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.
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....
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.
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.
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 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'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
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.
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.
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.
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 thing that was not mentioned was the financial sectors. It has been some time since I studied this, but I remember that Dallas was the financial hub for most of the surrounding states in the region, Oklahoma and so on, while Houston was the financial center for most of Mexico, thus two very influential hubs. Miami, however, was the financial hub for all of Latin America other than Mexico, and also the Caribbean, I think. Of course, that's also rooted more-or-less in geography.
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 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.
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 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.
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?
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!
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.
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.
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.
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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 😂
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.
If you’re a felon looking to commit trouble down there, Ron DeSantis would throw the book at you. Pedophiles should stay clear from the state, since DeSantis signed a law to execute them.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 🤙
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 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
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.
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?
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.
Both states are alike in politics? Yes. Republucans control awareness offices and the gerrymandered legislatures I do not know about Florida but our Texas cities tend Democratic. Houston is the largest city and home of many corporations. Plus the Ship Chanbel a busy port. We definitely vote Democratic. As do Dallas, San Antonio and Austin
Florida elderly population in a way hurts other states to some degree. I know 12 retired teachers/professors from New Jersey, drawing a New Jersey state pension and not spend a dime or paying any taxes in New Jersey.
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?
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.
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!
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!
Florida produces 75% of the national supply of phosphate and 25% of the global supply. Most people don't even know that fact and how critically important that is for domestic agriculture security.
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)
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.
Having lived in both states, I'll take Texas any day. Near San Antonio, but a small town, I find great similarities, but in Texas there's hardly any BUGS.
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!).
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.
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....
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
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.
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.
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 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.
Just keep making videos dude. They are appreciated.
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
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.
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.
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.
Florida is a sunny place for shady people.
very cringe statement, reeks of a guy in the trenchcoat + fedora that thinks he's the smartest guy in the room
Do this video comparing New York & California please
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.
No one goes to texas for fun and vacations lol
One thing that was not mentioned was the financial sectors. It has been some time since I studied this, but I remember that Dallas was the financial hub for most of the surrounding states in the region, Oklahoma and so on, while Houston was the financial center for most of Mexico, thus two very influential hubs. Miami, however, was the financial hub for all of Latin America other than Mexico, and also the Caribbean, I think. Of course, that's also rooted more-or-less in geography.
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 these vids . anyone else find him really attractive
Lol...Kyle ur really funny with ur geography....I'm learning n laughing at the same time.
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.
I agree that politics is not the only factor that shapes a state.
Florida is home to the restaurant chain!
We provide the nation with mediocre restaurants strip malls everywhere!
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.
That last point was hilarious, Kyle! Other commenters also brought up something not mentioned in the video: Florida's huge elder/retiree population.
Orange juice, Disneyland, and alligators
i like both states
FL is Death's waiting room.
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.
Thumbs up from a native Floridian
Great video. Are you planning on a Nebraska vs. Wisconsin video? Kind of a March madness rematch from a few years ago?
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?
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!
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
Florida is just such a hostile state to be in right now due to that Governor they got down there....trust me
It's like....I donno
Agreed and I live in Florida.
@@Tlyna1952 it's so alarming
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.
Really cool video. How about doing more states
I'd like to see a comparison between WA and Oregon.
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.
This is a great video, thanks Kyle!
Really hope to see the return of State profiles soon!
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.
Texas is the gateway to trade with Mexico and is a natural site for mfg that relates to Mexican trade.
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.
So glad I don’t live in Texas. You can have it all Texans.
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.
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...
Yup, (tell me about it?????) the comparison of the two most OVERATED states. HOT HOT HOT HURRICANE HURRICANE HURRICANE!!!!! Good luck with that!!!
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.
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
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
Love this channel! Thank you Kyle
Both are nice, but Chillingbourne is obviously better!! 🧡🧡🧡
They are both states to stay out of. In that way, they are the same.
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.
Florida is a really a strange place thay attracts the worst people.
If you’re a felon looking to commit trouble down there, Ron DeSantis would throw the book at you. Pedophiles should stay clear from the state, since DeSantis signed a law to execute them.
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.
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.
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 has business personal property tax and a corporate income tax.
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
I live in Florida, Texas is it's own country.
Facts. 🙏🔥
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 🤙
Florida is also important to the rest of the US due to immigration
If only Ron desantis & his supporters can see that. 😮💨
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??
Florida also produces lots of sugar, but even then Florida doesn't do much haha
Florida has snorkel grounds, springs and other beautiful nature beyond the beaches. Publix is a better grocery store than HEB. BARELY
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
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.
Thanks Kyle for making this video. People say if California and Texas make a baby, you'd get Florida
That's.... pretty accurate actually. 🤣
Excellent video! That really clears it up.
😂😂😂do you ever have anything good to say about Florida? When you come to Gainesville fl I'll buy you a chicken tender sub from Publix.
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?
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.
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.
Great video!
Both states are alike in politics? Yes. Republucans control awareness offices and the gerrymandered legislatures
I do not know about Florida but our Texas cities tend Democratic. Houston is the largest city and home of many corporations. Plus the Ship Chanbel a busy port. We definitely vote Democratic. As do Dallas, San Antonio and Austin
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
Florida elderly population in a way hurts other states to some degree. I know 12 retired teachers/professors from New Jersey, drawing a New Jersey state pension and not spend a dime or paying any taxes in New Jersey.
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?
Florida has the space center and now the Blue Origin rocket factory. That has to count for something.
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.
orange juice and Disney World! ha! Florida also has very high humidity and hot weather to go with it. So there!
Florida is just… yucky. I’d rather live in canada.
Both state suck because of their government. They are the people who make the rules in their states.
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!
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!
Florida is rapidly growing in importance, especially in the healthcare and biotechnology industries.
Florida produces 75% of the national supply of phosphate and 25% of the global supply. Most people don't even know that fact and how critically important that is for domestic agriculture security.
I'd like a cherry phosphate because it's summer.
In summation FL sucks and TX is better.
Damn Kyle. You pissed of a lot of people with this one.
Love that Waylon LP Kyle
They both became states in 1845?
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)
Florida is a big "swing state" in national elections so it is important in that sense. Remember 2000.
The only swinging that state does any more is towards Republicans.
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.
Having lived in both states, I'll take Texas any day. Near San Antonio, but a small town, I find great similarities, but in Texas there's hardly any BUGS.
But there are latinas and that's a W. 🔥🙏
@@Abel-Alvarez Not in my town. They are mostly in big cities and in the south.
4th biggest GDP and 7th most Fortune 500 companies seems somewhat important, even if less so than Texas.
Florida gives us Florida man.
I like the head Florida man.
Florida also gives us "Florida Man" memes. :)
Florida publishes arrest, criminal, & court records to the public. In blue states, criminals get sweet old privacy for their heinous actions.
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!).