- June 25, 2026
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Financial information platform SmartAsset recently ranked what it is calling “America’s new boomtowns,” including a handful of cities around the region. North Port, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Tampa and Lakeland were touted for their economic growth in the last five years, landing in the top 50 boomtowns on SmartAsset's list of 75 cities nationwide.
For its study, SmartAsset looked at U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000. Next, it scored them based on five-year changes in housing units, labor force size and real GDP.
According to the study, Florida leads the country with 19 boomtowns, followed by Texas with 18. Topping the list of 75 boomtowns was Georgetown, Texas, with 34% growth in its housing units and labor force over the past five years plus 7.7% real GDP growth from 2019 to 2024.
North Port was the highest-ranking city on Florida’s Gulf Coast, coming in at No. 12 on SmartAsset’s list of America’s 75 boomtowns. From 2019 to 2024, North Port saw 42% growth in housing units, a 78% increase in labor force and 4.8% real GDP growth, the study shows.
Cities in the region on America's Boomtown list | ||||
| City | Rank | Housing unit increase | Labor force increase | Real GDP growth |
| North Port | 12 | 42% | 78% | 4.8% |
| Fort Myers | 20 | 21% | 42% | 4.7% |
| Cape Coral | 22 | 30% | 22% | 4.7% |
| Tampa | 33 | 11% | 15% | 5% |
| Lakeland | 49 | 10% | 23% | 4.2% |
| Source: SmartAsset | ||||
As for its methodology, SmartAsset says it used 2019 and 2014 data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey for housing and labor force changes and county-level compound annual real GDP growth using 2019 and 2024 Bureau of Economic Analysis data.
