Researchers at Open the Books (OTB) took a closer look at which locations are the most popular destinations for families moving to a new county.
OTB researched information on 2,315 counties using data published by the IRS.
Data research shows that more consumers are leaving urban areas with large government institutions in favor of counties with smaller government institutions.
In most cases, counties with higher levels of government with more government employees had higher poverty rates, and counties with lower levels of government were wealthier.
Across counties nationwide, eight Florida counties ranked among the top in net growth, measured by county size relative to number of government employees.
First place went to Lake County.
Pinellas County was third, followed by Manatee County.
In sixth place was Pasco County. Sarasota was eighth.
followed by Lee County and Palm Beach County.
OTB reported that Palm Beach County had only 39 government employees per 1,000 residents. Pasco County’s case count is even lower at 25.
OTB said Palm Beach County benefits from sunny skies, no income taxes and a low density of government employees. Despite being an urban center, nearby Miami-Dade County still has relatively few government employees per 1,000 residents (49, about 10 fewer than the average county).
“We typically measure migration by counting how many people leave. But that is only part of the picture,” an excerpt from the report reads. “When people move, they don’t just relocate; they take with them their income, spending power, and economic impact,” the report says.
