The researchers at Open the Books (OTB) did a deep dive to find out which locations are among the most popular destinations for families who relocated to new counties.
OTB reviewed information on 2,315 counties using IRS-published data.
In their data discovery, they found that more consumers are leaving big-government urban areas and choosing counties with smaller government entities.
In most cases, high-government counties with more government employees had higher poverty rates, while low-government counties were more prosperous.
Across counties nationwide, 8 Florida counties made the top list for net growth, measured by county size relative to the number of government workers.
The top location was Lake County.
At number 3 was Pinellas County, followed by Manatee County.
Number 6 was Pasco County. Number 8 was Sarasota.
Then Lee County and Palm Beach County.
OTB reported that Palm Beach County has just 39 government workers per 1,000 residents. Pasco County has an even lower count at 25.
OTB said Palm Beach County benefits from a low density of government workers in addition to the state’s sunny skies and lack of an income tax. Nearby Miami-Dade County, despite being a major urban hub, still has a relatively low number of government workers per thousand residents (49, about 10 below the average county).
“We usually measure migration by counting how many people leave. But that’s only part of the picture,” an excerpt from the report reads. “When people move, they don’t just relocate, they take their income, spending power, and economic impact with them,” said the report.”
