Market report · Jacksonville, FL
The State of Outbound Sales in Jacksonville, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Jacksonville, FL metro right now: who the buyers are, which trades have room, what is being built, what a rep costs to hire here. Then a 4-tool kit to work the market this month.
- 3,730business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #41 of our 100 metros
- 81buyer sites per commercial flooring contractor, #22 of 68 markets: the best rank of any trade here
Sites: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; rank among the 100 metros on our market pages. Room: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 sites per contractor in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1, among markets with at least 10 contractors.
Executive summary Read this if nothing else
5 things to know about outbound sales in Jacksonville
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 1,216 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Jacksonville, ahead of retail stores (847).
Where the metro leans
Hospitals: 1.92x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: private K-12 schools (1.59x) and commercial property managers (1.53x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Flooring: #22 of 68 markets
81 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 17 local commercial flooring contractors. The most crowded is commercial cleaning & janitorial, #89 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care expansion and Airport Commerce Center distribution facility, $550 million
City incentives requested. One of 8 named, sourced projects in this report.
Hiring locally
$124,700 for an in-house SDR's first year (illustrative)
At a $55,000 base salary, once commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and training, turnover and manager time are added, before ramp time.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1; project sources as of 2026-09; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Full list at the end.
Chapter 01 The market
Who buys in Jacksonville
3,730 business sites in Jacksonville have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #41 of the 100 metros we publish. Here is what those buyers are and where they sit.
The largest buyer categories
Sites with 20 or more people are the ones worth an SDR's time: big enough to have a facility lead, a service budget and a contract that comes up for renewal. The "vs. U.S. mix" column compares each category's share of local employment with its national share (1.00x is the U.S. average).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All sites | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RestaurantsLargest pool | 1,216 | 3,443 | 1.17x | +216 |
| Retail stores | 847 | 5,351 | 1.21x | +188 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 424 | 4,033 | 1.23x | +201 |
| Wholesale distributors | 291 | 1,628 | 0.73x | +57 |
| Manufacturing plants | 234 | 930 | 0.89x | +73 |
| Grocery stores | 145 | 781 | 1.27x | +60 |
| Senior living and nursing | 132 | 292 | 0.67x | +5 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 94 | 879 | 0.98x | -3 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 92 | 889 | 1.02x | +5 |
| Private K-12 schools | 88 | 155 | 1.59x | +6 |
Jacksonville leans toward hospitals (1.92x), private K-12 schools (1.59x) and commercial property managers (1.53x). A trade that already sells to those buyers elsewhere has a deeper pool here than the national numbers suggest, and a case study from one of them travels well on the phone.
It is thinner than the U.S. mix in senior living and nursing (0.67x) and wholesale distributors (0.73x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: restaurants (+216), medical, dental and outpatient offices (+201) and retail stores (+188). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Jacksonville, FL: 5 counties in this report's counts.
Duval County, St. Johns County and Clay County hold 93% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Duval CountyStart here | 2,595 | 70% |
| St. Johns County | 554 | 15% |
| Clay County | 316 | 8% |
| Nassau County | 138 | 4% |
| Baker County | 20 | 1% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Jacksonville
Buyer sites per contractor is a rough read on how crowded a trade is: more sites for each local competitor means more doors nobody else is knocking on. Each trade's Jacksonville figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial FlooringMost room | #22 of 68 | 81 | 17 | -2 |
| Commercial Roofing | #39 of 89 | 71 | 28 | -8 |
| Commercial Electrical | #45 of 100 | 11 | 145 | -3 |
| Managed Service Providers | #47 of 100 | 2.8 | 703 | +27 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #53 of 100 | 9.6 | 118 | 0 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #48 of 86 | 65 | 31 | -3 |
| Fire Protection | #70 of 96 | 35 | 63 | +1 |
| Commercial Construction | #83 of 100 | 3.0 | 336 | +11 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #80 of 94 | 30 | 73 | -2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #86 of 100 | 2.6 | 845 | +8 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #89 of 100 | 2.5 | 538 | +24 |
Commercial flooring (#22), commercial roofing (#39) and commercial electrical (#45) rank best in Jacksonville. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial cleaning & janitorial is the most crowded trade here, #89 of 100: 2.5 buyer sites for each of 538 local commercial cleaning companies. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial roofing (-8) and commercial electrical (-3) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Managed service providers (+27) and commercial cleaning & janitorial (+24) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Jacksonville yet. We take one client per trade per territory, so ask before you plan around it.
Chapter 03 The projects
What is being built, and who owns the buildings
8 named, sourced projects and 6 anchor owners in Jacksonville. Each one is a reason to call that has nothing to do with your company and everything to do with the buyer's building.
The projects
- 01 · $550 million Johnson & Johnson Vision Care expansion and Airport Commerce Center distribution facility City incentives requested A $500 million production equipment expansion at J&J's Deerwood Park contact lens plant plus a $50 million packaging and distribution center of about 1 million square feet at Airport Commerce Center in Northwest Jacksonville. A new million-square-foot distribution building needs roofing, sprinkler systems, electrical service and large paved truck courts, while the plant expansion brings power and process mechanical work through 2028. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-04-20
- 02 · $387.6 million Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Jacksonville Under construction; completion targeted June 30, 2027 A 170-key Four Seasons hotel with 26 private residences, a spa, three restaurants and a 78-slip marina at 1406 E. Bay Street on the Downtown Jacksonville riverfront, with $360 million in construction financing. The tower topped off in August 2025, so the remaining work through mid-2027 is interior: mechanical and electrical trim-out, high-end flooring and painting, then landscaping and ongoing hotel cleaning contracts. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-02-02
- 03 · $58.38 million ICE Mortgage Technology divisional headquarters renovation Permitted Renovation of nearly 140,000 square feet inside a three-story, 170,098-square-foot building at 4800 Deer Lake Drive E. in Deerwood Park North, plus curtain wall replacement and new canopies, with Auld & White Constructors as contractor. A gut renovation of a 1992 office building means new mechanical, electrical and sprinkler work, flooring and painting across three floors, and a finished headquarters for 1,500-plus employees needs janitorial service. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-03-27
- 04 · 1.11 million sq ft Pattillo NorthPoint Industrial Park warehouse Planning; environmental permit approved A proposed 1.11-million-square-foot warehouse with 76 loading docks and 430 parking spaces on 66.43 acres at 3855 Port Jacksonville Parkway in North Jacksonville, developed by Pattillo Industrial Real Estate. If it moves forward, a building this size means a large roof, ESFR sprinkler system, site paving and dock-area electrical work, with grounds maintenance after delivery. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-06-02
- 05 · more than $1.4 billion EverBank Stadium "Stadium of the Future" renovation Under construction; final $696.5 million permit issued February 2026, reopening August 2028 A renovation of EverBank Stadium in Downtown Jacksonville by a Hunt Construction and Barton Malow joint venture, covering eight levels and 652,735 square feet in the final package, with a partial roof canopy and expanded concourses. The final package lists new mechanical, electrical, lighting and fire alarm systems, and a separate fire sprinkler pipe permit of almost $6.8 million is in review, so trade work runs through 2028. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-03-01
- 06 · about $43.7 million Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary School rebuild Groundbreaking April 2026; opening August 2027 A new pre-K-5 school for about 930 students on the Beach Boulevard site in Jacksonville, funded by the Duval County half-penny sales surtax; Spring Park Elementary is also being rebuilt for fall 2027. A full school rebuild on a 2027 deadline means roofing, sprinkler and alarm systems, then flooring and painting in the last months, and the district's surtax plan keeps similar rebuilds coming. Jacksonville Today, 2026-04-28
- 07 · $187.38 million Baptist Health McGehee Family Tower Under construction; built in phases, completion expected 2029 A four-story, 123,000-square-foot emergency tower with 100 adult and pediatric emergency rooms at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, 800 Prudential Drive on the Southbank, with shell space for future cardiac rooms and 68 inpatient rooms. A phased hospital tower runs fire protection, mechanical and healthcare flooring work through 2029, and shell floors mean more fit-out packages later. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-02-27
- 08 · nearly $110 million Baptist Health hotel, Downtown Southbank Planned A 15-story, 226-room dual-brand hotel planned by Baptist Health at Palm Avenue and Gary Street on the Downtown Southbank, on a 1.82-acre parking lot at 1051 Palm Ave., with a rooftop restaurant and 130 parking spaces. If it proceeds, a 15-story hotel is a large sprinkler, flooring and painting job, followed by housekeeping-support cleaning contracts. Jacksonville Daily Record, 2026-02-27
Projects current as of 2026-09; each source is linked on its card. Values are as reported by the source.
The anchor owners
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings in Jacksonville. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Jacksonville, Duval County
Baptist Health
Baptist Health says it is Northeast Florida's largest health system, with six hospitals and ten emergency centers.
Hospitals, freestanding emergency centers and more than 200 outpatient points of care spread across the region each carry mechanical, life-safety and environmental services needs.
Baptist HealthMajor employer · Jacksonville, Duval County
Mayo Clinic in Florida
Mayo Clinic added a 210-acre North Campus to its San Pablo Road property, expanding the 392-acre medical center property to 602 acres, and employs about 9,000 workers there.
A 602-acre campus of clinical, research and hospital buildings has large grounds, parking and building systems to service.
Jacksonville Daily RecordCampus · Jacksonville, Duval County
University of North Florida
UNF reported its largest total enrollment in history in fall 2025, with approximately 17,600 students.
A growing campus with residence halls, classroom buildings and athletic venues needs cleaning, HVAC service and grounds care.
University of North FloridaAirport · Jacksonville, Duval County
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
More than 7.6 million people flew through JAX in 2024, the busiest year in the airport's history.
Terminal concourses, parking garages and surface lots run by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority need cleaning, HVAC and pavement work.
News4JAXLogistics hub · Jacksonville, Duval County
JAXPORT
JAXPORT describes itself as a 1,500-acre international trade seaport; its 754-acre Blount Island Marine Terminal is its largest marine facility.
Marine terminals, cargo sheds, intermodal yards and the cruise terminal carry heavy paving, electrical and roofing needs.
JAXPORTIndustrial park · Jacksonville (Westside), Duval County
Cecil Commerce Center
The City of Jacksonville says Cecil Commerce Center covers 17,000 acres, more than three percent of Duval County's land area, under a 31-million-square-foot master plan.
Industrial and distribution sites being built out under the master plan, next to Cecil Airport, bring large roofs, truck courts and sprinkler systems that need installing and servicing.
City of JacksonvilleAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 9 |
| Fire Protection | 9 |
| Commercial Electrical | 8 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 7 |
| Commercial Flooring | 6 |
| Commercial Roofing | 6 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 5 |
| Commercial Construction | 5 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 4 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Jacksonville selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Jacksonville metro's counties, month by month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail and damaging wind reportstotal, 2015 to 2024 | 9 | 21 | 15 | 96 | 81 | 123 | 111 | 65 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 41 | 44 | 79 | 128 | 308 | 449 | 527 | 515 | 410 | 216 | 75 | 42 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 363 | 246 | 149 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 141 | 287 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 66 | 69 | 75 | 80 | 86 | 90 | 92 | 91 | 88 | 81 | 74 | 68 |
NOAA logged 78 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 486 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #47 of 100 markets for hail and #36 for wind. April, June and July carried 59% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 2,833 cooling degree days a year (#16 of 97 markets) and 1,230 heating degree days (#89 of 97). Cooling load peaks in May, June, July, August and September; heating in January, February and December. Peak months are when HVAC calls lead with service and response times; the rest of the year they lead with planned work and budgets.
Every month averages a high of 60°F or more, so exterior painting, paving and landscaping work is not squeezed into a short season here. The calendar that matters is each property's contract and budget date.
Trades with no weather season
Cleaning, construction, electrical, flooring and fire protection sell on contract end dates, budgets and inspection cycles. Learn each account's date on the first call and come back before it.
HVAC outbound runs every month of the year, and the season changes the message, not the effort. In peak months calls lead with service: which units struggled, how fast the current contractor responded, and when the agreement renews. The rest of the year they lead with planned work, budgets and equipment past mid-life.
Chapter 05 The numbers
What one meeting takes, trade by trade
What booking a meeting has taken on our own calling floor for the trades we run in Jacksonville, next to the records we can prospect here. The sales center figures are national; it does not break them out by city yet.
| Trade | Dials per appointment | Reached proposal | Proposals won | Dials for 10 meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ProtectionFastest to book | 78 | 21.6% | 13.2% | about 780 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 86 | 32.2% | 7.4% | about 860 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 88 | 18.8% | 12.7% | about 880 |
| Commercial Electrical | 96 | 14.6% | 21.1% | about 960 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 98 | 16.6% | 24.9% | about 980 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 115 | 31.2% | 14.4% | about 1,150 |
| Commercial Flooring | 122 | 30.8% | 9.8% | about 1,220 |
| Commercial Roofing | 140 | 25.9% | 16.1% | about 1,400 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 142 | 23.9% | 21.7% | about 1,420 |
| Managed Service Providers | 162 | 10.0% | 20.5% | about 1,620 |
All of these trades together: 122 dials per appointment
The records behind a Jacksonville program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Jacksonville-St. Marys-Palatka territory.
- 4,334Commercial Roofing
- 4,334Commercial Construction
- 1,531Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 1,062Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
Source: Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each program in the territory. Shown for the programs the count covers.
Read it this way
Divide the records by the dials one meeting takes and you see how long a list lasts before it repeats. A thin list means a program has to work every record well, not just call more.
Chapter 06 Build or buy
What an in-house SDR costs in Jacksonville
Before you hire a sales development rep in Jacksonville, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 7,700 people hold the role in the Jacksonville, FL metro, and every one of their employers is competing for the same hires.
| Cost | Year one |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $55,000 |
| Commission and bonus | $15,000 |
| Payroll taxes and benefits (25% of pay) | $17,500 |
| Tools and data ($550 a month) | $6,600 |
| Recruiting and training | $7,000 |
| Turnover (35% a year, rehiring) | $2,450 |
| Manager and QA time (5 hours a week) and admin (4 hours a month) | $21,150 |
| Total, before ramp time | $124,700 |
Headcount: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091). The cost lines are the starting values of our SDR cost calculator: $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $550 a month in tools, $7,000 recruiting and training, 35% yearly turnover, and manager, QA and admin time. Change any of them there.
$124,700
for one in-house SDR's first year at a $55,000 base salary.
That buys one rep. It does not buy the list, the manager's coaching system or cover when the rep leaves.
Part two Apply this
The Jacksonville market toolkit
4 working tools built from the chapters above. Tick the boxes as you go (they stay ticked in this browser), copy the scripts into your CRM, or save the whole guide as a PDF and print this part as a worksheet.
Tool 01
Account scorecard
Before an account goes on the call list, check every line that fits. Call the accounts with the most ticks first, and leave the ones with none for later.
Tool 02
Discovery question bank
Ask fewer, better questions. Pick three or four for the call and save the rest for the meeting. Each one comes with the reason it earns its place.
Restaurants: 1,216 sites here
From our fire protection talk track. Staying open and passing inspection. Multi-unit operators are worth more than single locations.
- When was your hood suppression system last inspected, and when is the next one due?Due dates tell you when to call and what to offer.
- Have you had a failed inspection or a citation recently?Failed inspections threaten the ability to stay open and create urgency.
- How many locations do you operate, and does each one use a different vendor?Multi-unit operators are more valuable and often want one vendor across locations.
Retail stores: 847 sites here
From our roofing talk track. Leaks in front of customers. Qualify early whether the store or the landlord owns the roof.
- Does the store or the landlord own the roof under your lease?This is the first qualifying question, since many retail roofs are the landlord's responsibility.
- Where have leaks hit, the sales floor, the stockroom or around rooftop units?Leak location shows how much they affect customers and inventory, which drives urgency.
- Is a remodel or refresh scheduled for this location?Remodels are when replacement or major repair gets funded and scheduled.
Medical, dental and outpatient offices: 424 sites here
From our flooring talk track. Cleanable surfaces and installing without closing the practice. Weekend installs are common.
- Which areas are clinical and which are office, and what is in each now?Clinical areas need cleanable, seamless surfaces, which changes product and price.
- Can installs happen on weekends or after hours so the practice stays open?Keeping patients flowing is the main concern, so scheduling answers matter.
- Is a remodel, acquisition or new location planned?New clinics and remodels bring the largest flooring projects.
Any first meeting
Plain practice that works in every market.
- How are you handling this today, and what would you change about it?The gap between today and what they want is the whole reason to meet.
- What happens if nothing changes this year?Tells you whether there is a cost to waiting, or only curiosity.
- Who else would need to agree before anything moves?Names the people who can stall the deal, while you can still invite them.
- When does the current contract or budget come up for review?Gives you the date to plan around, even when the answer today is no.
- What would make a first meeting worth your time?Lets the buyer set the agenda, which is the agenda they will show up for.
Tool 03
Trigger watchlist
Each of these changes gives a buyer a reason to take the call this month instead of next year. Tick the ones you will track, and set a news alert or CRM field for each so you hear about it first.
Tool 04
30-day action plan
4 weeks, 15 steps, nothing you need to buy. Tick each one off as you finish it; your progress stays in this browser.
Week 1Draw the territory
Week 2Check the rules, then write the talk track
Week 3Make the calls
Week 4Measure and decide
Sources and notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: business sites by category, size and county, Jacksonville, FL.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1: contractor establishments, one-year change and concentration (location quotient).
- Projects: named public sources linked on each card, current as of 2026-09.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, checked 2026-10.
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2015 to 2024: hail and damaging wind reports by month across the metro's counties.
- NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages: degree days and average highs by month.
- Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence, national, as of October 2026: dials, appointments, proposals and wins by trade. Method.
- Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: decision-maker records per program in the Jacksonville-St. Marys-Palatka territory.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
- The toolkit's discovery questions come from our trade talk tracks; the plan and checklists are sales practice, not data.
