It does by ALOT, a great example is my own Hometown, Naples,FL. Average is 67, heavily skewed income numbers by the retirement community cause this city caters to retirees ALOT. Alot of people here work in either Construction, Landscaping, Service/hospitality, and healthcare, sometimes real-estate. Most of those dont nearly make enough for the cost of living, so multiple people still live with their families and households rely on multiple incomes.
Very good Kyle! I'm a native of Florida but retired to the mountains of New Hampshire. I guess one can take only so much heat & humidity and high cost of living. I love to ski, hike & kayak and Florida is simply too hot & crowded to enjoy that. My children all moved to Texas because of economic opportunity and lower cost of living. It has turned out to be a good decision for them.
Very good analysis Kyle. One can't deny the facts. Texas is vastly more diverse and makes a much, much greater contribution to our country than Florida. I grew up in Houston and currently live in southwest Florida. I love Florida and wouldn't leave it to return to Texas. But I can tell you that Florida isn't for everybody. It's very different living here, especially in the southern part of the state.
I always thought that, given its shape, that it was obvious that Northeast Florida was the area around Jacksonville, and Southeast Florida was around Miami, and Northwest Florida was around Pensacola. But *Southwest* Florida? Seems like that is the part of the state already under water, in the Gulf of Mexico.
That's an interesting observation and you're right, we certainly took a sizable storm surge from Hurricane Ian last September. But we're all still here and living on dry ground. Hurricanes are a fact of life here, I suppose like fires and earthquakes in California. Take a look at Naples. It's beautiful here but another drawback is that housing is very expensive.
I concur with you! I live in Naples FL and I will never leave. It's a simple life in Naples and it's such a beautiful city. In my statement, I was just agreeing with Kyle that Texas surpasses Florida in it's economic contribution to our country. But I would never ever return to Houston. I've spent some time in Pensacola and you truly live in a wonderful city. The panhandle beaches are outstanding! We lived in Mobile AL for a short time back in the late 1970's. We loved going to Navarre Beach.
I moved to Naples from New Jersey. I enjoy being able to boat, fish, hike, and swim year round. The heat doesn’t bother me. Gators and snakes don’t bother me. I like Cuban food. I’m happy.
Florida’s biggest industry after tourism is medical care for all the retirees. In my town the biggest ~10 private employers are hospitals or assisted living facilities. The premiums and SS withholding money was paid in when the retirees were working in other states, but the benefits are spent in FL, unlike most places where the money is raised and spent in the same general location.
I really like your analysis of geography, it's very well done. Geography does play an important part in the states' similarities and differences, advantages and disadvantages. However, I wouldn't so quickly discount the role of policy making here. We just need to be willing to look at the nuances, something that people online seem to be allergic to.
I agree, but people online have a tendency to overstate the importance of politics and make it the first and last thing they think about when it comes to a given place. Witness the comments in any comments section about how "I would never live in _____ because of the politics", when politics can affect a person's life but not so dramatically.
Well said. Kyles videos are incredible but to “debunk politics” is misleading. It’s impossible to debunk politics. That being said, Kyle is doing some much needed work by illustrating how people can inspect more of the factors that make a place the way it is. This video clearly shows how Texas and Florida function differently.
The Florida Economy is not as diverse as Texas. There is no manufacturing base in Florida, so there is a lack of good paying blue color jobs. Also, because Florida relies on tourism, there are a lot more people employed in low-paying services jobs. Also, a lot of retirees come here and aren't working which tends to skew Florida's economy. I live in Florida and see it every day. You are either the one of five with a good paying job or the four of five with a low paying job. I do think the geography is a factor. There really is no good soil for agriculture. If there were to be a manufacturing base it would need to be along the I-10 corridor in particular close to I-75 and I-95. That would basically be Jacksonville and Lake City. In the end, I think it is really hard to compare the two states. Texas is just so big and much more diverse.
Great analysis, Ralph. I too was thinking about the retirees skewing the Florida average income but I had forgotten about the low-paying tourism jobs (many of which go to teenagers).
@@TD-nw1vs "if you don't count the energy sector" That's an awfully huge "if", TD. I'm sorry, but I disagree with your take. According to NAM, 2022 Texas manufacturing contributed $227 billion and Florida only $64 billion. Texas has 130% of Florida's population but 355% of its manufacturing output, i.e. almost triple Florida's output. The fact that Texas has low wages for starting jobs is not a bug, it's a feature that draws in new workers who help the economy grow and then move up into higher paying jobs as they get older. Look, I loathe Texas; I hate their self-aggrandizing attitude, I think the state is ugly as all get out, and their weather sucks (particularly in the eastern half of the state). But the facts are there, and Texas is a far stronger place economically than Florida.
@@TD-nw1vsthat’s definitely not true. There are over 100K employees and growing in the largest medical center in the world in Houston which has the most Fortune 500 companies after New York. Dallas is a financial economic hub. Austin is becoming the new Silicon Valley. The port of Houston is also the nations busiest international shipping port. We aren’t one big Disney world bro
It's hyped up and lures wealthy uneducated New England people to flock here...Florida is a flat hot peace of sand sorrounded by ...lol....it's a big sand bar...and It is a scam....
If I had to choose between the two, I’d choose Texas. As much as I dislike the cold and snow in Pennsylvania, I’d rather have that instead of air feeling like boiling hot soup in the summer, and hurricanes!
The worst heat and humidity I've ever felt in my life was in downtown Houston in the summer of 2014. I felt like the air was so thick it would have stopped me from falling over if I had tripped.
@@elizabethorsillo7187you have to go like El Paso west to get dry heat. All of Texas for the most part feels like boiling hot soup from about March-November.
I think one thing was possibly missed, and that is the reason for each state's population growth. It also has a lot to do with how much each state contributes to the economy of the country as a whole. Texas has largely grown due to various industries, so a lot of working-aged individuals have headed there for work. Florida has grown because the aging population has grown so much. The Baby Boom generation is the biggest generation to get old so far. Jerry Seinfeld said it best, "My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned 60 and it's the law..."
That is true for Florida. However the top 5 states for % growth right now are Idaho, Utah, Florida, Texas, and Arizona. The bottom 5 for pop loss % wise are Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California.
@@zacharystewart5344 Right, but the other states weren't discussed in the video. Just comparing Texas and Florida. Maybe he will do one on Idaho vs Utah in the future or NY vs NJ in a similar vane to this one.
@@route2070 well, there are younger people in both states as well, but honestly both states should have a much lower population due to their geography and natural resources. AZ should not have the population it does based on lack of water alone, but focusing on Florida, as it was one of the states discussed, it wasn't always a place most people would want to live. Naturally, large areas are swampy, prone to flooding even before climate change. Developers went in to clean things up and make it habitable, also, medical technology and science helped reduce mosquitoes and the danger of tropical illnesses, but notice lately how the diseases that kept large numbers of people out 100 years ago are creeping back up, how bad hurricanes have been the past few years, and how most of the state is barely above sea level. I think fewer people will see it as a place to move. I know if I have the money to be a snowbird when I'm older, I wouldn't go as far as Florida.
"even before climate change. " The rate of rise of the sea is the same as 100 years ago and fully 1/2 of all the increase in temp since 1850 happened before 1950. There has been no net increase in temp in the last 20 years. Storms are not more frequent or stronger.
I moved from the Bay Area in California to the Florida Panhandle, and my cost of living stayed the same, but my income went down in FL 20% doing the same job for the same company.
One overlooked aspect of Florida is that it's also very important to international commerce. Several Latin American companies have US offices in Florida, to take advantage of a large bilingual population. So no, it's not just tourism and orange juice.
As a native Texan who just happens to be in Florida right now visiting friends and family, I approve of this video. Florida is nice to visit but there’s no place like Texas!
Sorry to nitpick, but NASA is headquartered in DC. Johnson Space Center ("Houston") is flight control for crewed missions. There are ~18 NASA centers (like Johnson) that are spread around the country.
With people like me. I generate very little GDP, but I support myself with the money I earned while working up north. Also, as Kyle mentions, the tourists support us!
@@BusBozo I hear you sir but 20 million+ is not a small number. Not everyone is a retiree and tourism only goes so far--especially after the black eye Disney and California gave us.
The economy is a function of population. Population creates demand and working age population creates supply of labor to fulfill that demand. When I moved to Florida I had no trouble getting jobs in my field.
@@mirzaahmed6589 I imagine you are very well-trained and educated with a Graduate degree and beyond. I feel that this is the way for Florida residents going forward--more higher education. The state is doing its best but we need to do more.
I live in Florida and have lived in other states. I agree with your overall assessment. That being said, if Florida disappeared, the depression rate in the US/Canada may be measurably higher. Not only do many people, who can afford to, spend winter here but so many people work towards and dream about the day that can move to or vacation in Florida. It truly helps a lot of people cope. Take that away and depression could set in. Hope is a powerful thing.
Floridian here, watched til the end. Go ahead and dunk on us, it's kind of a fun running gag for your channel at this point, haha. See ya in the wintertime 🤙
You need to add Florida's greatest cultural contribution: FLORIDA MAN! Written as a long term resident of Florida. Dave Berry & Carl Hiaasen would be proud.
I love your videos, I'll be 21 soon, and I've lived in Florida's small towns my whole life. I do worry my memory's will someday be under the ocean. I don't know how people live anywhere near the coast in Florida, I like to be a few dozen miles from the beach. The hurricane winds really give a beating to the houses during landfall.
Ace, unless someone owns a house within a hundred feet of the beach, they'll be fine. The media takes the IPCC reports and twists them up to get people to panic. Two hundred years from now, Florida is going to be just fine.
I'm 27 and was born in Southeast Florida and have lived here my whole life and I don't think I'll be moving anytime soon. I think it's pretty nice living here except for the hot muggy summers and the winters here are pretty much perfect weather. Also the low taxes for residents is pretty nice.
I live in Florida and agree with you. Florida is largely a place where people spend money, not create it. It is also overweighted with retirees who are not contributing to the GDP.
I had the same thought as a prior comment: Florida’s GDP is probably skewed by the percentage of retirees. Also, I think Texas gets a lot of tax dollars from oil and gas production which, like tourists and those affiliated taxes, is spread out to all consumers whether they live in Texas or elsewhere.
I agree with you. I moved to Texas from Florida, although I like both states for different reasons. My family's roots go way back in Florida but there's tons more opportunity for the cost of living in Texas, at least in my experience
Florida's importance is its uniqueness(interpret as you will). I do live here but only for the last couple years. Im a nature guy, so Florida is quite significant in that regard.
As a FL resident - I agree with your assessment. I'd be curious to see a comparison of the # of retirees between FL and TX . I would expect that FL income is lower due to a larger number of retirees.
Having grown up in the Ft. Lauderdale metro, I’ve always wondered what industries exist such that the COL is so high. Not everyone can own a landscaping business, so what do people do that causes housing prices to be astronomical?
Your analysis is great to hear and I enjoy statistics. One crucial factor altering the economy is age of the residents. Florida has one of the highest median ages in the US, at 42.7. Texas has the second lowest, at 35.2. A large percentage of Floridians are retired, skewing median income lower. Many have substantial assets but little reported income. I expect percentages of people in the workforce vary greatly. Also, Florida has far more snowbirds than any state, people who live there part time during the winter. They are not counted in the Florida census and they do not vote there. Yet they are in Florida during winter months spending money. Florida is very heavy in tourism and those jobs generally have lower than average pay. However, Miami is attracting substantial banking and financial assets as companies relocate from New York to Florida.
Love your vids man. Geography/cartography lover here. Native Texan in DFW. 110 here and only 85 in Miami. Sounds good but nah Texas>Florida. Just waiting on October to get here.
Which states/cities in the US are the best to live in when you factor in jobs, healthcare availibility/costs, house costs, state taxes, sales tax, real estate taxes, other taxes, real estate insurance, auto insurance, food/basic living costs, etc? It would be great to see how it changes between different groups of people. I guess mostly working and retired?
Theres a lot of retired people in Florida who have a very low income, so that likely skews that metric. That might change a bit as recently more people are working age. Miami also is getting more finance jobs as people move from NYC, overall yeah Texas is way more diversified
Kyle, I studied methods and statistics in college. Median income is the better measure. The mean is skewed by a few very wealthy. Thank you for the video keep up the good work!
Kyle, well done, small correction - Time 8:05, NASA Headquarters is in DC (like nearly all federal programs like NASA). NASA in Florida - Kennedy Space Center - mainly assembles spacecraft and launches rockets. NASA in Texas - Johnson Space Center - houses Mission Control and trains astronauts, along with lots of research, design, and analysis supporting human life-support systems. JSC is comparatively a lot smaller and closer to a major city (Houston) than KSC. Both have good visitor centers but KSC's is much, much larger with more exhibits and artifacts. It must be said though that JSC's visitor center has more mockups that you can actually go inside (so it feels like you are actually in a spacecraft! - can't sit in a flown artifact!).
Two states I would probably never choose to live in but a ton of people disagree with me. Maybe these states should start investing more heavily in public transit!
And orange industry been dying my whole life. Another cost of living difference to account for is insurance, with Florida having one of the highest costs of home and car insurance in the US; it'd be interesting to know these comparisons if you do another video. NY and Cali next, to follow a somewhat similar structure??
It's either Miami metro area or Miami-Ft. Laud-West Palm Beach metro. Miami is the southern end and West Palm is the northern end of the metro area. Calling it just Mia-Ft.L is misleading because it leaves out the entire northern 3rd of the metro area. Besides, Lauderdale is pretty nondescript and not really known for anything.
Climate change will play the biggest factor in economic differences during the coming decades since Florida's population centers, at their lower elevations, will succumb to massive floods, for more days than not each year, once the sea levels rise more. Texas, while most likely desertifying, will still be able to house major population centers away from its, too, flooding coastlines.
To really compare their population vs economy, you must compare the number of tax returns filed. Many retirees aren't required to file returns. Is Florida important? Yes! They house a tremendous amount to retirees...people who worked their entire lives building up this nation, and now prefer to live in a more moderate climate. The fact that Florida provides such a geographic area, is very important, to my way of thinking.
Insurance, insurance, insurance. Florida is an insurance death trap. My family is selling our home of 30+ years because they can't afford the property insurance. Car insurance is also extremely high in Florida. Live by the water? Flood insurance. Florida is a haven for the wealthy now and it's really unfortunate.
I live in Orlando and tourism is a smaller part of the local economy than you think (about 17%). I have a neighbor who works for a company that services roller coasters. Other than that I don't know anyone who works in anything tourist related. In Tampa and Jax it's even smaller as a percentage of those economies. I'm convinced that tourism has really just remade the local economy in its own image and if it slowly went away other industries would fill the void. Anyway, I think the geography and how late the state was settled sre key. A 24 hour drive from Dallas gets you to 90% of the US and Mexican population. Like 450 million people. 24 hours from Orlando gets you about half that. There's not good farming here and citrus is dead because of the citrus greening/blight. The future here is fintech and defense.
Nasa HQ is actually in DC! The Houston NASA is just one of the larger nasa centers and focuses especially on Human spaceflight (as opposed to interplanetary science, earth science, building the rockets themselves, etc)
I lived in Vero Beach Fl. Our condo was directly on the ocean. The homes on the barrier island and those directly on the inter coastal river were about half of the tax base. But less than 6% of the housing units in the county. Proper comparisons would be a 3 bedroom 2 bath 1800 sf house in urban, suburbs and rural areas in both states. What percentage of homeowner have paid off their home. I bet the retired population of FL. changes the equation .
It’s hard to compare I think. Florida is definitely becoming more important to the US today. Compared to Florida though, Texas has tons of natural resources, is more centrally located, has 8 million more people, is 4.8 times larger in size, and has way more diverse climates & biomes. You have to understand too…Florida (besides like St. Augustine) was basically just swamps and mosquitoes until the 1920s. In the 1920s, Florida finally surpassed a population of 1 million. Texas around the same time had like 4 million people, and TX reached 1 million people back in the 1870s. So Texas had way more time to establish itself as a major state. The only other state comparable to FL really is New York, but that’s different because of NYC and it being like one of the financial, cultural, and political centers of the world. Plus, NYC has been the country’s largest city for most of its history now. Also, I must say…I love Texas. But Florida hands down has the better beaches and theme parks. Give FL time…it will catch up.
No one’s saying Florida is a bad state. But as he pointed out all around (business, taxes, cost of living, medium income etc.) Texas is better. Obviously Florida is the prettier of the two, that’s the main thing Florida has for it, but other then that Texas has more going for it. And as a Texan I can easily say Florida has always been the one other state I’d move too 😂
This is a great video. I was born in Texas but now live in Florida. The analysis was spot on although there is 1 key aspect of both Florida and Texas that was missed and that's % growth and pop growth. Both are absolutely crushing it in terms of people moving to Texas and here in Florida mainly for the low tax burdens and both are in the top 5 for % growth with Houston and Orlando competing for the fastest growing large city in the country every year. [Idaho and Utah are 1 & 2 for % growth] Comparatively when it comes to pop loss and negative loss % the top states BY FAR are By, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, and California. I do think that has to do with politics on the extremes.
@@TD-nw1vs These trends have been true since about 2000 though. And my move to Florida is the best move decision I've ever made. I've lived in 13 states now and 6 countries. Florida is hands down the best in terms of how much money I get back in Taxes and the value for what I get here. The insurance premiums are absolute peanuts compared to the mammoth that are property taxes and income taxes. So far I'm extremely happy to be in Florida and my taxes have actually gone down since living here. He mentioned tolls. Those just got halved and the state sales tax was just absolved for all household items.
Texas, like Florida, also taxes the residents of other states instead of its own residents’ income. Texas generates literally billions of dollars in natural gas and oil extraction taxes every year. That energy is shipped to basically every US state, meaning that the cost of Texas’ energy production tax is baked into the price of oil in those states. Thanks, everyone else!
I feel like the desirability for a place to be where someone retires doesn’t get mentioned a lot when discussing the pros and cons of a state’s financial prospects. If wealthy retired people want to move to one state more than another, that’s going to be a big boost to the economy of the more desirable state. And that can counter the other state offering more better paid jobs. Vacations homes also are a factor which work similarly but don’t require the buyer to even be retired yet. I don’t particularly want to live in either Florida or Texas, but I recognize that Florida is probably more desirable per capita for retired people than Texas. And feel like that should be weighted a bit in this comparison.
I think both states have pros and cons. Texas probably has a bigger tech center, but Florida is more tourist and entertainment themed. Both are nice states.
What about service industries? I suspect that there are quite a few service industries in Florida that do very well-perhaps as well or better than Texas. Advertising/marketing, tourism (Florida is also the #1 cruise destination in the world), scammer call-centers, Texas & Florida both have ridiculous numbers of insurance companies, real estate companies are every other door in buildings in Florida. Economies aren't just manufacturing and agriculture. I am not saying I know, but I would like to see that added to the analysis.
I'm from Florida and I give a thumbs up. I like Florida a lot, but honesty is what it is. Lots of northern money comes down here and also Miami is the gateway to Latin America. And yea fvck these toll roads
Every state has their job. Florida's job is to be there for us when we need to thaw out. Be our bit of paradise. I lived in Ft. Walton Beach, FL and Austin, TX while in the military.
The majority of my life has been in either FL or TX, and I have to say that your analysis seems right on target…except for one thing-politics. Until very recently-does 2000 bring anything to mind?-FL has been a swing state. TX has been a one-party state for almost all of my 57 years. It switched from DEM to GOP with slight variations between Dolph Briscoe and W with no competitive races on either end. FL is a completely different story in both gubernatorial and senatorial elections. The divide between rural and urban in TX far exceeds that in FL.
Lot aof good points int jis bideo always, but i rhink your thinking of the categories of "politics" and "geography" in fairly rigid and simplistic terms that leave little nuance. For example, Florida undeniably has incredible beaches and amazing weather, but the origin of the panhandle, with some of the best besches in the nation and a sizeable toueist economy, is undeniably political. It is part of the state due to a mix of colonization and treaties which created the mordern day borders of the state. If Tallahassee hadnt been the state capitol or france and spain hadnt colonized the state, maybe the northern would be part of Alabama or Georgia. Furthermore, Florida is not the only state with hreat gulf coast beaches, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas all have great beaches, why do they not have the tourist economy of Florida? Why are Galveston and Corpus Christi not meccas of tourism? The answer is both geographiccal (hurricanes and population density) but also political (local ideology/attitude as well as investments/insentives). Furthermore, the existance of Disneyland in Florida is not entirely geographical. Disneyland exists in large part because of the great Florida weather and cheap land, but its not the only state or place with those characteristics. Plenty of the south and sunbelt, including Texas, jave those characteristics. Im not an expert on the founding of Disneyland but im sure state incentives played a role, as well as the narrative that Walt Disney had of his company, the various regions of the US, and the narrative he presented to the public. Finally, Floridas future is determined both by geographical and political characteristics. Florida is an incredibly flat low lying state, surrounded by water and constantly threatened by hurricanes, natural geographical features of the state. These features undeniably put Florida at a high risk when it comes to climate change. Yet political factors undeniably play a role in how severe climate change will be in Florida, how well prepared the state is for it, and how residents will respond to it. When we look at such broad at deeply ruted influences like georgaphy and politics on such simplistic terms, we miss a large part of the picture and, to be honest, we find much more simplistic results and narratives.
With older people that move to Florida you don’t have the tax burden of education for their kids and they don’t drive as much. They still contribute with sales and property taxes.
Great video. Why is CA such a big tax state, then, if they have so much tourism? Does CA have structural disadvantages like lack of water or lots of agriculture that require tons of tax support?
Sure, TX has a larger, more diverse economy with higher paying jobs. But it is a cultural desert (yes, Austin is overrated). Florida is not exactly the cultural capitol of the world either, but Miami is indisputably an international hub for art, media, design and architecture. It is also the only truly tropical climate zone in the continental US, which means it is, by far, the best place to spend the winter. I spend my winters/springs at the beach in South Florida; it is like heaven on earth and all of the naysayers are just haters who are jealous. (mic drop)
You missed Florida’s biggest resource, we have the most springs per capita at least in the US, and we are the sport fishing capitol of at least the US last time I checked. If you love wildlife there is nowhere in the US better than FL to live.
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I wonder if the older population in Florida skews some of the income and GNP. It would be interesting to see the age distribution of the two states
Fla is MUCH older
Obviously it does ffs. Did you just start studying geography?
It does by ALOT, a great example is my own Hometown, Naples,FL. Average is 67, heavily skewed income numbers by the retirement community cause this city caters to retirees ALOT. Alot of people here work in either Construction, Landscaping, Service/hospitality, and healthcare, sometimes real-estate. Most of those dont nearly make enough for the cost of living, so multiple people still live with their families and households rely on multiple incomes.
Very good Kyle! I'm a native of Florida but retired to the mountains of New Hampshire. I guess one can take only so much heat & humidity and high cost of living. I love to ski, hike & kayak and Florida is simply too hot & crowded to enjoy that.
My children all moved to Texas because of economic opportunity and lower cost of living. It has turned out to be a good decision for them.
I’m 17 from Florida too and plan to move to the mountains to ski and hike I love cold
Just keep making videos dude. They are appreciated.
Very good analysis Kyle. One can't deny the facts. Texas is vastly more diverse and makes a much, much greater contribution to our country than Florida. I grew up in Houston and currently live in southwest Florida. I love Florida and wouldn't leave it to return to Texas. But I can tell you that Florida isn't for everybody. It's very different living here, especially in the southern part of the state.
I always thought that, given its shape, that it was obvious that Northeast Florida was the area around Jacksonville, and Southeast Florida was around Miami, and Northwest Florida was around Pensacola. But *Southwest* Florida? Seems like that is the part of the state already under water, in the Gulf of Mexico.
That's an interesting observation and you're right, we certainly took a sizable storm surge from Hurricane Ian last September. But we're all still here and living on dry ground. Hurricanes are a fact of life here, I suppose like fires and earthquakes in California. Take a look at Naples. It's beautiful here but another drawback is that housing is very expensive.
How does sw Florida like Naples compare to Houston? Houston is so diverse and there are so many things to do. Do you prefer Naples?
I concur with you! I live in Naples FL and I will never leave. It's a simple life in Naples and it's such a beautiful city. In my statement, I was just agreeing with Kyle that Texas surpasses Florida in it's economic contribution to our country. But I would never ever return to Houston. I've spent some time in Pensacola and you truly live in a wonderful city. The panhandle beaches are outstanding! We lived in Mobile AL for a short time back in the late 1970's. We loved going to Navarre Beach.
I moved to Naples from New Jersey. I enjoy being able to boat, fish, hike, and swim year round. The heat doesn’t bother me. Gators and snakes don’t bother me. I like Cuban food. I’m happy.
Florida’s biggest industry after tourism is medical care for all the retirees. In my town the biggest ~10 private employers are hospitals or assisted living facilities.
The premiums and SS withholding money was paid in when the retirees were working in other states, but the benefits are spent in FL, unlike most places where the money is raised and spent in the same general location.
The biggest industry In Texas, after oil, has to be insurance. There’s probably more insurance companies than there are gas stations.
@@sunshine3914thank god for it too. Where there is big business there is big insurance
I really like your analysis of geography, it's very well done. Geography does play an important part in the states' similarities and differences, advantages and disadvantages. However, I wouldn't so quickly discount the role of policy making here. We just need to be willing to look at the nuances, something that people online seem to be allergic to.
I agree, but people online have a tendency to overstate the importance of politics and make it the first and last thing they think about when it comes to a given place. Witness the comments in any comments section about how "I would never live in _____ because of the politics", when politics can affect a person's life but not so dramatically.
Well said. Kyles videos are incredible but to “debunk politics” is misleading. It’s impossible to debunk politics.
That being said, Kyle is doing some much needed work by illustrating how people can inspect more of the factors that make a place the way it is. This video clearly shows how Texas and Florida function differently.
The Florida Economy is not as diverse as Texas. There is no manufacturing base in Florida, so there is a lack of good paying blue color jobs. Also, because Florida relies on tourism, there are a lot more people employed in low-paying services jobs. Also, a lot of retirees come here and aren't working which tends to skew Florida's economy. I live in Florida and see it every day. You are either the one of five with a good paying job or the four of five with a low paying job. I do think the geography is a factor. There really is no good soil for agriculture. If there were to be a manufacturing base it would need to be along the I-10 corridor in particular close to I-75 and I-95. That would basically be Jacksonville and Lake City. In the end, I think it is really hard to compare the two states. Texas is just so big and much more diverse.
Great analysis, Ralph. I too was thinking about the retirees skewing the Florida average income but I had forgotten about the low-paying tourism jobs (many of which go to teenagers).
@@TD-nw1vs "if you don't count the energy sector" That's an awfully huge "if", TD. I'm sorry, but I disagree with your take. According to NAM, 2022 Texas manufacturing contributed $227 billion and Florida only $64 billion. Texas has 130% of Florida's population but 355% of its manufacturing output, i.e. almost triple Florida's output. The fact that Texas has low wages for starting jobs is not a bug, it's a feature that draws in new workers who help the economy grow and then move up into higher paying jobs as they get older. Look, I loathe Texas; I hate their self-aggrandizing attitude, I think the state is ugly as all get out, and their weather sucks (particularly in the eastern half of the state). But the facts are there, and Texas is a far stronger place economically than Florida.
Agriculture is a huge chunk of Florida's economy, I don't understand the "no good land" statement
@@TD-nw1vsthat’s definitely not true. There are over 100K employees and growing in the largest medical center in the world in Houston which has the most Fortune 500 companies after New York. Dallas is a financial economic hub. Austin is becoming the new Silicon Valley. The port of Houston is also the nations busiest international shipping port. We aren’t one big Disney world bro
It's hyped up and lures wealthy uneducated New England people to flock here...Florida is a flat hot peace of sand sorrounded by ...lol....it's a big sand bar...and It is a scam....
If I had to choose between the two, I’d choose Texas. As much as I dislike the cold and snow in Pennsylvania, I’d rather have that instead of air feeling like boiling hot soup in the summer, and hurricanes!
The worst heat and humidity I've ever felt in my life was in downtown Houston in the summer of 2014. I felt like the air was so thick it would have stopped me from falling over if I had tripped.
The Texas Gulf coast is every bit as bad as Florida, but the interior is dryer and hotter, especially West Texas
@@lazygongfarmer2044 I’ll take the dry heat in West Texas.
@@elizabethorsillo7187you have to go like El Paso west to get dry heat. All of Texas for the most part feels like boiling hot soup from about March-November.
You know the weather is absolutely miserable when living in PA is preferable.
This is a great video, thanks Kyle!
Love this channel! Thank you Kyle
I think one thing was possibly missed, and that is the reason for each state's population growth. It also has a lot to do with how much each state contributes to the economy of the country as a whole. Texas has largely grown due to various industries, so a lot of working-aged individuals have headed there for work. Florida has grown because the aging population has grown so much. The Baby Boom generation is the biggest generation to get old so far. Jerry Seinfeld said it best, "My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned 60 and it's the law..."
That is true for Florida. However the top 5 states for % growth right now are Idaho, Utah, Florida, Texas, and Arizona. The bottom 5 for pop loss % wise are Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California.
@@zacharystewart5344 Right, but the other states weren't discussed in the video. Just comparing Texas and Florida. Maybe he will do one on Idaho vs Utah in the future or NY vs NJ in a similar vane to this one.
So what is going to happen to Florida and Arizona when the generations with little or no retirement reach retirement age?
@@route2070 well, there are younger people in both states as well, but honestly both states should have a much lower population due to their geography and natural resources. AZ should not have the population it does based on lack of water alone, but focusing on Florida, as it was one of the states discussed, it wasn't always a place most people would want to live. Naturally, large areas are swampy, prone to flooding even before climate change. Developers went in to clean things up and make it habitable, also, medical technology and science helped reduce mosquitoes and the danger of tropical illnesses, but notice lately how the diseases that kept large numbers of people out 100 years ago are creeping back up, how bad hurricanes have been the past few years, and how most of the state is barely above sea level. I think fewer people will see it as a place to move. I know if I have the money to be a snowbird when I'm older, I wouldn't go as far as Florida.
"even before climate change. " The rate of rise of the sea is the same as 100 years ago and fully 1/2 of all the increase in temp since 1850 happened before 1950. There has been no net increase in temp in the last 20 years. Storms are not more frequent or stronger.
That last point was hilarious, Kyle! Other commenters also brought up something not mentioned in the video: Florida's huge elder/retiree population.
I moved from the Bay Area in California to the Florida Panhandle, and my cost of living stayed the same, but my income went down in FL 20% doing the same job for the same company.
Thumbs up from a native Floridian
Really hope to see the return of State profiles soon!
Excellent video! That really clears it up.
One overlooked aspect of Florida is that it's also very important to international commerce. Several Latin American companies have US offices in Florida, to take advantage of a large bilingual population. So no, it's not just tourism and orange juice.
As a native Texan who just happens to be in Florida right now visiting friends and family, I approve of this video.
Florida is nice to visit but there’s no place like Texas!
This is the first of your videos that I have seen. Awesome!
I agree that politics is not the only factor that shapes a state.
Sorry to nitpick, but NASA is headquartered in DC. Johnson Space Center ("Houston") is flight control for crewed missions. There are ~18 NASA centers (like Johnson) that are spread around the country.
Thanks for that clarification.
i like both states
Pretty accurate breakdown but the underlying question is how is Florida's economy going to support our massive population numbers?
With people like me. I generate very little GDP, but I support myself with the money I earned while working up north. Also, as Kyle mentions, the tourists support us!
@@BusBozo I hear you sir but 20 million+ is not a small number. Not everyone is a retiree and tourism only goes so far--especially after the black eye Disney and California gave us.
The economy is a function of population. Population creates demand and working age population creates supply of labor to fulfill that demand. When I moved to Florida I had no trouble getting jobs in my field.
@@mirzaahmed6589 I imagine you are very well-trained and educated with a Graduate degree and beyond. I feel that this is the way for Florida residents going forward--more higher education. The state is doing its best but we need to do more.
What would be your point, @@I_Lemaire? Florida has one of the more fiscally sound state governments. The proof is in the pudding.
I live in Florida and have lived in other states. I agree with your overall assessment. That being said, if Florida disappeared, the depression rate in the US/Canada may be measurably higher. Not only do many people, who can afford to, spend winter here but so many people work towards and dream about the day that can move to or vacation in Florida. It truly helps a lot of people cope. Take that away and depression could set in. Hope is a powerful thing.
Great video. Are you planning on a Nebraska vs. Wisconsin video? Kind of a March madness rematch from a few years ago?
Love that Waylon LP Kyle
Great video!
Floridian here, watched til the end. Go ahead and dunk on us, it's kind of a fun running gag for your channel at this point, haha. See ya in the wintertime 🤙
You need to add Florida's greatest cultural contribution: FLORIDA MAN! Written as a long term resident of Florida. Dave Berry & Carl Hiaasen would be proud.
I love your videos, I'll be 21 soon, and I've lived in Florida's small towns my whole life. I do worry my memory's will someday be under the ocean. I don't know how people live anywhere near the coast in Florida, I like to be a few dozen miles from the beach. The hurricane winds really give a beating to the houses during landfall.
Ace, unless someone owns a house within a hundred feet of the beach, they'll be fine. The media takes the IPCC reports and twists them up to get people to panic. Two hundred years from now, Florida is going to be just fine.
If you live anywhere in Florida, your memories will be underwater. A few dozen miles away from the beach won't save you
Do this video comparing New York & California please
I'm 27 and was born in Southeast Florida and have lived here my whole life and I don't think I'll be moving anytime soon. I think it's pretty nice living here except for the hot muggy summers and the winters here are pretty much perfect weather. Also the low taxes for residents is pretty nice.
I live in Florida and agree with you. Florida is largely a place where people spend money, not create it. It is also overweighted with retirees who are not contributing to the GDP.
Your video is more on-line with my geography degree than I've seen before. Thank You Sir. 🌎🌞
I had the same thought as a prior comment: Florida’s GDP is probably skewed by the percentage of retirees. Also, I think Texas gets a lot of tax dollars from oil and gas production which, like tourists and those affiliated taxes, is spread out to all consumers whether they live in Texas or elsewhere.
Really cool video. How about doing more states
I'd like to see a comparison between WA and Oregon.
I agree with you. I moved to Texas from Florida, although I like both states for different reasons. My family's roots go way back in Florida but there's tons more opportunity for the cost of living in Texas, at least in my experience
Florida's importance is its uniqueness(interpret as you will). I do live here but only for the last couple years. Im a nature guy, so Florida is quite significant in that regard.
Nature? It's very flat...and way too hot to go outside...
As a FL resident - I agree with your assessment. I'd be curious to see a comparison of the # of retirees between FL and TX . I would expect that FL income is lower due to a larger number of retirees.
Having grown up in the Ft. Lauderdale metro, I’ve always wondered what industries exist such that the COL is so high. Not everyone can own a landscaping business, so what do people do that causes housing prices to be astronomical?
Your analysis is great to hear and I enjoy statistics. One crucial factor altering the economy is age of the residents. Florida has one of the highest median ages in the US, at 42.7. Texas has the second lowest, at 35.2. A large percentage of Floridians are retired, skewing median income lower. Many have substantial assets but little reported income. I expect percentages of people in the workforce vary greatly. Also, Florida has far more snowbirds than any state, people who live there part time during the winter. They are not counted in the Florida census and they do not vote there. Yet they are in Florida during winter months spending money. Florida is very heavy in tourism and those jobs generally have lower than average pay. However, Miami is attracting substantial banking and financial assets as companies relocate from New York to Florida.
Love your vids man. Geography/cartography lover here. Native Texan in DFW. 110 here and only 85 in Miami. Sounds good but nah Texas>Florida. Just waiting on October to get here.
Which states/cities in the US are the best to live in when you factor in jobs, healthcare availibility/costs, house costs, state taxes, sales tax, real estate taxes, other taxes, real estate insurance, auto insurance, food/basic living costs, etc? It would be great to see how it changes between different groups of people. I guess mostly working and retired?
I'm from Florida but I'll still give you a thumbs 👍🏼 up
Love your videos
Keep up the good work Kyle
i love these vids . anyone else find him really attractive
Theres a lot of retired people in Florida who have a very low income, so that likely skews that metric. That might change a bit as recently more people are working age. Miami also is getting more finance jobs as people move from NYC, overall yeah Texas is way more diversified
great stuff! :-)
Love it keep it up man
Come to Greenville SC. Lots to see and do and great places for the Geo Trivia vids- Liberty Bridge, Unity Park, etc.
Geography king, was wondering if you could do a video on the 'Swap Meets' of California and surrounding states. Thanks, big fan 😇👍
Very interesting, thank you.
FL is Death's waiting room.
Kyle, I studied methods and statistics in college. Median income is the better measure. The mean is skewed by a few very wealthy.
Thank you for the video keep up the good work!
Kyle, well done, small correction - Time 8:05, NASA Headquarters is in DC (like nearly all federal programs like NASA). NASA in Florida - Kennedy Space Center - mainly assembles spacecraft and launches rockets. NASA in Texas - Johnson Space Center - houses Mission Control and trains astronauts, along with lots of research, design, and analysis supporting human life-support systems. JSC is comparatively a lot smaller and closer to a major city (Houston) than KSC. Both have good visitor centers but KSC's is much, much larger with more exhibits and artifacts. It must be said though that JSC's visitor center has more mockups that you can actually go inside (so it feels like you are actually in a spacecraft! - can't sit in a flown artifact!).
Two states I would probably never choose to live in but a ton of people disagree with me. Maybe these states should start investing more heavily in public transit!
And orange industry been dying my whole life. Another cost of living difference to account for is insurance, with Florida having one of the highest costs of home and car insurance in the US; it'd be interesting to know these comparisons if you do another video.
NY and Cali next, to follow a somewhat similar structure??
I’m from San Antonio, also known as the largest city in the Texas hill country. It’s filled with tourists especially near the Alamo building.
Both are nice, but Chillingbourne is obviously better!! 🧡🧡🧡
Texas is the gateway to trade with Mexico and is a natural site for mfg that relates to Mexican trade.
Thanks Kyle for making this video. People say if California and Texas make a baby, you'd get Florida
That's.... pretty accurate actually. 🤣
I live in Florida, Texas is it's own country.
Facts. 🙏🔥
It's either Miami metro area or Miami-Ft. Laud-West Palm Beach metro. Miami is the southern end and West Palm is the northern end of the metro area. Calling it just Mia-Ft.L is misleading because it leaves out the entire northern 3rd of the metro area. Besides, Lauderdale is pretty nondescript and not really known for anything.
well, I feel the best way to describe that area as a whole is South Florida. Most people can decipher what it means that way
Climate change will play the biggest factor in economic differences during the coming decades since Florida's population centers, at their lower elevations, will succumb to massive floods, for more days than not each year, once the sea levels rise more. Texas, while most likely desertifying, will still be able to house major population centers away from its, too, flooding coastlines.
To really compare their population vs economy, you must compare the number of tax returns filed. Many retirees aren't required to file returns. Is Florida important? Yes! They house a tremendous amount to retirees...people who worked their entire lives building up this nation, and now prefer to live in a more moderate climate. The fact that Florida provides such a geographic area, is very important, to my way of thinking.
Insurance, insurance, insurance. Florida is an insurance death trap. My family is selling our home of 30+ years because they can't afford the property insurance. Car insurance is also extremely high in Florida. Live by the water? Flood insurance. Florida is a haven for the wealthy now and it's really unfortunate.
They both became states in 1845?
I live in Orlando and tourism is a smaller part of the local economy than you think (about 17%). I have a neighbor who works for a company that services roller coasters. Other than that I don't know anyone who works in anything tourist related. In Tampa and Jax it's even smaller as a percentage of those economies. I'm convinced that tourism has really just remade the local economy in its own image and if it slowly went away other industries would fill the void. Anyway, I think the geography and how late the state was settled sre key. A 24 hour drive from Dallas gets you to 90% of the US and Mexican population. Like 450 million people. 24 hours from Orlando gets you about half that. There's not good farming here and citrus is dead because of the citrus greening/blight. The future here is fintech and defense.
Nasa HQ is actually in DC! The Houston NASA is just one of the larger nasa centers and focuses especially on Human spaceflight (as opposed to interplanetary science, earth science, building the rockets themselves, etc)
I lived in Vero Beach Fl. Our condo was directly on the ocean. The homes on the barrier island and those directly on the inter coastal river were about half of the tax base. But less than 6% of the housing units in the county. Proper comparisons would be a 3 bedroom 2 bath 1800 sf house in urban, suburbs and rural areas in both states.
What percentage of homeowner have paid off their home. I bet the retired population of FL. changes the equation .
Lol...Kyle ur really funny with ur geography....I'm learning n laughing at the same time.
It’s hard to compare I think. Florida is definitely becoming more important to the US today.
Compared to Florida though, Texas has tons of natural resources, is more centrally located, has 8 million more people, is 4.8 times larger in size, and has way more diverse climates & biomes.
You have to understand too…Florida (besides like St. Augustine) was basically just swamps and mosquitoes until the 1920s. In the 1920s, Florida finally surpassed a population of 1 million. Texas around the same time had like 4 million people, and TX reached 1 million people back in the 1870s. So Texas had way more time to establish itself as a major state.
The only other state comparable to FL really is New York, but that’s different because of NYC and it being like one of the financial, cultural, and political centers of the world. Plus, NYC has been the country’s largest city for most of its history now.
Also, I must say…I love Texas. But Florida hands down has the better beaches and theme parks.
Give FL time…it will catch up.
No one’s saying Florida is a bad state. But as he pointed out all around (business, taxes, cost of living, medium income etc.) Texas is better. Obviously Florida is the prettier of the two, that’s the main thing Florida has for it, but other then that Texas has more going for it. And as a Texan I can easily say Florida has always been the one other state I’d move too 😂
Give FL enough time and the ocean will catch up
This is a great video. I was born in Texas but now live in Florida. The analysis was spot on although there is 1 key aspect of both Florida and Texas that was missed and that's % growth and pop growth. Both are absolutely crushing it in terms of people moving to Texas and here in Florida mainly for the low tax burdens and both are in the top 5 for % growth with Houston and Orlando competing for the fastest growing large city in the country every year. [Idaho and Utah are 1 & 2 for % growth] Comparatively when it comes to pop loss and negative loss % the top states BY FAR are By, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, and California. I do think that has to do with politics on the extremes.
He did mention the population growth of both states around the 1 minute mark.
@@TD-nw1vsExactly. Texas has more registered democrats than we do registered republicans.
@@sunshine3914 That was also true in Florida as late as 2005.
@@TD-nw1vs These trends have been true since about 2000 though. And my move to Florida is the best move decision I've ever made. I've lived in 13 states now and 6 countries. Florida is hands down the best in terms of how much money I get back in Taxes and the value for what I get here. The insurance premiums are absolute peanuts compared to the mammoth that are property taxes and income taxes. So far I'm extremely happy to be in Florida and my taxes have actually gone down since living here. He mentioned tolls. Those just got halved and the state sales tax was just absolved for all household items.
Politics alone, I've written off ever wanting to move to either state
The people of both states thank you.
If you can't get along with people with different political views you aren't a liberal or progressive, just an asshole.
Orange juice, Disneyland, and alligators
Texas, like Florida, also taxes the residents of other states instead of its own residents’ income. Texas generates literally billions of dollars in natural gas and oil extraction taxes every year. That energy is shipped to basically every US state, meaning that the cost of Texas’ energy production tax is baked into the price of oil in those states. Thanks, everyone else!
Florida has business personal property tax and a corporate income tax.
Florida is rapidly growing in importance, especially in the healthcare and biotechnology industries.
oh where's your Sierra Nevada map gone ?
How long will either of these states be inhabitable in the summer? We’re gonna find out sooner than later I think.
For many of us from the north, Florida and Texas have never been habitable in recorded history.
I feel like the desirability for a place to be where someone retires doesn’t get mentioned a lot when discussing the pros and cons of a state’s financial prospects.
If wealthy retired people want to move to one state more than another, that’s going to be a big boost to the economy of the more desirable state. And that can counter the other state offering more better paid jobs. Vacations homes also are a factor which work similarly but don’t require the buyer to even be retired yet.
I don’t particularly want to live in either Florida or Texas, but I recognize that Florida is probably more desirable per capita for retired people than Texas. And feel like that should be weighted a bit in this comparison.
The main reason for such a large difference in income number is the much higher number of retirees in FLa. Many who have large assets but low income.
I think both states have pros and cons. Texas probably has a bigger tech center, but Florida is more tourist and entertainment themed. Both are nice states.
What about service industries? I suspect that there are quite a few service industries in Florida that do very well-perhaps as well or better than Texas. Advertising/marketing, tourism (Florida is also the #1 cruise destination in the world), scammer call-centers, Texas & Florida both have ridiculous numbers of insurance companies, real estate companies are every other door in buildings in Florida. Economies aren't just manufacturing and agriculture. I am not saying I know, but I would like to see that added to the analysis.
I'm from Florida and I give a thumbs up. I like Florida a lot, but honesty is what it is.
Lots of northern money comes down here and also Miami is the gateway to Latin America.
And yea fvck these toll roads
4:45 shoutout to Hollywood FL
Every state has their job. Florida's job is to be there for us when we need to thaw out. Be our bit of paradise. I lived in Ft. Walton Beach, FL and Austin, TX while in the military.
The majority of my life has been in either FL or TX, and I have to say that your analysis seems right on target…except for one thing-politics. Until very recently-does 2000 bring anything to mind?-FL has been a swing state. TX has been a one-party state for almost all of my 57 years. It switched from DEM to GOP with slight variations between Dolph Briscoe and W with no competitive races on either end. FL is a completely different story in both gubernatorial and senatorial elections. The divide between rural and urban in TX far exceeds that in FL.
Lot aof good points int jis bideo always, but i rhink your thinking of the categories of "politics" and "geography" in fairly rigid and simplistic terms that leave little nuance. For example, Florida undeniably has incredible beaches and amazing weather, but the origin of the panhandle, with some of the best besches in the nation and a sizeable toueist economy, is undeniably political. It is part of the state due to a mix of colonization and treaties which created the mordern day borders of the state. If Tallahassee hadnt been the state capitol or france and spain hadnt colonized the state, maybe the northern would be part of Alabama or Georgia. Furthermore, Florida is not the only state with hreat gulf coast beaches, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas all have great beaches, why do they not have the tourist economy of Florida? Why are Galveston and Corpus Christi not meccas of tourism? The answer is both geographiccal (hurricanes and population density) but also political (local ideology/attitude as well as investments/insentives). Furthermore, the existance of Disneyland in Florida is not entirely geographical. Disneyland exists in large part because of the great Florida weather and cheap land, but its not the only state or place with those characteristics. Plenty of the south and sunbelt, including Texas, jave those characteristics. Im not an expert on the founding of Disneyland but im sure state incentives played a role, as well as the narrative that Walt Disney had of his company, the various regions of the US, and the narrative he presented to the public. Finally, Floridas future is determined both by geographical and political characteristics. Florida is an incredibly flat low lying state, surrounded by water and constantly threatened by hurricanes, natural geographical features of the state. These features undeniably put Florida at a high risk when it comes to climate change. Yet political factors undeniably play a role in how severe climate change will be in Florida, how well prepared the state is for it, and how residents will respond to it. When we look at such broad at deeply ruted influences like georgaphy and politics on such simplistic terms, we miss a large part of the picture and, to be honest, we find much more simplistic results and narratives.
With older people that move to Florida you don’t have the tax burden of education for their kids and they don’t drive as much. They still contribute with sales and property taxes.
Great video. Why is CA such a big tax state, then, if they have so much tourism? Does CA have structural disadvantages like lack of water or lots of agriculture that require tons of tax support?
You didn't mention the medical centers and investigation that are relevant in TX economy. Also, Houston's port is among the largest of the US
4th biggest GDP and 7th most Fortune 500 companies seems somewhat important, even if less so than Texas.
Florida has humidity everywhere and Texas does have quite a bit of lower humidity areas
where?
@@IgorLisx Big Bend to Midland to El Paso, essentially, the western part of the state that is vast
Sure, TX has a larger, more diverse economy with higher paying jobs. But it is a cultural desert (yes, Austin is overrated). Florida is not exactly the cultural capitol of the world either, but Miami is indisputably an international hub for art, media, design and architecture. It is also the only truly tropical climate zone in the continental US, which means it is, by far, the best place to spend the winter. I spend my winters/springs at the beach in South Florida; it is like heaven on earth and all of the naysayers are just haters who are jealous. (mic drop)
You missed Florida’s biggest resource, we have the most springs per capita at least in the US, and we are the sport fishing capitol of at least the US last time I checked. If you love wildlife there is nowhere in the US better than FL to live.
Florida is home to the restaurant chain!
We provide the nation with mediocre restaurants strip malls everywhere!
Florida gives us Florida man.
I like the head Florida man.
Florida is also important to the rest of the US due to immigration
If only Ron desantis & his supporters can see that. 😮💨
Besides, Texas takes up half of the Midwest and South. U would expect an area that size to lead in most categories.
Florida has the space center and now the Blue Origin rocket factory. That has to count for something.