Situated along the south Florida coastline, Miami has traditionally relied on a strong tourism and resort economy.
As early as the 1920’s the emerging airline industry played a strong role in contributing to the growing number of tourists who claimed the city has a hot spot.
While Miami still maintains a strong connection to its tourist industry, in the last twenty years; that trend has begun to shift until Miami is now positioned to be more diversified than ever. That diversified economy includes strong industries such as:
Miami’s position as the largest urban area in Florida has contributed to its diversification. The city is the home to a variety of some 68,000 different companies, including Fortune 500 companies, multinationals, mid-sized companies and small firms.
Public sector employers include Miami-Dade Public Schools, which employ over 54,000 people and Miami-Dade County, employing over 32,000 employees. The Federal Government and Florida State Government both employ between 18,000 and 20,000 employees each while Jackson Memorial Hospital employs almost 12,000 people.
Services, trade and manufacturing have been the anchoring industries in Miami for quite some time. In the last year alone, the Miami-Dade area has added over 23,000 jobs. Throughout the last two years, Miami has seen the most job growth in the following sectors: construction, non-durable goods manufacturing, wholesale trade, general merchandise, broadcasting, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality.
This sector includes jobs such as advertising, building services, computer processing services and personnel supply services. The latter has primarily fueled the growth within this sector.
Financial and professional services as well as the hospitality industry have also seen growth during this time period. Durable goods manufacturing, air transportation and wired telecommunications carriers have seen job losses within the last two years.
The Miami area also has a
strong connection to international trade and is often referred to as
“Gateway to the Americas.” 500 multinational
companies make their home in the Miami-Dade area,
serving North, South and Central America in addition to Europe, Asia,
Australia, Africa and the Caribbean. The presence of such multinational
activity makes for a strong import-export climate with billions flowing
in and out of the Miami area. With more than 150 financial institutions
and upwards of $61 billion in deposits, Miami has the largest
concentration of banks south of New York.
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| by Roger Clark |
The large influx of multi-cultural residents through the 1960’s, many of whom were Cuban and Latin American, added to the city’s multi-cultural flavor; positioning it to become a favorite tourist location for international visitors.

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| by Roger Clark |