Palm Beach County's Major Employers and Job Hubs: Where Relocating Workers Buy

Palm Beach County employers are spread across a long, narrow county, so where you work should shape where you buy. A nurse at a Jupiter hospital, an engineer at a West Palm Beach aerospace plant and a professor in Boca Raton face very different commutes from the same street. This guide maps the largest employers by industry and location, then pairs each job hub with the nearby home markets, using clear criteria for relocating workers: commute, price, and the kind of housing you can expect.

Key takeaways

• The School District of Palm Beach County is the largest employer, with about 22,218 workers across the whole county, per the Business Development Board's 2024 to 2025 profile.
• Health care is the deepest job cluster, with Tenet, Baptist Health, the VA, HCA, Jupiter Medical Center and Wellington Regional all on the top list.
• Aerospace jobs cluster in West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter.
• Median list prices near the northern hubs run far higher than in West Palm Beach or Port St. Lucie, based on Pure Equity's MLS data as of October 1, 2026.
• Port St. Lucie has its own large employers, led by St. Lucie Public Schools and several hospitals.

The largest Palm Beach County employers at a glance

Each year, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County publishes a list of top employers. Its figures are approximate, and many were last updated by the employers in January 2024. Still, they show where the jobs are. Here are the ten largest service employers on that list:

1. Palm Beach County School District: about 22,218, countywide
2. Florida Atlantic University: about 6,335, Boca Raton
3. Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners: about 5,873, West Palm Beach
4. Tenet Coastal Division: about 5,734, countywide
5. NextEra Energy, parent of FPL (headquarters): about 5,598, Juno Beach
6. Baptist Health South Florida: about 3,135, Boynton Beach and Boca Raton
7. Veterans Health Administration: about 2,948, West Palm Beach
8. HCA Florida Healthcare: about 2,612, countywide
9. Jupiter Medical Center: about 2,540, Jupiter
10. The Breakers: about 2,300, Palm Beach

The same profile lists goods-producing employers too. Florida Crystals and Pratt and Whitney each report about 2,000 workers in West Palm Beach. U.S. Sugar reports about 1,300 in Belle Glade.

Health care Palm Beach County employers and where staff buy

Health care jobs are spread out, which gives medical workers more choice than most. Tenet and HCA list their staff as countywide. Meanwhile, Jupiter Medical Center sits in the north, Wellington Regional Medical Center in the west, the VA in West Palm Beach, and Baptist Health in Boynton Beach and Boca Raton.

So a good first step is to map your actual campus. Shift workers often care more about a short, predictable drive than about a big lot. For that reason, many look at townhomes and condos close to the hospital. Others accept a longer drive for a single-family home farther west.

For example, a Wellington Regional nurse might compare Royal Palm Beach, where the median list price is $499,900, with Wellington itself at $915,000. Both figures come from Pure Equity's MLS data as of October 1, 2026, and they reflect asking prices of active listings, condos and houses mixed.

Finance, headquarters and business services

The county markets itself as part of "Wall Street South," and its business cluster is large. The Business Development Board counts more than 28,000 companies in business and financial services.

Several headquarters anchor this group. NextEra Energy is based in Juno Beach. Office Depot, NCCI and ADT are in Boca Raton. Allied Universal lists Jupiter, and TBC Corporation lists Palm Beach Gardens. In addition, Bank of America and Wells Fargo report staff across the county.

Corporate workers often weigh walkability and school options along with the drive. In Boca Raton, the median list price is $550,000, with a mix of condos near downtown and single-family homes in the west. You can see current listings and data on our Boca Raton page.

Aerospace and engineering employers in Palm Beach County

Aerospace is one of the county's best-known clusters. Pratt and Whitney, an RTX company, reports about 2,000 workers in West Palm Beach. Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky report about 1,052 across Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach. Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris company, lists about 510 in West Palm Beach.

Further north, Belcan Engineering lists Palm Beach Gardens and PSM, a Hanwha company, lists Jupiter. As a result, engineers often split between the northern suburbs and the western communities near the large plants.

Here, the price gap is wide. Palm Beach Gardens shows a median list price of $899,000 and Jupiter $859,495. By contrast, Riviera Beach is $384,900 and West Palm Beach $315,000. Those are active asking prices from Pure Equity's MLS data as of October 1, 2026.

Education, research and government jobs

Teachers and school staff work in every corner of the county. Therefore, the school district's workers can often find a school close to where they already want to live.

Florida Atlantic University's main campus is in Boca Raton. Its Jupiter campus is shared with the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute. That gives Jupiter a small but real research job base. Palm Beach State College lists Lake Worth as its location.

Government jobs center on West Palm Beach, the county seat. The County Commission, the City of West Palm Beach and the South Florida Water Management District all sit on the top list. In the south, the City of Boca Raton is a large employer too.

Hospitality, agriculture and the western county

The Breakers in Palm Beach is the largest hotel employer on the list. Hotel and restaurant staff on the island often live in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach or Riviera Beach, since homes on the island itself run far higher. The town of Palm Beach shows a median list price of $2,499,000.

Out west, U.S. Sugar and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative list Belle Glade. Florida Crystals lists West Palm Beach as its headquarters. Workers in the Glades often look at homes much closer to the farms, since the drive from the coast is long.

Comparing Palm Beach County employers with nearby home prices

Here is a quick side-by-side of job hubs and the closest markets we track. Prices are median list prices of active residential listings from Pure Equity's MLS data as of October 1, 2026. They change daily.

• Downtown West Palm Beach (county, VA, aerospace, finance): West Palm Beach $315,000; Riviera Beach $384,900; Lake Worth Beach $436,000.
• Boca Raton (FAU, headquarters, Baptist Health): Boca Raton $550,000; Delray Beach $278,000; Boynton Beach $334,500.
• Jupiter and Juno Beach (NextEra, Jupiter Medical Center, research): Jupiter $859,495; Tequesta $700,000; Hobe Sound $549,250.
• Palm Beach Gardens (corporate offices, engineering): Palm Beach Gardens $899,000; North Palm Beach $529,900.
• Western county (Wellington Regional, schools): Wellington $915,000; Royal Palm Beach $499,900; Greenacres $252,450.

Keep in mind that the lower medians in some cities reflect more condos in the mix. So compare like with like before you decide a city is "cheaper." For closed sales, Miami Realtors reports that the countywide median sale price in August 2026 was $650,000 for single-family homes and $300,000 for condos and townhouses.

Port St. Lucie: the commuter option north of the county

Some buyers who work in north Palm Beach County look at Port St. Lucie, where the median list price is $429,000 per Pure Equity's MLS data as of October 1, 2026. The trade-off is a longer drive, often on I-95 or Florida's Turnpike.

Port St. Lucie also has its own job base. The St. Lucie County Economic Development Council lists St. Lucie Public Schools as the top employer, with about 5,253 workers. Its list also includes HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, the City of Port St. Lucie and a Walmart distribution center. Those figures date from 2022 to 2023.

For a two-income household, this can work well when one person works locally and the other commutes south a few days a week.

How to choose where to buy near your job

Use the same criteria for every area on your list. That keeps the choice about facts rather than reputation.

1. Commute at your real hours. Drive the route at your shift times, not on a Sunday. If you work in West Palm Beach or Boca Raton, check whether the Brightline stations in those cities could fit your week.
2. Price for the home type you want. A city median mixes condos and houses, so filter by type.
3. Total monthly cost. Add taxes, insurance, and any HOA or district fees to the mortgage.
4. School needs. Check zoned schools with the district's own boundary tools.
5. Flood zone and insurance. Coastal and low-lying areas can cost more to insure.
6. Room to change jobs. A central spot keeps more employers within reach if your role changes.

Then tour two or three areas in a single trip, so you can compare them while the details are fresh. Our Jupiter page and other city pages show current listings and rents.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the largest of the Palm Beach County employers?

The School District of Palm Beach County, with about 22,218 workers countywide, according to the Business Development Board's 2024 to 2025 profile. Florida Atlantic University is second, with about 6,335.

Which industries do Palm Beach County employers hire for most?

Education, health care and government lead the top list. Business and financial services, aerospace and engineering, hospitality and agriculture are also major clusters.

Where do aerospace workers in Palm Beach County live?

Many live near the plants in West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach, or in the northern suburbs of Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter. The right choice depends on budget, schools and the exact site you report to.

Is Port St. Lucie too far to commute to Palm Beach County jobs?

It depends on where you work and your hours. A job in Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens is a far easier drive from Port St. Lucie than one in Boca Raton. Test the drive at rush hour before you buy.

Can I rent first while I learn the area?

Yes, and many relocating workers do. Median asking rents in our MLS data range from about $2,250 in West Palm Beach to $4,200 in Jupiter as of October 1, 2026, so renting near your job can help you test the commute.

Sources

• Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Profile 2024 to 2025: Top Employers
• Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County, Major Employers
• Florida Atlantic University, About the Jupiter campus
• Brightline, stations and service
• School District of Palm Beach County
• Miami Realtors, Palm Beach County home sales report (August 2026)

Selling a home in Palm Beach County before or after a move? We will price it against current sales and plan the timing around your start date. Request a free relocation consultation. Moving here for a new job? Tell us where you will work, and we will build a short list of areas that fit your commute and budget.