Tampa Real Estate Market Analysis

Tampa is a major city located on the West Coast of the state of Florida near the Gulf of Mexico on Tampa Bay. With a population of nearly 392,890 people, it is the largest city in the Tampa Bay Area and the third most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville and Miami. The Tampa Bay Area, also known as the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a large metropolitan area encompassing Tampa City and the nearby cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, with over 3.1 million residents. This makes it the fourth largest metro area in the Southeastern U.S. after Miami, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. 

The Tampa real estate market benefits from the fact that Tampa is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. (as reported by Forbes), with a population growth rate well above the national growth rate. This growth is especially due to the strong annual net migration over the past five years. Additionally, more than half of the population (53% according to NeighborhoodScout) are renters rather than homeowners, meaning that Tampa rental properties enjoy particularly high demand.

Tampa is the industrial, commercial, and financial hub of Florida’s West Coast. While the city is best known for its beaches and tourist attractions, such as Busch Gardens, it is not only a center for tourism; Tampa also enjoys a diversified economic base that includes finance, health care, insurance, retail, technology, construction, and maritime industry. Large corporations such as banks and telecommunication companies have regional offices in the city. A number of Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in the metropolitan area, with Publix Super Markets being the largest employer in Tampa Bay. Tampa is witnessing an influx of young and highly educated people owing to the growth in employment opportunities; most of them seek to live close to their place of work. This is particularly beneficial to those considering to invest in the Tampa real estate market, especially when it comes to traditional rental properties. Tampa is a decidedly white collar city with an employment growth rate well above the national rate. The Tampa housing market is also boosted by the numerous residential and commercial development projects being built in Downtown Tampa and in the suburbs. 

For the first time in forty years, the Tampa real estate market made it into the Top 10 U.S. Markets to Watch rankings by PWC in its annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate: United States and Canada 2019 report. It was noted that Tampa is particularly attractive to real estate investors for its demographic growth, friendly business climate, and attractive cost structure.