Flagler County Unemployment Rate Drops in May 2024

Flagler County’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.6% in May 2024, a reduction from the 3.9% rate the previous month. The decline in the unemployment rate was expected because of the summer tourism season. However, Flagler’s unemployment rate actually dropped because of a reduction in the number of residents in the unemployment line, not job growth. 

According to Florida Commerce, Flagler County job growth was flat in May 2024, compared to the previous month. 

“This development is mildly concerning because recent Consumer Sentiment data released from the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research showed Floridians are still not feeling positive about making big ticket expenditures, including spending on vacations. Flagler County is a drive-to tourism destination, meaning a large portion of our visitors take a vehicle from relatively nearby to visit. With 1/3 of local jobs based on tourism and retail, Flagler job growth is susceptible to a decline if people are not visiting or making expenditures locally, ” said Greg Blose, President & CEO of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber. “This data is for May 2024, too early to confirm if this is a trend, but the June data release will be important to determine if this is just a blip on the radar or not.”

May 2024 Flagler County Unemployment Report – By The Numbers: 

  • Unemployment Rate: 3.6% 
  • Labor Force: 51,383
  • Employment: 49,583
  • Unemployed Residents: 1,840