The Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area population could reach 400,000 as soon as the year 2023, according to The Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP).
During a presentation at the Chamber’s headquarters (310 SE 3rd Street), CEP Director of Networking & Partner Services Tom James and Director of Business Advocacy Joe Reichel spoke about the city’s recent economic boom and attributed the growth to a variety of companies, organizations and residents that are investing more in Ocala.
Among those is the growing slate of multi-national manufacturers that have built and continue to build large-scale facilities within city limits, creating jobs whose effects have reverberated throughout the community.
Both James and Reichel emphasized that an influx of new families and young professionals into Ocala has helped strengthen the workforce, a fact confirmed by a recent U-Haul report that ranked Ocala among the top three net-gain markets for movers.
James indicated that as of June 30, 2018, the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of the cities and unincorporated portions of Marion County, had a population of around 360,000. By 2023, the chamber estimates that number will reach 400,000, or a 40,000 person increase (10%) in only three years.
According to Florida Scorecard, the current population in the state is 21,841,915, making Marion County roughly 1.6 percent of the state’s total population. As of the most recent figures, with the exception of Duval, Marion is the largest county in North Central Florida, edging out Lake County (356,495) by just a few thousand.