Living in Tampa, FL

Crime rates in Tampa are a touch above the national midpoint. The violent crime index comes in at 101 and property crime at 107, where 100 represents the U.S. average. That's not alarming, but it's enough that you should spend real time researching specific neighborhoods rather than assuming everywhere is equally fine. Talk to people who live there, walk the streets at different hours, and check the local police department's crime map. FBI UCR data.

Most households manage fine. Median rent in Tampa is $1,567/month, and the typical household pulls in $71,302/year — a 26.4% rent-to-income ratio. That's under the 30% threshold where housing costs start to pinch, though not by a huge margin. If you're a single earner or have significant debt payments, run your own numbers carefully. For dual-income households, the math works out comfortably. Census ACS 2023.

Most people in Tampa are at work within 20 minutes — a pretty reasonable commute by American standards. The breakdown: 66.1% drive alone, 1.3% take public transit, and 19.3% work from home. Rush hour adds time, obviously, but the baseline is manageable.

Tampa faces a moderate level of climate risk — score of 46/100. The top threats are Hurricane, Flood, and Heat Wave. None of these hit every year, but they're real possibilities that affect insurance rates and emergency planning. Make sure your policy covers the relevant perils, keep a basic emergency kit, and know your evacuation routes if you're in a flood-prone area. FEMA and NOAA data.

For most families, yes. Graduation rates run at 86.0% with a 16:1 student-teacher ratio, which is respectable. The best schools in Tampa compete with any in the state, though weaker ones pull the city-wide average down. If schools drive your housing decision, focus on specific attendance zones — the right neighborhood makes all the difference.

About what you'd expect anywhere. The average monthly utility bill in Tampa runs around $226 for electricity, gas, water, and sewer combined. The national average is $230, so you're right in line. Your actual bill depends on home size, insulation quality, and how much you run the AC or heater — but no surprises here.

Good, overall. The median AQI sits at 40, which falls within the EPA's "Good" category, and Tampa logs 278 clean-air days annually. Ozone is the main pollutant. Occasional spikes happen — wildfire smoke, temperature inversions, or high-ozone days — but they're the exception, not the rule. Check AirNow.gov during allergy season or summer heat waves.

Not bad. Tampa's combined effective tax rate is around 8.4% when you factor in income, property, and sales taxes. The sales tax rate is 7.5%. You're not in a tax haven, but you're not in a high-tax state either. If you're comparing this to somewhere like New York or California, you'll notice the difference in your take-home pay.

Mostly, yes. The system scores 84/100, with 0 health-based violations on record and a "low" lead risk rating. That's a solid track record. Most residents drink tap water without issues. If you're in an older building with pre-1986 plumbing, a basic filter is a cheap precaution. For detailed contaminant info, check EWG's Tap Water Database.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; climate risk assessments using FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA storm records; air quality measurements from the EPA's Air Quality System database; water quality compliance data from EPA records and the EWG Tap Water Database; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics; utility cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.