State of the Region

Overview

The Tampa Bay E-Insights report is the result of a challenging research inquiry by faculty and graduate students from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. The goal of this initiative was to benchmark Tampa Bay across multiple economic indicators relative to 19 similar Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and to provide policy recommendations to move the proverbial needle when it comes to Tampa Bay’s ranking on important economic indicators. These MSAs were selected based on factors such as demographics, size of the economy, and presence of regional assets such as ports and research universities. The selected MSAs reflect both peer and aspirational relationships with the Tampa Bay region.

In this report, Tampa Bay is defined as the region consisting of eight counties: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota. The eight-county area includes four MSAs: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA, Homosassa Springs MSA,
Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA, and North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton MSA. The data presented in the report for Tampa Bay is aggregated for the four MSAs. Other MSAs studied in the report are shown on the map below.

This year’s report analyzes the performance of the Tampa Bay region in three crucial areas of economy: economic outcomes, affordability, and talent pipeline.