INCOME

PER CAPITA INCOME
Per capita income is derived from total personal income divided by population. The only data that was found to measure per capita income was the U.S. Census. The chart shows that since 1970, per capita income in Winter Garden is lagging behind the region and the state. Winter Garden’s per capita income in 2000 was $18,082. Florida’s per capita income was $21,557 and Orange County’s was $20,916.

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Even though Winter Garden’s per capita income is lagging the region, the chart to the right shows that median household income is gaining ground in 2005. Winter Garden’s median household income is $42,774, whereas the MSA has a median household income of $43,885. Accordingly, it is expected that the 2010 census will show Winter Garden’s household and per capita income increasing as the existing new developments get built out.

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LABOR MARKET

Winter Garden is a part of the Metro Orlando MSA and encompasses a labor force of over 940,000 and constitutes 65% of the population. The educational attainment levels for the region are in line with national averages, with 20% of the population holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher and 22% with less than a high school diploma.

Winter Garden is seeing employment growth in all industries except the manufacturing sector. This trend is consistent with the decreasing manufacturing businesses and jobs throughout the U.S. The industry with the largest number of establishments is the retail sector which is similar to the state’s booming retail trade and tourism related services. The State of Florida has approximately 28% of their employment in retail. The City of Winter Garden’s percentage of establishments in the retail sector is 22%. The retail sector has a total payroll of $17 million. The largest number of employees is in the administrative support, waste management and remediation industry with over 1,000 employees.

The second highest is professional, scientific and technical services. The professional service sector is also the State of Florida’s second largest industry group, which accounts for one quarter of the state’s total GSP. The most notable change in Winter Garden’s establishments from 1997 was the increase in technology jobs.

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MAJOR EMPLOYERS

TOP EMPLOYERS

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POPULATION TRENDS

Florida is the 4 th most populous state in the nation and the most populous state in the Southeast. Florida is adding approximately a third of a million new residents each year, one of the highest population growth rates among the U.S. states.

The Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is made up of four counties -- Orange, Seminole, Lake, and Osceola -- and the 41 incorporated cities within those counties. By 2010 the metropolitan Orlando area’s population will have increased 100% while Winter Garden’s population will have increased by 400% since 1980.

Orange County ranked second in Florida counties by population change from 2000 to 2005. Winter Garden ranked 11 th in the top 100 cities in Florida by percentage of change in population from 2000 to 2005. Accordingly, the growth in population will be in areas that have land available for development and can accept high densities, based on existence of transportation infrastructure, environmental suitability, and economic feasibility. One of those areas defined in the University of Pennsylvania, Alternative Future For The Seven County Orlando Region 2005 – 2050 is the Horizon West Node. It is recommended that the Horizon West Node be linked by light rail. The areas that have a low inventory of available land may even see population decline if densities don’t increase. The University of Pennsylvania study recommends that Sanford, Orlando, Airport area and Lakeland be “super nodes” linked by high speed rail.

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