In our previous blog, we discussed neighborhood-to-neighborhood (i.e., Census 2020 Tract-to- Census 2020 Tract) commuter flows.  In this blog, we will be discussing commuter flows amongst jurisdictions in Hillsborough County. 

Key Takeaways

1. Tampa dominates as a job center, drawing the majority (66%) of all inbound commuters within the county.
2. Unincorporated Hillsborough is the largest source of outbound commuters, highlighting its suburban residential role and reliance on job centers in other jurisdictions.
3. Commuter growth is strongest in smaller jurisdictions—Plant City and Temple Terrace both saw significant increases in inbound commuting since 2016.
4. Three industry clusters account for most commuting: education/health, professional services, and trade/transportation, averaging 67% of all inbound and outbound job trips.
5. Pasco and Pinellas counties are vital cross-county contributors, supplying and receiving substantial commuter traffic—underscoring the need for regional collaboration in transportation planning.

Inbound Commuters to Jurisdictions in Hillsborough County

In 2021, there were 290K inbound commuters traveling to the four Hillsborough County jurisdictions (10.46% higher than 2016). As seen in Table 1 and Figures 1a-1b, in 2016-2021, all 4 jurisdictions saw increases in inbound commuters. These increases ranged from 3.14% (Tampa) to 39.15% (Temple Terrace) and averaged 22.27%.  Nonetheless, only Temple Terrace (38.02% more) and Unincorporated Hillsborough County (7.49% more) had more inbound commuters compared to 2010. Overall, inbound commuters decreased 12.87% since 2010.

Table 1.  Inbound Commuters to Jurisdictions Inside Hillsborough County: 2010, 2016, and 2021

Jurisdiction	2010	2016	2021	2010-2016 Change	2010-2016 Percent Change	2016-2021 Change	2016-2021 Percent Change	2010-2021 Change	2010-2021 Percent Change
Plant City	10,415	7,186	8,919	-3,229	-31.00%	1,733	24.12%	-1,496	-14.36%
Tampa	225,861	169,995	175,332	-55,866	-24.73%	5,337	3.14%	-50,529	-22.37%
Temple Terrace	6,420	6,368	8,861	-52	-0.81%	2,493	39.15%	2,441	38.02%
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	90,213	79,052	96,967	-11,161	-12.37%	17,915	22.66%	6,754	7.49%
Total	332,909	262,601	290,079	-70,308	-21.12%	27,478	10.46%	-42,830	-12.87%

Figure 1a.  Inbound Commuters Destined for Plant City and Temple Terrace

Figure 1b.  Inbound Commuters Destined for Tampa and Unincorporated Hillsborough County

Share of Inbound Commuters by Industry

In terms of the economic sectors employing these inbound commuters, three stand out: “Educational, health and social services; Information”, “Finance, insurance, real estate and rental and leasing; + Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services”, and “Wholesale trade; + Retail Trade; + Transportation and warehousing, and utilities”. Their combined share of employment ranges from 55.99% (Plant City) to 74.69% (Temple Terrace) and averaged 66.84%. See Table 2 and Figures 2a-2e, which illustrate how these industry shares vary jurisdiction.

Table 2.  2021 Share of Inbound Commuters by Industry

Industry	Plant City	Tampa	Temple Terrace	Unincorporated Hillsborough County
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining; + Construction; + Armed Forces	12.02%	7.47%	4.97%	9.71%
Manufacturing;	16.18%	4.08%	3.72%	6.64%
Wholesale trade; + Retail Trade; + Transportation and warehousing, and utilities	21.19%	16.12%	12.94%	22.80%
Information; + Finance, insurance, real estate and rental and leasing; + Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services	12.12%	29.08%	32.94%	23.52%
Educational, health and social services	22.68%	23.02%	28.80%	22.16%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services	10.27%	9.59%	7.15%	8.91%
Other services (except public administration); + Public Administration	5.36%	10.60%	9.48%	6.15%

Figure 2a.  Share of 2021 Inbound Commuters by Jurisdiction by Industry

Figure 2b.  Share of Inbound Commuters Destined for Plant City by Industry

Figure 2c.  Share of Inbound Commuters Destined for Tampa by Industry

Figure 2d.  Share of Inbound Commuters Destined for Temple Terrace by Industry

Figure 2e.  Share of Inbound Commuters Destined for Unincorporated Hillsborough County by Industry

Inbound Commuters by Origin Jurisdiction and Origin County

Inside Hillsborough County, Tampa attracts the largest number of inbound commuters (116,760 inbound commuters or 66% of all inbound commuters within Hillsborough County). In terms of inbound commuters from other counties, Pasco and Pinellas residents are the top inbound commuters for three of the four jurisdictions.  Temple Terrace has the largest share of inbound commuters originating in Pasco County (22,751 inbound commuters or 24% of its inbound commuters). Due to its proximity to Polk County, the second largest group of inbound commuters to Plant City originates in Polk County (2,121 inbound commuter or 10%). See Tables 3a-4b for details on commuter flows between jurisdictions and which jurisdictions send in the most inbound commuters.

Table 3a.  Commuter Flows Between Hillsborough County Jurisdictions

Jurisdictions	Plant City	Tampa	Temple Terrace	Unincorporated Hillsborough County	Total
Plant City	N/A	759	132	4,587	5,478
Tampa	2,527	N/A	5,778	108,455	116,760
Temple Terrace	65	2,266	N/A	4,818	7,149
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	5,250	36,623	4,710	N/A	46,583
Total	7,842	39,648	10,620	117,860	175,970

Table 3b.  Top 3 Origin Jurisdictions for Inbound Commuters by Year

Jurisdictions	2010	2016	2021
Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Temple Terrace
Tampa	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City
Temple Terrace	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Plant City
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	1) Tampa, 2) Plant City, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Tampa, 2) Plant City, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Tampa, 2) Plant City, and 3) Temple Terrace

Table 4a.  Commuter Flows Between Hillsborough County Jurisdictions and Tampa Bay Region Counties

Jurisdiction	Citrus	Hernando	Hillsborough	Manatee	Pasco	Pinellas	Polk	Sarasota	Total
Plant City	0	40	5,478	35	905	271	2,121	15	8,865
Tampa	252	2,684	116,760	1,463	24,288	23,459	3,708	522	173,136
Temple Terrace	10	60	7,149	20	858	550	109	0	8,756
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	383	3,024	46,583	1,630	22,751	13,018	6,632	441	94,462
Total	645	5,808	175,970	3,148	48,802	37,298	12,570	978

Table 4b.  Top 3 Origin Tampa Bay Region Counties for Inbound Commuters by Year

Jurisdiction	2010	2016	2021
Plant City	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pasco
Tampa	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas
Temple Terrace	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pasco, and 3) Pinellas

Outbound Commuters to Jurisdictions in Hillsborough County

In 2021, there were 246K outbound commuters from the four Hillsborough County jurisdictions (13.79% higher than 2016). As seen in Table 5 and Figures 5a-5b, in 2016-2021, all 4 jurisdictions saw increases in outbound commuters since 2016. These increases ranged from 9.10% (Unincorporated Hillsborough County) to 36.86% (Plant City) and averaged 23.10%.  Nonetheless, only Tampa (12.10% more) have had more outbound commuters since 2010. Overall, outbound commuters decreased 8.17% since 2010.

Table 5.  Outbound Commuters to Jurisdictions Inside Hillsborough County: 2010, 2016, and 2021

Jurisdiction	2010	2016	2021	2010-2016 Change	2010-2016 Percent Change	2016-2021 Change	2016-2021 Percent Change	2010-2021 Change	2010-2021 Percent Change
Plant City	12,699	8,608	11,781	-4,091	-32.22%	3,173	36.86%	-918	-7.23%
Tampa	51,072	46,675	57,251	-4,397	-8.61%	10,576	22.66%	6,179	12.10%
Temple Terrace	12,355	9,901	12,256	-2,454	-19.86%	2,355	23.79%	-99	-0.80%
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	192,657	151,736	165,546	-40,921	-21.24%	13,810	9.10%	-27,111	-14.07%
Total	268,783	216,920	246,834	-51,863	-19.30%	29,914	13.79%	-21,949	-8.17%

Figures 5a.  Outbound Commuters Destined for Plant City and Temple Terrace

Figure 5b.  Outbound Commuters Destined for Tampa and Unincorporated Hillsborough County

Share of Outbound Commuters by Industry

In terms of the economic sectors employing these outbound commuters, three stand out: “Educational, health and social services; Information”, “Finance, insurance, real estate and rental and leasing; + Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services”, and “Wholesale trade; + Retail Trade; + Transportation and warehousing, and utilities”. Their combined share of employment ranges from 64.47% (Plant City) to 71.20% (Tampa) and averaged 67.46%. See Table 6 and Figures 6a-6e for additional details on shares outbound commuters by industry, jurisdiction, and year.

Table 6.  2021 Share of Outbound Commuters by Industry

Industry	Plant City	Tampa	Temple Terrace	Unincorporated Hillsborough County
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining; + Construction; + Armed Forces	9.57%	7.06%	2.81%	8.10%
Manufacturing;	6.66%	7.25%	5.76%	5.99%
Wholesale trade; + Retail Trade; + Transportation and warehousing, and utilities	27.85%	19.88%	13.75%	17.91%
Information; + Finance, insurance, real estate and rental and leasing; + Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services	18.00%	25.71%	23.78%	25.93%
Educational, health and social services	18.62%	25.61%	29.32%	23.48%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services	9.07%	9.06%	15.92%	9.19%
Other services (except public administration); + Public Administration	10.25%	5.25%	8.89%	9.23%

Figure 6a.  Share of Outbound Commuters by Jurisdiction by Industry

Figure 6b.  Share of Outbound Commuters Destined for Plant City by Industry

Figure 6c.  Share of Outbound Commuters Destined for Tampa by Industry

Figure 6d.  Share of Outbound Commuters Destined for Temple Terrace by Industry

Figure 6e.  Share of Outbound Commuters Destined for Unincorporated Hillsborough County by Industry

Outbound Commuters by Destination Jurisdiction and Destination County

Inside Hillsborough County, 67% of the outbound commuters reside in Unincorporated Hillsborough County (117,860 outbound commuters). In terms of outbound commuters to other counties, most are driving to Pasco and Pinellas.  As suggested earlier, the second largest group of outbound commuters from Plant City travel to Polk County. See Tables 7a and 7b for details on top jurisdiction and county destinations for outbound commuters.  See Figure 7 for a flow diagram of commuter flows between jurisdictions.

Table 7a.  Top 3 Destination Jurisdictions for Outbound Commuters by Year

Jurisdictions	2010	2016	2021
Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Tampa, and 3) Temple Terrace
Tampa	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City	1) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City
Temple Terrace	1) Tampa, 2) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, and 3) Plant City	1) Tampa, 2) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, and 3) Plant City	1) Tampa, 2) Unincorporated Hillsborough County, and 3) Plant City
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	1) Tampa, 2) Plant City, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Tampa, 2) Plant City, and 3) Temple Terrace	1) Tampa, 2) Temple Terrace, and 3) Plant City

Table 7b.  Top 3 Destination Tampa Bay Region Counties for Outbound Commuters by Year

Jurisdiction	2010	2016	2021
Plant City	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pinellas
Tampa	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco
Temple Terrace	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco	1) Hillsborough, 2) Polk, and 3) Pinellas	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Polk	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Polk	1) Hillsborough, 2) Pinellas, and 3) Pasco

Figure 7.  Inter-jurisdictional Commuter Flows

Conclusion

Commuter flow patterns within Hillsborough County reveal a complex but consistent network of movement between cities and neighboring counties. While total commuting remains below 2010 levels, recent increases suggest a post-pandemic rebound in economic activity and labor mobility. Tampa continues to serve as the region’s dominant employment hub, but other jurisdictions—especially Temple Terrace and Plant City—are gaining traction as employment destinations. The persistence of a few core industries across jurisdictions also signals where policy and investment attention should focus. Understanding these patterns helps local governments, planners, and employers make smarter decisions about infrastructure, housing, and workforce development.

About the Data

The source data is the Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP). This is special tabulation generated by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). This is a unique and rich dataset.  Its latest release (covering the years 2017-2021) was highly anticipated by industry professionals. The dataset has three parts: Residences (Part 1), Workplace (Part 2), and Flows (Part 2).  In this blog, we will be discussing commuter flows amongst jurisdictions inside Hillsborough County. The original data is tract-level data from table B302102 (Worker Flows by Industry). Unless otherwise specified, our results are based on the 2017-2021 dataset and reflect said period.  There are 331 Census 2020 Tracts in Hillsborough County. For 2006-2010 and 2012-2016, we used relationship tables to bring transfer commuter counts from Census 2010 tracts to Census 2020 Tracts.  Using housing units, we assigned each tract into one of the four jurisdictions.  Thus, these tract-based jurisdictional boundaries may differ from the actual jurisdictional boundaries.

We define an inbound commuter as a person who lives in one jurisdiction and travels for work to another jurisdiction. For example, someone living in Temple Terrace and commuting to Plant City.  Commuters within the same jurisdiction are not reflected in the figures below.  As one reviews the tables and maps, it is important to keep in mind that the data was gathered via survey and not trip or traffic counts. Lastly, the industry groups are aggregated into seven broad categories to allow for consistent comparison.