By Gay Cororaton, MIAMI REALTORS Chief Economist
Key Takeaways
- The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall metropolitan division posted the fastest nonfarm employment growth in March 2025 among the nation’s 37 metropolitan divisions in the largest 13 metro areas, up 1.6% (vs. 1.2% nationally).
- Among the 13 largest metropolitan areas, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Area had the lowest unemployment rate of 3.1% in March 2025.
- The trade, transportation, and utilities sector was the largest source of job creation (+15,000). Higher tariffs could have an impact on employment creation in this sector.
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Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Leads 37 Metropolitan Divisions in Job Growth
The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall metropolitan division posted the fastest nonfarm employment growth in March 2025 among the nation’s 37 metropolitan divisions, which are divisions in the nation’s 13 largest metropolitan areas. Total nonfarm employment (not seasonally adjusted) rose 1.6 percent compared to one year ago. Nationally, non-farm employment (not seasonally adjusted) rose 1.2%.
The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall metropolitan division also had the lowest unemployment rate among the nation’s metropolitan divisions, at 2.8%. Nationally, the unemployment rate in March 2025 was 4.2%.
In the Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise metropolitan division, non-farm employment rose 0.9% in March 2025 from one year ago (lower than nationally). The unemployment rate was 3.3% (lower than nationally).
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Has Lowest Unemployment Rate Among 13 Largest Metro Areas
Among the nation’s largest 13 metropolitan areas that contain the 37 metropolitan divisions, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Area had the lowest unemployment rate of 3.1% in March 2025.
Among the 13 largest metropolitan areas, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Area also had the second fastest nonfarm employment growth of 1.1%, second to the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington employment growth of 1.3%.
Among all 387 metropolitan areas, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Area ranks third in the nation in terms of new employment created in March 2025 compared to one year, with 31,500 new nonfarm employment. The largest employment creation was in New York-Newark-Jersey City (+94,200) and in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area (+56,100).
Potential Impact of Tariffs on Miami Metro Area Employment
The recently implemented tariffs under the Trump Administration could impact employment creation particularly in trade and transportation. As of March 2025, the largest employment creation in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metro Area was trade, transportation, and utilities (+13,500). A cutback in employment in this industry could impact on the demand for housing, particularly rental housing. Workers in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector have an average wage of about $65,000 and are more likely to rent than to own, according to MIAMI Realtors analysis.
