Introduction
If you’ve been feeling that our local economy is “ok, but not great,” the November 2025 Regional Economic Indicators support that view. Nationwide, the economy continues to grow, but at a slower pace than earlier this year. The local unemployment rate is 4.3%. Inflation has eased since the 2021–2022 spike, but it remains higher than what we’re used to. Wages have increased, but not enough for many families to feel financially secure. As a result, people are more cautious and selective in their spending, giving more thought to every non-essential purchase.
Some Key Measures of Significance in our Area
This attitude is critical in Southwest Florida, where our economy depends on tourism, hospitality, and discretionary spending.
Regionally, seasonally adjusted taxable sales are down about 8% from a year ago, and the local unemployment level is higher than earlier in the year at 4.3%. Job growth has slowed sharply. We are seeing the following shifts:
- Leisure and hospitality jobs are shrinking.
- But education and healthcare jobs are growing.
It appears we are relying less on service jobs focused on our visitors and increasing our focus on year-round residents who work in hospitals, clinics, and schools. Given this trend, it is not surprising that when looking at tourism, a similar result emerges.
- Although passenger traffic through our airports is up compared to last year.
- Tourist tax revenues are higher than in 2024.
But they are still well below 2022 levels. While we’re busier than last year, we haven’t climbed back to the pre-Ian peak
Hurricane Ian remains a big part of the story. Three years later, we’re still short of an estimated 2,500 hotel rooms and rental units on Estero, Sanibel, and Captiva. Fewer rooms mean fewer visitors can stay, no matter how intense the demand…