Sumter County added 6,535 jobs since 2012, a 36 percent increase, according to a report presented Tuesday to the county board of commissioners.
The county had 24,764 jobs in 2017, up from 18,229 five years ago.
Health care and construction were the fastest growing sectors.
Construction jobs rose 81 percent to 2,481 in 2017. A total of 1,592 health care jobs were added to 5,099, up 69 percent over five years.
Highest employment was in the service industry with 5,543 jobs and government with 5,099 jobs in 2017.
But the county also has room for improvement, according to a separate state report.
Sumter County was listed among a dozen Florida counties with opportunities for economic improvement.
The report said the county has a high unemployment rate, few job opportunities and wages below the state average. Half of the work force commutes to another county and Sumter has a higher rate of people with disabilities.
Marion County, also listed in the report, has many of the same problems along with minimal labor force growth.
