Jacksonville is located in northeastern Florida and is the seat of Duval County. After the consolidation of Duval County and City of Jacksonville governments in 1968, it became the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. With an estimated population of 892,062 as of 2017, Jacksonville is also the most populous city in the southeastern United States. The Jacksonville metropolitan area has a population of 1,631,488 and is the fourth largest in Florida.
Jacksonville is an important deep water port of entry and commercial center. It is a major point of distribution for motor vehicles due to the city’s regional road and rail networks. Jacksonville’s economy is dominated by the paper products, shipbuilding, insurance, health care, tourism and banking. Additionally, Jacksonville’s military bases and the nearby Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, form the third largest military presence in the United States.
As a rapidly growing municipality, Jacksonville’s economic conditions are expected to continue to strengthen during the next three years with average non farm payroll growth of 23,500 jobs, or 3.5 percent a year. The military will continue to be an important economic driver while notable expansions are also expected in the transportation and utilities and education and health services sectors.