Top 10 Florida Counties with the Largest Defense Department Workforce

Florida is a key state for the U.S. military. The Sunshine State is not only home to the Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, but also has multiple counties where several thousand Department of Defense (DOD) employees live. While thousands of DOD employees, (civilians and active-duty service members) are stationed around the country, Florida has a sizable population. We’ve taken a deep dive into exactly where in Florida is the highest concentration of DOD civilian and military personnel. (Also see the countries where the most US military is stationed abroad.)

To find the 10 counties in Florida with the most military and civilian Defense Department personnel, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Defense Spending by State, a recent report from the DOD. According to the report, 131,500 national defense personnel were stationed in Florida in fiscal 2023 — more than in all but four other states. The largest share of department employees in the state — 45.7% — are active-duty troops. An additional 26.2% are civilian employees, 18.6% are reservists, and 9.5% are guards men and women. We identified the

All data in this story was compiled by the DOD and is current as of fiscal 2023. Counties for which personnel data was not disclosed were excluded from the analysis.

Why it Matters

A significant share of the Pentagon’s budget goes to payroll for the 2.6 million American men and women who work for the national defense. In fiscal 2023 alone, the Department of Defense spent over $167.4 billion on employee salaries and wages. While this money is spread across the 50 states, it has an outsized impact in places that have emerged as hubs for U.S. military operations.

10. Palm Beach County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 2,153 (1.6% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 114 (0.2% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 469 (3.8% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,327 (5.4% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 243 (0.7% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: N/A

9. Pinellas County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 2,248 (1.7% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 43 (0.1% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 878 (7.0% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,030 (4.2% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 297 (0.9% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: N/A

8. Brevard County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 5,943 (4.5% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 1,510 (2.5% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 412 (3.3% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,407 (5.8% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,614 (7.6% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $426,125,292 (4.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

7. Miami-Dade County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 6,255 (4.8% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 1,114 (1.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 334 (2.7% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 3,530 (14.4% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 1,277 (3.7% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $352,931,668 (3.9% of DOD payroll statewide)

6. Orange County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 6,279 (4.8% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 289 (0.5% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 341 (2.7% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 3,138 (12.8% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,511 (7.3% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $401,434,800 (4.5% of DOD payroll statewide)

5. Bay County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 6,967 (5.3% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 2,951 (4.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 522 (4.2% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 422 (1.7% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 3,072 (8.9% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $576,066,284 (6.4% of DOD payroll statewide)

4. Hillsborough County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 13,113 (10.0% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 5,713 (9.5% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 471 (3.8% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 4,039 (16.5% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,890 (8.4% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $953,146,668 (10.7% of DOD payroll statewide)

3. Escambia County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 15,328 (11.7% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 11,422 (19.0% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 195 (1.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,062 (4.3% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,649 (7.7% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $878,071,444 (9.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

2. Okaloosa County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 26,865 (20.4% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 16,925 (28.1% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 103 (0.8% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 2,248 (9.2% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 7,589 (22.0% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $2,221,152,381 (24.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

1. Duval County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 28,005 (21.3% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 13,299 (22.1% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 1,895 (15.2% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 4,003 (16.4% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 8,808 (25.6% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $2,009,931,401 (22.5% of DOD payroll statewide)