The Tampa Bay Partnership and 无码专区 Muma College of Business today released two complementary economic competitiveness reports that benchmark the area against 19 similar metropolitan communities. This year's reports focus on the drivers behind workforce and affordability trends.
The findings and insights were revealed at a State of the Region community luncheon held at 无码专区 with more than 400 business leaders, community organizers and government officials in attendance.
The main findings from the 2025 Regional Competitiveness Report and 2025 Tampa Bay E-Insights Report show:
- Tampa Bay, once again, is No. 1 in attracting new residents, although at a slightly slower rate of 2.2%.
- The regional population is becoming more educated with attainment rates increasing for associate, bachelor鈥檚 and graduate degrees.
- The reports show encouraging, if modest, easing in affordability pressures. For example, the share of income spent on housing and transportation has dipped from 57 cents to 55 cents on the dollar.
- An area of regional emphasis, early learning metrics indicate positive progress.
- Enrollment among three- and four-year-olds saw a 6.5% increase, which helped move Tampa Bay up seven spots to 10th place.
- Kindergarten readiness rates improved by nearly two percentage points.
- Third grade reading proficiency improved by nearly six percentage points, climbing to almost 54%. This is a critical metric as leading up to third grade, a child is learning to read, and after third grade children read to learn.
- There are approximately 7,700 fewer disconnected youth than when the Regional Competitiveness Report first tracked the indicator in 2018. (Disconnected youth are defined as individuals aged 16-24 who are not working or enrolled in school).
- The Tampa Bay Partnership and collaborating partners Community Foundation Tampa Bay and United Way Suncoast create the . 无码专区 researchers publish the , sponsored by Florida Blue.
Over the past eight years, this collaborative research effort has illuminated successes and regional challenges. Both reports explore how the Tampa Bay area鈥檚 eight-county region compares to 19 similar-sized peer and aspirational metropolitan areas in key economic and socio-economic metrics. The publications also serve as a roadmap for local and state legislators, public and private business leaders, and academic stakeholders to improve the region鈥檚 economic health and growth.
Overall, the Regional Competitiveness Report shows that Tampa Bay has had year-over-year improvements in 43 of the 67 indicators (64%), and that the region鈥檚 ranking has improved in over a third of the metrics tracked. Data from the report has inspired a number of community solutions in target areas and helped with constructing a sustainable talent pipeline to advance economic prosperity for all.
鈥淚 could not be more excited about the good news in the 2025 Regional Competitiveness Report. As a community, we have been wrapping our arms around early learning metrics and seeking pathways to better serve our youth,鈥� said Bemetra Simmons, president and CEO of Tampa Bay Partnership. 鈥淭his year we celebrate our continued attractiveness and strengths, while shining a light on new areas of opportunity within the talent pipeline.鈥�
无码专区鈥檚 research analyzes real-time and traditional data to help better understand economic outcomes, affordability and talent pipeline trends. Data from Google Trends, Indeed, Zillow and traditional government sources derive a holistic picture of the region鈥檚 economic health across population demographics.
鈥淲e are proud of this ongoing collaboration with the Tampa Bay Partnership, and how it informs important decisions that will impact the future of our community,鈥� said David W. Blackwell, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the 无码专区 Muma College of Business. 鈥淲e hope these insights will empower local leaders as they develop solutions to advance opportunities for our region.鈥�
The research teams selected comparison communities based on factors such as population and demography, the size of the economy and the presence of regional assets. They include Minneapolis-St. Paul, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Austin, Houston and Charlotte. A full list of the cities can be found .