Northwest Florida is on track to retain nearly half of the roughly 5,200 service members who leave the military here each year, according to new data released this week, seeding the civilian workforce with about 2,250 veterans annually — many mid‑career, degree‑holding and already cleared for sensitive work.
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The findings, compiled by the University of West Florida’s Haas Center for the regional economic development group Florida’s Great Northwest, quantify a pipeline long cited by local leaders. Survey responses across the 13‑county region show 47.3% of separating personnel plan to remain in Northwest Florida, 33.6% plan to move elsewhere, and 19.1% are undecided. A broader 77.9% say they intend to stay somewhere in Florida. The most common reasons to remain are family ties (45.6%), job opportunities (22.2%), and cost of living (8.7%).
Education levels skew high. Nearly 59% of respondents report holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, including 29.5% with a bachelor’s, 26% with a master’s, and 3.5% with a doctorate or post‑doctoral training. A majority — 60.7% — are between ages 35 and 64, with roughly one in five in the 35‑to‑44 bracket, indicating a talent stream that leans toward mid‑career experience and leadership.
The sources of that flow are concentrated. Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field account for 88.4% of local separations, followed by Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Tyndall Air Force Base, and Naval Support Activity Panama City. By branch, the Air Force supplies 33% of transitioning personnel, the Navy 28.8,% and the Army 23.6%.
University and business leaders said the numbers put sharper edges on a familiar story.
“This data is a game-changer, allowing us to powerfully describe this pool of pre-trained, disciplined, untapped talent to companies in our target industry sectors,” said Jennifer Conoley, president and CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest. “The Military Talent Dashboard underscores Northwest Florida’s strategic advantage as a place where employers have access to highly-skilled professionals who are ready for their next career.”
“These findings give Northwest Florida an incredible opportunity to connect highly skilled, disciplined, and experienced professionals with employers across our target industries,” added Nicole Gislason, executive director of the UWF Haas Center. “This research demonstrates the workforce gains our businesses' experience as they expand across the northern Gulf Coast.”
The Haas Center paired a regional survey of service members, veterans, and military spouses with public labor‑market and population data to estimate annual separations and describe the people entering the civilian job market. The resulting online dashboard presents interactive charts on separations, education, and skills, as well as intended destinations after service.
For employers, the immediate takeaway is supply: a predictable stream of separation‑to‑civilian talent aligned with cyber and IT, aviation maintenance and advanced MRO, logistics and supply chain, and test‑range engineering. For local governments, the swing factor is the undecided 19% — a group whose choices may hinge on childcare capacity, spouse licensure portability, and how quickly military credentials translate into civilian roles.
