": "Jacksonville's unemployment rate eased slightly to 4.9% in Duval County in August, but the metro has added just 500 net jobs over the prior twelve months \u2014 effectively flat growth that marks a sharp deceleration from the pace seen a year ago. Education and health services (+4.8%) and professional and business services (+2.0%) are carrying the local economy while financial activities (-4,000 jobs) and government (-2,400 jobs) contract, a divergence that mirrors the national split between hands-on service growth and white-collar retrenchment.", "implications": "Flat net job creation alongside a shrinking resident labor force (-1.1% year-over-year) points to a local economy that is neither expanding capacity nor losing it wholesale \u2014 a plateau rather than a downturn, which has different implications for commercial investment timing than an active contraction would. Government payroll losses and financial-sector softness suggest public-sector stability should not be assumed uniformly across the metro's six-county footprint, even as healthcare and business services continue to anchor momentum. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or site-location decisions should consider weighting sector-specific trajectories \u2014 healthcare and professional services versus government and finance \u2014 rather than relying on a single metro-wide hiring signal.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether Duval County's modest unemployment improvement (4.9% in August, down from July) persists into fall reporting or reflects seasonal noise, given the metro's weak underlying job growth."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Florida's minimum wage step-up to $15.00 on September 30, with tipped wages to $11.98, is a concrete test of whether lower-wage sectors absorb the increase without hiring slowdowns in retail and food service locally."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Government and financial-sector job losses locally track a national pattern; any additional WARN notices in Northeast Florida tied to these sectors would confirm this is structural rather than a one-time adjustment."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Resident labor force decline (-8,848 year-over-year) deserves monitoring alongside participation data \u2014 a shrinking workforce base, even with low unemployment, constrains the pool available to support metro growth ambitions."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26919.0, "metro_p50": 32240.0, "metro_p75": 35601.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26344.0, "metro_p50": 30160.0, "metro_p75": 32169.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31092.0, "metro_p50": 35652.6, "metro_p75": 37648.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 53097.5, "metro_p50": 75400.0, "metro_p75": 85800.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30261.0, "metro_p50": 33020.0, "metro_p75": 37371.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32934.0, "metro_p50": 38586.2, "metro_p75": 43680.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54315.5, "metro_p50": 63176.8, "metro_p75": 69463.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32240.0, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 39520.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34093.0, "metro_p50": 39029.0, "metro_p75": 43385.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28481.75, "metro_p50": 30963.4, "metro_p75": 31972.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32275.0, "metro_p50": 36321.2, "metro_p75": 38480.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33923.0, "metro_p50": 41572.0, "metro_p75": 44398.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 57200.0, "metro_p50": 67600.0, "metro_p75": 73035.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 75313.0, "metro_p50": 87056.0, "metro_p75": 94647.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 112496.5, "metro_p50": 135487.0, "metro_p75": 153000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 98721.5, "metro_p50": 130962.0, "metro_p75": 144326.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59226.0, "metro_p50": 68750.4, "metro_p75": 80730.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72800.0, "metro_p50": 90000.0, "metro_p75": 96950.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58380.0, "metro_p50": 65725.0, "metro_p75": 70000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 50718.0, "metro_p50": 67773.2, "metro_p75": 76315.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55736.0, "metro_p50": 58611.0, "metro_p75": 74909.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34361.0, "metro_p50": 50000.0, "metro_p75": 54203.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62797.0, "metro_p50": 87500.0, "metro_p75": 100000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 61238.0, "metro_p50": 72000.0, "metro_p75": 75000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80857.0, "metro_p50": 95732.0, "metro_p75": 105000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 61179.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 73665.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 36073.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 61500.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 77950.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 73935.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 62485.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 53153.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 33280.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 65035.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "jacksonville-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "jacksonville-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "jacksonville-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T13:51:53.002403+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/jacksonville-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/jacksonville-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}