Key Facts and Figures about
Florida State University’s Economic Impact
on Tallahassee and Leon County
2023-2024
Last Updated: September 2024
Overview
- FSU’s Tallahassee-area campuses include over 400 buildings and cover over 1,700 acres.[1] The bulk of these facilities are located on the main campus (Leon County Campus), near downtown Tallahassee. Other locations include the Rez Lakefront Park, the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering facility and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
- FSU is an institution of 43,701 students, including 34,348 Florida residents. 42,030 of those students attend class on the Leon County campus.[2] The university’s total operating budget for 2021-2022 academic year was $2.1 billion, and the budget for 2022-2023 was approximately $2 billion.[3]
- In 2023, FSU employed 15,455 people across all departments. 7,038 of them were regular-salaried, full-time employees. An additional 97 persons were employed on a regular-salary part-time classification, and the remaining 8,320 were employed under OPS classification.[4]
- In 2023, Tallahassee City Commissioners adopted a $826.8 million operating budget for the 2024 fiscal year. This is approximately $53 million more than the FY23 operating budget.[5] FSU’s operating budget for FY23 was $2.36 billion[6], more than double that of the City of Tallahassee.
- University operating revenues totaled $888 million for the 2022-2023 FY, a $90 million increase from 2021-2022. Operating expenses totaled $1.63 billion for the 2022-23 FY, up $118 million from 2021-22. Net non-operating revenues totaled $888.16 million for the 2022-23 FY, an increase of $48 million from the 2021-22 FY.[7]
- The average bi-weekly payroll for all FSU system employees was $34,944,881 and the total payroll for fiscal year 2023 (including gross salaries and employer paid benefits and taxes) was $908,566,915.[8]
Faculty, Staff, and Alumni
- University faculty and staff contribute to their local economy through their purchasing power and taxes. In 2023, the average monthly rent payment in Tallahassee was $1,626. Full-time salaried employee, faculty and staff contributions were estimated to be $11,443,788 per month or $137,325,456 annually.[9] These contributions do not account for part-time OPS employees.
- It is estimated that the average resident of Leon County, with a population of 296,913, paid $1,217 in sales taxes to the county (in 2023).[10] The 2,727 traditional faculty members are estimated to have contributed $3,318,759 in sales taxes to Leon County in 2023.[11]All 7,038 full-time salaried employees contributed $8,565,246 in sales tax in 2023.[12]
- Florida State University employees have won six Nobel prizes, first in 1933 and most recently in 2016. The university currently employs two Pulitzer Prize winners and 11 Guggenheim Fellowship professors. Every year since 2000, at least one FSU faculty member has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship. Six FSU faculty members were endowed as Fulbright Scholars for the 2023-24 school year.[13]
- As of April 2024, some 238,421 of approximately 400,000[14] living FSU alumni lived and worked in Florida, with 44,039 in Leon County. This concentration of FSU alumni was higher than anywhere in the state.[15]
Research
- Total Research Expenditures (external only) were $247.7 million for the 2023 fiscal year, a $44.1 million increase from the previous fiscal year. [16]
- The total amount of Sponsored Research Contract and Grants (C&G) awards received during FY 2023 was $259.6 million, a $25.3 million decrease from the previous fiscal year. $211 million of these contracts and grants were from the federal government, $25.5 million from the state and local government and $23.1 million privately funded.[17]
- FSU researchers received $302 million in funding for fiscal year 2023, $14.6 million more than 2022. Funds came from federal, state, and private sources[18]
- Since FY 2005-06, the FSU Research Foundation has allocated $250,000 annually under the Grant Assistance Program (GAP), a funding mechanism to help FSU researchers transfer their work from the laboratory to the commercial market[19]
Students
- FSU students spend substantially in the area. Students spend money on tuition, books, school supplies, housing, food, transportation, clothing, and entertainment. These expenditures vary by the residency status and degree level of each student. Student spending by Florida State University students, both in funds spent in the area and in funds spent at the university, totaled $1.062 billion in fiscal year 2023.[20]
- Costs for students attending Florida State University depend on each student’s living situation and residency status. Florida residents living on campus or in an off-campus apartment paid an estimated $23,790 during the 2022-2023 academic year, while Florida residents living with their parents paid $17,994. This includes tuition, housing, books, transportation, and other personal expenses. Non-Florida residents living on campus or in an off-campus apartment paid an estimated $38,036 during the 2021-2022 academic year, and non-residents living with their parents paid $32,240[21]
- 43,701 students at FSU’s Leon County Campus are estimated to have contributed $53.2 million in sales taxes to Leon County in 2023. This accounts for about 7% of total estimated sales tax revenue to Leon County in 2023.[22],[23]
Capital Expenditures
- In FY 2024-2025, FSU has $519 million dedicated to capital projects[24], [22] These projects are funded through the FSU budget, bondholders, FCO grants, PECO allocations, departmental funding, ESCO budget allocations and private donations.
- FSU receives funding for capital expansion projects through the State of Florida’s Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO). For fiscal year 2023-2024, FSU received $3,266,326 in PECO appropriations for developmental research[25]
- FSU is Tallahassee’s top user of electricity, using 6.60%. The state of Florida placed second, using 3.30%. In third, the City of Tallahassee used 2.70%. In 2023, the university used more electricity than Florida A&M University (1.40%), Leon County government (0.50%), Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (1.70%) and Walmart (0.60%) combined[26]
Visitors to FSU
- By the end of FY 2024, the economic impact of tourism on Leon County is expected to be over $670 million. Based on estimates of the number of total visitors to Leon County in FY 2024, each visitor to Leon County on average will generate $541.11 to the local economy during their visit.[27]
- Football-game weekends bring in a significant amount of tourism to Leon County. Out-of-town attendees typically total $137.46 million in direct spending during FSU’s six home games.[28] In the Fall 2020 season, FSU football attracted 219,600 out-of-town visitors to Leon County.
- FSU home games hosted an average of 78,711 attendees per game for 2023[29],with a season-high attendance of 79,560 for the University of Miami game.[30] In the Fall 2023 season, FSU football attracted 118,857 out-of-town visitors to Leon County.[31]
- Visiting teams book an average of 145 room nights in Tallahassee per game during football season. In 2023, FSU hosted six home football games in Tallahassee.[32] At an average Tallahassee hotel stay cost of $104 per night
- [33] on weekends, FSU visiting teams contributed at least $90,480 in lodging.[34]
- In addition to football, FSU varsity sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer and golf bring participants and visitors who contribute to the local economy. Visiting baseball teams booked an average of 105 room nights per weekend. FSU hosted 30 home baseball games in 2023.[35] FSU also hosted 14 home volleyball games in which participants booked an average of 28 room nights per weekend. In total, baseball and volleyball generate an additional $368,368 in direct impact through participant lodging in Tallahassee.[36]
- Visitors also booked 161,228 nights and spent $22,118,918 on lodging. On average, out-of-town attendees to football games spent $87.38 per day and $349.50 per trip.[37] In a typical season, football home games result in $106.5 million of economic impact on Leon County.[38]
- Opening Nights at FSU performances and educational events attracted over 20,000 attendees during the 2022-2023 season.[39]
Camps
- In the summer of 2023, 1,064 campers attended camps at the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee[40]
- In the 2022-2023 academic year, FSU athletic camps had over 8,400 attendees: 2,886 in football, 1,965 in men’s basketball, 835 in softball, 435 in volleyball, 349 in soccer, 676 in baseball, 483 in women’s basketball, 364 in cross-country/track, 74 in swimming, 149 in beach volleyball, 141 in men’s tennis, and 89 in men’s and women’s golf.[41]
- There are over 20 academic and civics camps in session throughout the university every year, and thousands of school students attend.
- 14,638 Florida K-12 students and teachers attended programs offered by the College of Arts & Sciences’ Office of STEM Teaching Activities in the 2022-2023 academic year. The STEM programs had 61,851 attendees.[42]
- Two different summer programs are offered by the College of Dance. The two programs are the Young Dancers Workshop (YDW, 2-day workshop for students ages 10-18) and the Summer Intensive (SI, 2 week overnight camp for youth 14-18). In 2023, 152 students attended the YDW and 50 students attended the SI. [43]
- ● 9 different music camps are offered every summer at FSU. In 2023, FSU Music Camps’ face-to-face enrollment was over 1,500 students. During the summer of 2020, camps provided 41 free virtual classes to over 5,000 students. More than 65% of the eligible students who have attended the camps eventually enroll at FSU in majors across the university.[44]
FSU Foundation & Volunteer Work
- Total expenses of the FSU Foundation increased 10.6% ($5.9 million) from 2022 to 2023. [45]
- For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, the FSU Foundation allocated $70,749,010 in total gift commitments. Total gifts included $23,246,692 in pledges, $3,502,757 gifts-in-kind, $22,936,938 in deferred gifts and $21,062,623 in cash and securities.[46]
- Total university endowments totaled $947,008,761, an increase of $48,888,901 from FY2021-2022; FSU Foundation endowments were $722,927,891, an increase of $41,662,247 from FY2021-2022[47]
- These commitments were given by a total of 17,479 donors. 62% were alumni/attendees, 3.8% current students, 6.8% parents and 14.6% friends of the university. The remaining donors were a conglomerate of faculty, staff, corporations and partner foundations[48]
- The gift commitments from the FSU Foundation were allocated to various departments at the university. $16,500,242 were allocated for student financial aid, $3,610,301 to the faculty and staff, $3,781,915 for public service, $11,109,138 for property and infrastructure, $15,635,398 for the academic divisions, $423,925 toward research, $350,511 toward Strozier Library and $19,118,375 for other restricted purposes. The remaining funds were allocated for other unrestricted purposes, such as physical plants and loans.[49] FSU received a $100 million gift in 2015 from Jan Moran and the Jim Moran Foundation to create the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship, which later became a college. In 2016, Brian and Kathryn Ballard gifted real estate to the university to serve as the headquarters for the institute[50]
- For the 2022-2023 academic year, 5,825 FSU students reported a total of 235,881 hours of volunteer work through the FSU ServScript Program. Using the value of a volunteer hour as determined by independentsector.org, this contribution of service hours saved local communities, governments and nonprofit organizations approximately 7.5 million dollars. [51],[52]
Economic Impact
- Adjusted to 2023 dollars, FSU generated $1.8 billion of direct revenue or expense for within Florida. Including indirect effects, FSU contributed $3.5 billion worth of total industry output (revenue/sales) and 35,907 jobs.[53]
- Including indirect effects, economic activity generated by FSU in fiscal year 2023 supported $1.8 billion in labor income, $615 million in property income and $113 million in business taxes.[54]
- In 2023, the present value of lifetime earnings of an FSU graduate with a bachelor’s degree was expected to be $587,762. more than a high school graduate.[55]
Compiled by the FSU Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis
Footnotes
- [1] Florida State University Facilities 2023
- [2] Florida State University Office of Institutional Research Fall 2023
- [3] Florida State University Office of Institutional Research
- [4] Florida State University Office of Institutional Research Fall 2023
- [5] City of Tallahassee Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Report
- [6] Florida State University News
- [7] Controller’s Florida State University Annual Report 2022-2023
- [8] Jerris Edwards, Assistant Controller, personal communication
- [9] See: Rent Cafe 2023
- [10] US Census Bureau Leon County Population Estimates
- [11] Jad Kabbani, Florida Office of Tax Research, personal communcation
- [12] Florida State University Office of Institutional Research Fall 2023
- [13] Florida State University News: Six Florida State University faculty members to travel the globe through the Fulbright Program
- [14] There are 400,000 alumni as of April 2024, personal communication, Tim Fordyce, FSU Office of Univ. Communications.
- [15] Florida State University Office of Institutional Research Fact Book
- [16] FSU Office of Research Annual Research Statistics
- [17] FSU Office of Research Annual Research Statistics
- [18] Florida State University News
- [19] FSU Research Foundation Office of Commercialization
- [20] Economic Contributions of the State University System of Florida 2019-2020. Expenditures included are tuition and fees, room and board costs, supplies, transportation, clothing, health, and other personal expenditures. See: Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis
- [21] 2022-2023 FSU Fact Book
- [22] Florida State University Office of Institutional Research Fall 2023
- [23] Florida Department of Revenue
- [24] FSU News: FSU Board of Trustees approves $3 billion operating budget
- [25] FSU 2023-2024 Capital Outlay Project Plan
- [26] City of Tallahassee Annual Report to Bondholders, September 2023
- [27] Tallahassee Office of Economic Vitality
- [28] Downs and St. Germain Research 2021, Florida State Football: Estimated Economic Impact on Leon County. Note that these numbers are pre-COVID-19 pandemic.
- [29] See: 2023 FBS Attendance Trends
- [30] Game recap: Trey Benson’s pair of touchdowns gives No. 4 FSU football win over Miami
- [31] Derril Beech, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Annual Giving, personal communication.
- [32] ESPN College Football Team Schedule 2023
- [33] See Tallahassee Average Hotel Costs: Nightly Room Prices by Accommodation Type
- [34] Derril Beech, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Annual Giving, personal communication
- [35] Derril Beech, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Annual Giving, personal communication
- [36] Derril Beech, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Annual Giving, personal communication
- [37] Downs and St. Germain Research, Florida State Football: Estimated Economic Impact on Leon County 2020 dollars.
- [38] Downs and St. Germain Research 2020 Economic Impact of FSU Football to Leon County.
- [39] Brad Lister, Business and Patron Services Manager, personal communication.
- [40] Alan Hanstein, Executive Director, Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee. Personal communication.
- [41] Grant Escue, Senior Director of Compliance, Department of Athletics, FSU. Personal communication.
- [42] Ellen Granger, Director of OSTA, personal communication. Note that attendance numbers were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- [43] La Toya Davis-Craig, Specialized Faculty, Community Relations and Special Engagement, School of Dance, FSU. Personal communication.
- [44] Kerry Smith, Director of Summer Music Camps, personal communication
- [45] FSU Foundation 2023 Annual Report on Giving
- [46] FSU Foundation 2023 Annual Report on Giving
- [47] FSU Foundation 2023 Annual Report on Giving
- [48] FSU Foundation 2023 Annual Report on Giving
- [49] FSU Foundation 2023 Annual Report on Giving
- [50] See: Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship
- [51] Erin Philpot, Assistant Director for Leadership & Identity, personal communication. Note that much of the volunteer work performed by FSU students is not reported to ServScript, so the impact of volunteer work is likely much greater.
- [52] Florida State University News, “Transforming Tallahassee: Florida State University students contribute $7.5 million in volunteer hours”.
- [53] Economic Contributions of the State University System of Florida in 2019-2020, see: Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis
- [54] Economic Contributions of the State University System of Florida in 2019-2020, see: Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis
- [55] Economic Contributions of the State University System of Florida in 2019-2020, see: Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis