Orlando
Orlando is Florida’s fourth largest city.
Florida’s cities, ranked from largest to smallest population:
- Jacksonville
- Miami
- Tampa
- Orlando
The City of Orlando is relatively small, and occupies about 114 square miles. But, the greater Orlando Metro area is much larger. It includes several suburbs and surrounding communities.
Combined, the greater Orlando metropolitan area covers more than 4,012 square miles. That’s more than six percent of the total land in Florida.
According to the 2019 U.S. Census, 21,477,737 people live in Florida. Of those, 287,442 live in the city of Orlando, which equals about 1.3% of Florida’s total population.
When zoomed out further, the population of the greater Orlando metropolitan area is 2,608,147. That’s about 12.14% of Florida’s total population.
Orlando sits in the middle of the Florida peninsula. It’s centrally located east and west, and north and south.
Central Florida, and the Orlando metropolitan area, are both popular for retirees and people who relocate from out of state.
Orlando’s economy is dominated by the hospitality and tourism industry, and the myriad services that support it.
Besides tourism, the greater Orlando metro area has several major employers in high-tech industries, including:
- Aviation and aeronautical science
- Biotech research
- Healthcare
The economy is also heavily influenced by the real estate sector, which can lead to volatile, self-feeding economic cycles.
