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Downtown Update

By Hayley Princz

ccording to the latest Fort Lauderdale Downtown GDP Growth & High Earning Workforce
Development Authority Report, young professionals
Aaged 25-44 now make up half of Downtown Fort • Downtown Fort Lauderdale is driving South Florida’s
Lauderdale’s talent, exceeding Austin, Tampa, and Atlanta. growth with a 20% increase in economic output since 2019,
Furthermore, these young workers are accepting return-to- outpacing GDP growth in the Nashville and Tampa metro
office policies and embracing connectivity. areas.
Here’s a brief recap on how Fort Lauderdale is powering • Fort Lauderdale now has a strong concentration of high-
South Florida’s economy, defying national office trends and wage employment based downtown, outperforming Tampa,
housing powerhouse talent in a competitive job market. Nashville, and Austin.

The Booming Return to the Office Skills & Education
• Downtown Fort Lauderdale is the sole city (in comparison • Downtown’s residential growth showcases an unprecedented
with Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, and Dallas) with declining concentration of talent with half of residents now aged
office vacancy since the peak of the pandemic. between 25 and 44, exceeding downtowns such as Austin,
Tampa, and Atlanta.
• South Florida is leading the charge on return to work with
72% of employees back in the office compared to a national • 62% of downtown residents hold a bachelor’s degree or
average of 56%. higher, outperforming downtowns in Tampa and Atlanta.

• Connectivity is driving Fort Lauderdale’s success with 88% of Explore Fort Lauderdale – it’s an ideal breeding ground
employees living within 5 miles of their workplace back at the for major companies seeking top-tier talent and a thriving
office compared to 57% in Tampa and 45% in Austin. community. For more information, visit FTLDDA.org

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