The number of jobs in the Jacksonville area is on the rise. As the U.S. prepares to commemorate its 130th Labor Day on Monday, our area has a number of reasons to celebrate. More than 850,000 reasons, to be exact.

The Number of the Week is 853,756, the size of the labor force in the Jacksonville metro area, according to the Florida Department of Commerce.

The area’s biggest employers are Trade, Transportation and Utilities, a kind of catch-all category that includes everything from retail workers to truck drivers to electrical lineworkers. More than 170,000 area jobs fall into this category. 

Health care is a big local industry, too. It’s part of the Education and Health Services supersector, which accounts for nearly 130,000 jobs. By the Jacksonville Daily Record’s tally, seven of the largest employers in the area are health care companies and together employ almost 35,000 people.

No, you’re not seeing double. the percentage of workers in each sector is nearly identical in the Jax area as it is statewide.

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Fastest-growing industries

According to the commerce department, three industries in Jacksonville saw faster growth over the last year than the statewide average: Leisure and Hospitality, Education and Health Services and Government. 

On the whole, Jacksonville’s unemployment rate remains relatively low, and more jobs are available than there used to be – we’re up more than 18,000 non-agricultural jobs over this time last year. 

See how unemployment compares in each Florida county: