Florida’s December 2021 economic data outpaced the nation in job growth during the same time period, according to a new Florida Economic Indicator data set released on Friday. The latest numbers mark 20 consecutive months of job growth for The Sunshine State and 14 consecutive months of labor force increases.

Florida businesses created 479,300 total jobs increasing by 5.6 percent over the year, faster than the national job growth rate of 4.5 percent. Florida’s 14 months of labor force growth has resulted in a larger labor force than that of Feb. 2020, previous to the pandemic. In the past year, Florida’s labor force has grown by 6.1 percent, which is more than six times faster than the nation.

“Month after month, the data continues to show that freedom first economic policies create jobs and keep our economy moving,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Our new businesses and workforce growth show that Floridians have the opportunities they need to thrive. We will continue to lead the nation in economic growth because we value the individual freedoms of Floridians and protect the ability for our citizens to succeed.”

All of Florida’s major industries have continued to gain jobs over the year. This includes construction; trade, transportation, and utilities; financial activities; and professional and businesses services. Additionally, Florida’s unemployment rate remained low, decreasing by 0.1 percentage point to 4.4 percent over the month.

The industries gaining jobs in December were comprised of leisure and hospitality (+142,600 jobs, +14.3 percent); trade, transportation, and utilities (+91,300 jobs, +5.2 percent), professional and business services (+73,800 jobs, +5.4 percent), education and health services (+51,900 jobs, +4.0 percent), other services (+31,500 jobs, +9.8 percent), financial activities (+30,400 jobs, +5.1 percent), construction (+20,400 jobs, +3.6 percent), total government (+18,100 jobs, +1.7 percent), information (+10,200 jobs, +8.0 percent), and manufacturing (+9,000 jobs, +2.4 percent).

“Governor DeSantis continues to prioritize investments in industries that further diversify our state’s economy,” said Secretary Dane Eagle of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. “Floridians have remained confident in their ability to find good jobs to continue providing for their families and enhancing their quality of life. Along with Governor DeSantis, I remain committed to continuing to make Florida an attractive state for business and workforce growth for years to come.”

Miami-Dade County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in December(1.4 percent), followed by Monroe County (2.1 percent), St. Johns County (2.5 percent), and Collier County (2.7 percent), while Putnam County had the highest unemployment rate (5.2 percent), followed by Hamilton County (5.1 percent), Citrus County, Highlands County, and Sumter County (4.7 percent each).