Demographic Profile
DEMOGRAPHICS POPULATION Lee County Florida U.S. 2021 Projection 760,981 21,436,087 337,326,118 2016 685,683 20,108,440 323,745,538 2010 618,763 18,801,310 308,745,538 2000 440,884 15,982,377 281,421,942 POPULATION OF LEE COUNTY S MAJOR CITIES CAPE CORAL-FORT MYERS #1 FASTEST-GROWING METRO AREA IN AMERICA Source: Forbes Source: ESRI Cape Coral City of Fort Myers Bonita Springs Estero 2021 Projection Cape 189,881 Coral City 90,224 90yers Bo55,ngs 55,444 38,324 Estero 20152016 Estimate 166,508 172,131 72,395 79,418 49,403 30,118 33,619 2010 154,305 157,482 62,298 67,327 43,857 43,892 27,746 28,343 2000 104,433 53,735 33,058 10,582 Beaches Beaches 26,787 34,800 72,395 23,421 62,2 23,268 Unincorporated Unincorporated 360,321 316,312 72,395 298,298 62,29 215,808 POPULATION GROWTH RATES 50 40 30 Source: ESRI 40 Lee County Florida U.S. 3X 2016 AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME $72,960 # of Lee County Households: 285,576 20 10 18 10 11 11 7 7 5 4 2000-10 2010-16 2016-21 YEARS # of Florida Households: 7,994,749 # of U.S. Households: 122,265,437 Source: ESRI $67,858 $77,135 AGE DISTRIBUTION 18.7% 0-17 Years Old 11.2% 18.1% 18-34 Years Old 35-54 Years Old 15.7% 13.8% 22.6% 55-64 Years Old 65-74 Years Old 75+ Years Old Source: ESRI
TALENT CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE % CHANGE 2010-16 LEE COUNTY FLORIDA U.S. 17.1 % 7.6 % 3.4 % EMPLOYMENT (AVERAGE ANNUAL) LEE COUNTY FLORIDA U.S. 26 % 14 % 9 % UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (AVERAGE ANNUAL) LEE COUNTY FLORIDA U.S. 4.85 % 4.9 % 4.8 % Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics WORKERS IN LEE COUNTY March 2016 331,666 HOW FLORIDA RANKS IN THE 50 STATES FOR BUSINESS OVERALL Economy Infrastructure Access to Capital Workforce Technology STATE RANKING # 10 # 4 # 10 # 14 # 14 # 17 Source: CNBC America s Top States for Business 2016 GROWING INDUSTRY SECTORS Average employment, Q3 2016 25,585 HEALTH CARE & SOCIAL ASSISTANCE 25,438 CONSTRUCTION 16,772 ADMINISTRATIVE & WASTE SERVICES 6,714 WHOLESALE TRADE 6,462 ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION 5,877 FINANCE AND INSURANCE 5,711 MANUFACTURING 1,281 PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL SERVICES Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
EMPLOYMENT LEE COUNTY MAJOR EMPLOYERS 11,800 Lee Memorial Health System 4,995 Lee County BOCC 1,426 Chico s Fas Inc. 1,253 Florida Gulf Coast University 1,011 Shell Point Retirement Community 1,152 Gartner 948 Florida Southwestern State College 710 Alorica 713 Hertz 611 Radiology Regional Center 711 WCI Communities 437 Leesar Source: Lee County Economic Development TAXES & LABOR LEGISLATION $1.82 Workers Compensation Per $100 Source: State of Florida.59% - 5.4% Unemployment Insurance rate (avg. existing employers) YES YES Labor Legislation Employment at will? Right to Work legislation 5.5% 6% NO State Taxes Corporate Income Sales and Use Personal income
TRANSPORTATION & ACCESS DRIVING DISTANCE STRATEGICALLY LOCATED Lee County is conveniently located on Florida s southwest coast, positioned midway between Miami and Tampa on Interstate 75, making traveling for business and pleasure a breeze.
PORT ACCESS AIRPORTS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (RSW) Located in Fort Myers NONSTOP SERVICE offered to major gateways throughout the United States as well as Canada and Germany CLASS A Port of Entry with customs services on-site TOP 50 RSW ranks among the top 50 airports for passenger traffic in the U.S. 12,000 FT. LONG RUNWAY 108,727 AIRCRAFTS served in 2016 14 8 AIR CARRIERS WITH HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS DAILY MILLION+ PASSENGERS SERVED ANNUALLY PAGE FIELD (FMY): Located 5 miles from downtown Fort Myers Base Operations at Page Field ranks in the top 10% of fixed based operators according to Aviation International News Base Operations at Page Field - a premier full-service FBO on-site One of the busiest general aviation airports in Florida
EDUCATION 2016/17 SCHOOL YEAR The School District of Lee County is 10th-largest district in Florida and the 33rd-largest school district in the United States. The school system proudly educates more than 90,000 students in grades K-12 and the District is a model for others in the state and nation - from the Microsoft Certified High School (Dunbar High) to the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence (The Sanibel School) to one of the top IB High Schools in the world (Fort Myers High). NUMBER OF SCHOOLS & ENROLLMENT Lee County Residents with Associates Degree and up 35.2 % Source: ESRI 49 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ENROLLED: 38,823 17 MIDDLE SCHOOLS 27 15 HIGH SCHOOLS NON TRADITIONAL ENROLLED: 16,323 ENROLLED: 26,977 ENROLLED: 9,391 Source: Lee County Public Schools POST SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS Florida Gulf Coast University Florida SouthWestern State College Total Enrollment (2015-2016) Total Degrees (2016) Source: Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida SouthWestern State College Certificate Associate degree Bachelor s degree Master s degree Doctorate 14,821 2,629 NA NA 2,331 269 29 15,389 2,681 301 2,102 278 NA NA ADDITIONAL FACTS: l 2015 graduates from the School District of Lee County earned $65 million in scholarship monies to attend colleges and universities across America l 8 schools received silver or bronze medals in the U.S. News Best High Schools rankings PRIVATE SCHOOL FACTS: 21 HIGH SCHOOLS ENROLLED: 3,455 43 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENROLLED: 5,970 34 PRE SCHOOL ENROLLED: 5,718 6 Sources: The School District of Lee County (http://www.leeschools.net/) US News Best High Schools (http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/florida/districts/lee-103042) Private schools (http://www.privateschoolreview.com/florida/lee-county)
QUALITY OF LIFE Commuting 2016 Source: Nielsen-Claritas 56% of the workforce has an average commute of less than 30 minutes $266,855 Housing Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census Median Home Value 2016 Climate Source: usclimatedata.com Average high 85 F Average low 65 F 30 more sunny days than U.S. average COST OF LIVING INDEX Cape Coral-Fort Myers Dallas Minneapolis Miami Chicago 97 100 106 111 118 50+ MILES of white-sand beaches Boston New York Source: American Lung Association 148 228 Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA tied #1 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the county for Ozone WHY LIFE S GOOD IN LEE l Home to Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins spring training l 100 parks, beaches and wildlife refuges, including 6,400 preserved acres at JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island l The Edison & Ford Winter Estates boasts 20 acres of botanical gardens & nine historic buildings #1 SHELLING DESTINATION IN THE U.S. SANIBEL ISLAND (Travel & Leisure) 7
VISITOR-HOSPITALITY TRADE AND COMMERCE Visitor spending supports nearly 19% of Lee county s employment base with one out of every five local jobs tied to tourism. Tourism is vital to the success of our economy. VISITOR ATTRACTIONS TOTAL SPORTS IMPACT IN 2016 $67 MILLION EDISON FORD WINTER ESTATES SHELL FACTORY & NATURE PARK Visitors can enjoy 20 acres of historical buildings, beautiful gardens, Edison Botanic Research Lab and the Estates Museum. This attraction provides seasonal and local customers alike with a great place to shop, eat, and gather with friends. 5 MILLION PEOPLE VISITED LEE COUNTY IN 2016 $ 40 MILLION IN BED TAX COLLECTIONS IMAGINARIUM SCIENCE CENTER Here, guests are engaged in the exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through hands-on exhibit experiences and education programs. AVERAGE VISITOR IS 52 YEARS OLD WITH AN ANNUAL INCOME OF $99,900 THE GREAT CALUSA BLUEWAY LEE COUNTY MANATEE PARK A 190-mile marked canoe and kayak trail that meanders through the coastal water and inland tributaries of Lee County. This waterfront park provides paved trails, up-close views of manatees, an amphitheater and kayak rentals. DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING $3B ANNUALLY 67% OCCUPANCY RATE COCONUT POINT MALL Shoppers can enjoy a picturesque outdoor mall featuring over 140 stores all surrounded by several acres of lakes with a boardwalk. SPRING TRAINING ADDS MORE THAN $47 MILLION TO THE ECONOMY ANNUALLY OTHER VISITOR ATTRACTIONS < BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM < CALUSA NATURE CENTER & PLANETARIUM < J.N. DING DARLING WILDLIFE REFUGE < LAKES REGIONAL PARK < SIX MILE CYPRESS SLOUGH PRESERVE
CONTACT Lee County Economic Development Office 2201 Second Street, Suite 500, Fort Myers, FL 33901 Phone: (239) 338-3161 l www.leecountybusiness.com #WhereBusinessIsTrending @LeeCoEDO