Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety61#363/924
Economy72#264/925
Housing9#840/925
Health77#215/925
Healthcare49#470/923
Environment39#562/917
Education74#241/925
Infrastructure74#241/925
Community49#476/925
Leisure & amenities80#189/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New business applications · high28.9 /1k
98/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Depression · low18.9%
96/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · low3.7 mi
94/100Florida 4.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high33.1%
93/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high91.5%
93/100Florida 87.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · high$1,400
91/100Florida $1,399United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
4/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Hot days · high113 days
4/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · high58.0%
5/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high33.9%
7/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Average commute time · high28.3 min
8/100Florida 28.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Social associations · low6.7 /10k
10/100Florida 6.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
3,187,831 (2020) → 3,418,895 (2025)
+7.2%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 87% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+87 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
3 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−74%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drug overdose deathsImproving
44.2 /100k (2021) → 19.6 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−56%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
6.0 /100k (2021) → 3.1 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−47%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
19.7 /1k (2020) → 28.9 /1k (2025)
+46%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area improved on 16 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 0 moved within the margin of error and 8 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Weekly wage+29%$1,089 → $1,400
Bachelor's++4.6 points30.4% → 34.9%
Household income+35%$55,285 → $74,392
Overdose deaths−52%40.7 /100k → 19.6 /100k
Uninsured−1.3 points14.5% → 13.2%

Declined7

Price / income+1.1×3.5× → 4.6×
Rent / income+2.5 points31.4% → 33.9%
Rent burden+5.4 points52.7% → 58.0%
Transit use−0.5 points1.3% → 0.8%
Pharmacies−11%2.6 /10k → 2.3 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.5 /10k2020	5.1 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	63%
Average commute time	27.7 min2015-2019	28.3 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Little change	44%
Average weekly wage	$1,0892020	$1,4002025	+29%	Improved	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.4%2015-2019	34.9%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Improved	86%
Broadband subscriptions	84.9%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Improved	27%
Child poverty rate	18.6%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Improved	66%
Distance to an airport	14 mi2020	15 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	5%
Drug overdose deaths	40.7 /100k2020	19.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−52%	Improved	83%
Effective property tax rate	0.96%2015-2019	0.79%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	64%
Firearm deaths	13.2 /100k2020	11.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−9.4%	Improved	65%
Grocery stores	1.8 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−2%	Little change	42%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.4 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+2.8%	Little change	50%
High school diploma or higher	89.6%2015-2019	91.1%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Improved	44%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	8%
Homicide rate	5.2 /100k2020	3.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−39%	Improved	66%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,9142019	$67,4092024	+30%	Improved	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4802020-2024	+0.005	Little change	41%
Median household income	$55,2852015-2019	$74,3922020-2024	+35%	Improved	84%
New business applications	19.7 /1k2020	28.9 /1k2025	+46%	Improved	51%
Pharmacies	2.6 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	−11%	Declined	43%
Poverty rate	13.5%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Improved	64%
Public libraries	0.2 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−4.7%	Little change	25%
Public transit commuters	1.3%2015-2019	0.8%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Declined	37%
Rent as share of income	31.4%2015-2019	33.9%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Declined	16%
Rent-burdened households	52.7%2015-2019	58.0%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Declined	15%
Restaurants and bars	9.3 /10k2020	9.3 /10k2025	−0.6%	Little change	43%
Suicide rate	15.8 /100k2020	16.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+7%	Declined	43%
Traffic deaths	14.2 /100k2015-2019	15.0 /100k2020-2024	+5.1%	Declined	53%
Unemployment rate	7.5%2020	4.0%2025	−3.5 points	Improved	65%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.5%2015-2019	13.2%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Improved	75%
Violent crime rate	314 /100k2020	220 /100k2025	−30%	Improved	75%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area itself moved +1.9 points in standing on average over the same 29 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,304,691 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,330,303 households (±4,481)

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%197,417
$25k–50k19%246,259
$50k–75k17%226,610

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,330,303 households (±4,481)

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area
United States share

Own68%903,370
Rent32%426,933

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,573,945 workers (±7,282)

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area
United States share

Drive alone67%1,059,791
Carpool8.1%128,220
Public transit0.8%12,956

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL employ 308,830 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Retail Salespersons45,130 jobs	45,130	$33,790US $35,410	−5%	1.24×
Registered Nurses38,720 jobs	38,720

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL has 91,335 employer establishments, 271 for every 10,000 residents (1.09× the US rate of 248), with 1,288,208 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,417. The Census Bureau also counts 413,356 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 91,335; 413,356 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 271; US 248
Paid employees: 1,288,208
Average annual pay: $62,417; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	9,008	26.7	1.28×More than typical	96,795	$77,525	22,710
Specialty trade contractors	6,322	18.8	1.21×About typical	60,984	$57,804	25,215
Lessors of real estate	5,895	17.5	1.42×More than typical	19,947	$59,711	38,617
Restaurants and other eating places	5,436	16.1	0.88×About typical	107,182	$24,095	2,313
Management, scientific and technical consulting	3,860	11.5	1.71×More than typical	28,030	$80,561	14,131
Offices of physicians	3,270	9.7	1.50×More than typical	35,953	$106,691	3,551
Services to buildings and dwellings	3,197	9.5	1.41×More than typical	25,194	$35,342	34,449
Real estate agents and brokers	2,856	8.5	1.74×More than typical	5,073	$72,601	13,095
Legal services	2,662	7.9	1.47×More than typical	18,140	$106,799	2,847
Offices of other health practitioners	2,505	7.4	1.22×About typical	12,490	$47,481	8,102
Full-service restaurants	2,388	7.1	0.92×About typical	57,691	$27,848	963
Construction of buildings	2,381	7.1	0.93×About typical	14,394	$86,419	16,802

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,370,351 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $3.1B on contracts performed in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area: $919 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $3.1B; −42% vs FY2025
Per resident: $919; US $2,007
Sole-source: 23%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.2%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Acquisition Service$924.7M29%
U.S. Special Operations Command$561.1M18%
Department of the Air Force$305M9.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs$250M8.0%
Department of the Navy$246.9M7.9%
Department of the Army$244.7M7.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$201.6M6.4%
U.S. Coast Guard$113.1M3.6%

Top recipients

PERATON INC.$457.9M15%
GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.$153.8M4.9%
RAYTHEON COMPANY$129.8M4.1%
CAE USA INC.$124.6M4.0%
GENERAL DYNAMICS ORDNANCE AND TACTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.$112.2M3.6%

Spending by fiscal year

2.5BFY2017
3.3BFY2018
3.6BFY2019
4.3BFY2020
3BFY2021
3.5BFY2022
5.4BFY2023
4.7B

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$665.8M21%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$585.6M19%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$180.2M5.7%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$170.6M5.4%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$161.9M5.2%

Largest awards

OPERATION OF PINELLAS PLANT$1.9B
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO· Pinellas County, FL· Facilities & utilities· Nov 10, 2016 – Jul 30, 2026· DEAC0476DP00656
OPERATIONAL PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION AND ASSESSMENT SERVICES (OPIAS) BASE AWARD.$887.6M
PERATON INC.· Hillsborough County, FL· Professional services· Jul 6, 2021 – Sep 21, 2026· 47QFCA21F0058
SITEC 3 EOM PROVIDES USSOCOM WITH O&M SERVICES TO MAINTAIN NETOPS, MAINTAIN SYSTEMS & NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE, PROVIDE END USER & COMMON DEVICE SUPPORT, PROVIDE CONFIGURATION, CHANGE, LICENSE, & ASSET MGMT. CONDUCT TRAINING AND PERFORM IMACS SERVICES.$827.6M
PERATON INC.· Hillsborough County, FL· IT & telecom· Oct 31, 2023 – Sep 29, 2026· 47QFCA24F0002

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $63B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area: $18,426 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $63B; −2.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $18,426; US $12,975
Loan face value: $1.5B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$29.1B46%
96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$14.1B22%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$5.8B9.2%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$3.7B5.9%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$3.1B4.9%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$1.7B2.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$1.1B1.7%
14.228 · Community Development Block Grants/State's Program and Non-Entitlement Grants in Hawaii$673.9M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY OF$753.2M1.2%
TAMPA, FL
STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$444.6M0.7%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
UMA EDUCATION, INC$248.7M0.4%
CLEARWATER, FL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA$236.6M0.4%
TAMPA, FL
TAMPA HOUSING AUTHORITY$205M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$38.7B61%
Department of Health and Human Services
Social Security Administration$17.5B28%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$3.6B5.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development$877.9M1.4%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

42.5BFY2021
45.7BFY2022
46.5BFY2023
49.7BFY2024
64.8BFY2025
63BFY2026

County aggregates

95%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Florida

Areas based in Florida, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M45300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Florida

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought