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Recognition marks an important milestone in Jacksonville\u2019s pursuit of becoming a world-class city | Oxford Economics today named Jacksonville one of five North American metro areas highlighted as a top \u201cCity to Watch\u201d in its 2026 Global Cities Index report \u2013 alongside Boise, Durham, San Antonio, and Edmonton \u2013 putting an international spotlight on the city\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n
Rather than a strict numerical ranking, the \u201cCities to Watch\u201d designation is a curated list: Oxford Economics selected these five metros because they have defied recent global economic headwinds to post strong productivity gains and diverse employment growth, often while being overlooked because they are not traditional \u201cgateway\u201d cities.<\/p>\n
The Civic Council recently identified the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index as a valuable series of metrics to help the community align around a shared goal for progress for local institutions, such as government, businesses, philanthropy, and nonprofits.<\/p>\n
City leaders celebrated the \u201cCities to Watch\u201d recognition as an important milestone in Jacksonville\u2019s pursuit of becoming a world-class city. This past year, city leaders set the goal of Jacksonville becoming a Top 50 Global City for cities with a population of 4 million and below. This 2026 index ranks Jacksonville 97th in the world according to that metric, an improvement from 119th in the world in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust last week, we opened the UF Jacksonville campus, and we were recognized for having the fastest growing workforce in the country,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Donna Deegan. \u201cWe already know what\u2019s happening in this city \u2013 the investment, the growth, the opportunity we\u2019re building in downtown and every neighborhood. It\u2019s wonderful to see the rest of the world beginning to recognize it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Oxford Global Cities Index evaluates 1,000 of the world\u2019s largest cities across five categories: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance. Drawing on Oxford\u2019s economic forecasts and publicly available datasets, the Index looks beyond economic performance to assess the broader conditions that shape a city\u2019s success and residents\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur ambition is to become a world-class city \u2013 not a copy of somewhere else, but the strongest possible version of Jacksonville,\u201d said\u00a0Dennis Whittle, CEO and President of the Jacksonville Civic Council. \u201cThis is a milestone worth celebrating. The next step is to turn this momentum into measurable progress: parks that serve every neighborhood, early childhood education that prepares children to succeed, and pathways to good careers. This recognition should raise our expectations for what we can accomplish together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report forecasts above-average job growth for Jacksonville in the years ahead, including continued gains in technology and healthcare employment, with tech GDP and productivity growth expected to outpace the national average.<\/p>\n
\u201cJacksonville is a manufacturing and logistics town that cares deeply about its First Responders, Service Members, and Veterans,\u201d said\u00a0City <\/p>\n
Council President Nick Howland. \u201cThat\u2019s a world-class combination \u2013 and one very deserving of this recognition. We will keep investing in the infrastructure, jobs, and opportunities that make Jacksonville the top city in the Southeast for companies to grow and families to live, work, and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oxford Economics pointed to Jacksonville\u2019s diversifying economy, anchored by finance, technology, fintech, and professional business services, as a key driver of its rise in the rankings. Technology alone contributed 26 percent of Jacksonville\u2019s total GDP growth in 2025, according to the report, helping push the city\u2019s GDP-per-job into the top 20 among U.S. metros. Oxford Economics also cited recent investment activity, alongside the city\u2019s beaches, wildlife preserves, and water sports as part of its broader appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor entrepreneurs and businesses looking to grow, this recognition is another reason to take a serious look at Jacksonville,\u201d said\u00a0Daniel Davis, President and CEO of JAX Chamber. \u201cWe\u2019ve been focused on growing these key industries for years, and that work is paying off. Now we have to turn that momentum into more jobs, more investment, and more opportunities for our region.\u201d<\/p>\n
About the City of Jacksonville<\/p>\n
The City of Jacksonville is the largest city by land mass in the contiguous United States, serving more than one million residents. City of Jacksonville leadership includes Mayor Donna Deegan and a 19-member City Council led by President Nick Howland. To learn more, visit\u00a0jacksonville.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recognition marks an important milestone in Jacksonville\u2019s pursuit of becoming a world-class city | Oxford Economics today named…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-401795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}