Research is our foundation for setting and achieving the goals required to become world-class.
Each year, the Civic Council sets research themes that highlight the city’s most pressing opportunities, bringing data, expertise, and community voices together to spark dialogue and action.
Each year, the Civic Council sets research themes that highlight the city’s most pressing opportunities, bringing data, expertise, and community voices together to spark dialogue and action.
By connecting credible insights with civic priorities, our research helps chart a path for Jacksonville to grow as a world-class destination for families, individuals, graduates, and businesses.
Our 2025 Research Themes
Municipal Finance
Municipal finance is the foundation of a city’s ability to grow, serve its residents, and achieve long-term success. By studying Jacksonville’s financial health, we seek to understand the full picture of revenues, expenditures, and obligations — and what they mean for our community’s future. This research will develop a structured framework for analysis and generate actionable insights.
Strong, sustainable finances ensure that investments in priorities like Downtown revitalization, early learning, and infrastructure can move forward, providing the stability Jacksonville needs to thrive.
Identity
Our identity research is about uncovering and amplifying the qualities, stories and strengths that shape Jacksonville. Through focused research, we explore how the city’s history, culture, economy, and people intersect to define our sense of place. This work helps create a shared narrative that not only deepens community pride but also strengthens how Jacksonville is understood and represented beyond our borders.
By clarifying our city’s DNA, we provide leaders, businesses, and residents with a foundation for building alignment, fostering belonging, and positioning Jacksonville for future growth.
Quality of Life
Quality of life is at the heart of Jacksonville’s ability to grow, attract, and retain people and businesses. Our research examines the key drivers of well-being in our community — from education and health to housing, safety, and the environment — to better understand how residents experience life in Jacksonville. By analyzing these factors, we generate insights that help leaders make informed decisions and set strategies that improve daily life for all.
Where Jacksonville is Now: By the Numbers
Oxford Economics Global Cities Ranking (2025)
Source: Oxford Economics
Best Workforce in the U.S. (2025)
Source: CNBC
Top 10 Metros in FL with Fast-Growing Home Sales (2025)
Source: Redfin
Best Big City to Live In (2025)
Source: U.S. News & World Report
Cities that Attract College Graduates (2025)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Best Cities for Young Entrepreneurs (2024)
Source: Search Logistics
Our Research Network
The Jacksonville Research Network is an initiative of the Civic Council that brings together leading academics and researchers from across our city. It is designed to source and advance sound, solution oriented research around the key issues that will shape Jacksonville into a world-class city.
This network structure supports an open, trusted space for data sharing, methodology review, and dissemination of best practices, all anchored in peer review and fellowship.
- Rachael Wyant
- Mary Borg
- Connor Oswald
- Anna Lebesch
- Parvez Ahmed
- Josh Gellers
- Audrieanna Burgin
- Rick Mullaney
- Allison Ownby
- Sarah Boren
