Tourism and marine commerce are Fort Lauderdale's primary economic factors. Spring Break, recreation and cruise ships bring a vast number of tourists to the city. The economy is bolstered by the yacht manufacturing and the yacht maintenance businesses. The boating industry provides over 130,000 jobs in the region.
Fort Lauderdale has diversified its economy by developing industries such as manufacturing, insurance, finance, avionics/aerospace and high technology. Fort Lauderdale is at the forefront of the "Internet Coast" which includes over 6,000 high-technology companies. Healthcare, accommodation and food services and education are also significant providers of employment.
Fort Lauderdale offers an attractive business environment. Fort Lauderdale is regarded as an international business center. Global Commerce has a significant role in the economy. The regions culturally diverse population provides global companies with a multilingual workforce. In addition, the downtown area is home to numerous corporate headquarters.
The major private sector employers in the Fort Lauderdale region are shown below:
- Tenet Healthcare
- American Express
- The Continental Group
- Motorola
- Maxim Integrated Products
- Motorola
- JM Family Enterprises
- Nova Southeastern University
- Bank of America
- Sun-Sentinel
- Holy Cross Medical Group
- University Hospital
- Ed Morse Automotive Group
- DHL Express
- AutoNation
- Citrix Systems
- National Beverage Corporation
- Spirit Airlines
- Bank Atlantic
- Citicorp
- Galaxy Latin America
- Microsoft Latin America
- Hewlett-Packard
- Republic Industries
- Motorola Latin America
- Voicestream Wireless
- Spherion Corporation
Shown below are the primary public sector employers:
- Broward County School District
- Broward County Government
- Memorial Healthcare System
- North Broward Hospital District
- City of Fort Lauderdale
Some of the occupations more common in Fort Lauderdale when compared to most cities include motorboat mechanics, transportation workers, roofers, real estate brokers, dental laboratory technicians, counselors, baggage porters and bellhops
Noteworthy information regarding Fort Lauderdale: The city has been ranked #7 by Inc Magazine for best places for doing business. In 2007 the estimated median household income was $52,000. In 2008 the cost of living index was at 122.3 which is high when compared to the country's average of 100. For the population over the age of 25, about 28% have a bachelor's degree or better.
Fort Lauderdale companies have access to business organizations such as:
The South Florida-Sun Sentinel offers up-to-date information regarding the business activities in Fort Lauderdale.