As we continue looking at commuting characteristics, we will now review the share of workers that reside in one county and work at another county. As Hillsborough County is the 4^th largest county economy in Florida[i], it’s not surprising that only a fraction of its resident workers commute to other counties.  This is the second of four blogs on commuting characteristics and trends. 

About the Data

The source data is from Table S0801 (Commuting Characteristics) from the American Community Surveys for the years 2014-2018 and 2019-2023. The original question was Question 31 of the survey (p. 16). It read as follows: “At what location did this person work LAST WEEK?” The survey participant is asked to provide a street address.

Key Takeaways

1. Hillsborough County has the second lowest share of workers commuting to other counties (12%). This share has changed little since 2013. Pinellas County has a slightly lower share (11%).
2. Pasco County has the highest share of workers commuting to other counties (38.6%). This share has decreased significantly since 2018.
3. In Tampa Bay Region, nearly 1 in 5 workers commute to other counties
4. Statewide, most counties with high share of workers commuting to other counties are rural counties and not in the Tampa Bay Region.  In Glades County, nearly 70% of workers commute to other counties.
5. Within Hillsborough County, most areas with highest share of workers commuting to other counties are located away from the urban core and adjacent to those other counties.
6. Within Hillsborough County, nearly half of the areas saw decreases in the share of workers commuting to other counties.

Tampa Bay Region Counties – Workers Commuting to Other Counties Trends

In 2023, in the Tampa Bay Region, nearly 1 in 5 workers worked in a county other than their county of residence. As seen in Table 1 and Figures 1a-1c, the share of workers commuting to other counties ranged from 11.30% (Pinellas County) to 38.60% (Pasco County). Since 2018, the share of workers commuting to other counties decreased some counties (i.e., Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas) and increased in the others (i.e., Citrus, Hernando, Polk, and Sarasota). In Pasco County, we saw the largest decline in workers commuting to other counties (-14.79%). Alternatively, Citrus County experienced the largest increase in workers commuting to other counties (9.95%). Hillsborough County’s share of workers commuting to other counties is significantly smaller than the median for the region and Florida’s share of workers commuting to other counties (See Figure 1c).

Table 1.  Share of Workers commuting to Other Counties

Geography	2013	2018	2023	2013-2018 Percent Change	2018-2023 Percent Change	2013-2023 Percent Change
Citrus	22.10%	22.10%	24.30%	0.00%	9.95%	9.95%
Hernando	37.70%	34.40%	35.40%	-8.75%	2.91%	-6.10%
Hillsborough	11.20%	11.90%	11.80%	6.25%	-0.84%	5.36%
Manatee	28.10%	28.60%	27.40%	1.78%	-4.20%	-2.49%
Pasco	46.60%	45.30%	38.60%	-2.79%	-14.79%	-17.17%
Pinellas	13.20%	12.90%	11.30%	-2.27%	-12.40%	-14.39%
Polk	20.60%	20.30%	22.00%	-1.46%	8.37%	6.80%
Sarasota	15.70%	12.30%	13.30%	-21.66%	8.13%	-15.29%
Tampa Bay Region	21.35%	21.20%	23.15%	-0.70%	9.20%	8.43%
Florida	17.60%	17.70%	17.00%	0.57%	-3.95%	-3.41%

Note:  Tampa Bay Region shares calculated as median of the shares of the 8 counties.

Figure 1a.  Share of Workers commuting to Other Counties for Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties

Figure 1b.  Share of Workers commuting to Other Counties for Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota Counties

Figure 1c.  Share of Workers that Work from Home for Hillsborough County, Tampa Bay Region, and Florida

Figure 1d.  Share of Workers Commuting to Other Counties for Tampa Bay Region Counties

Florida Counties – Workers Commuting to Other Counties

As seen in Figure 2, when compared to other Florida counties, none of the 8 Tampa Bay Region counties have a high share of workers commuting to different counties. The 10 counties with the highest share of workers commuting to other counties are rural. Statewide, those shares ranged from 2.9% (Monroe County) to 69.8% (Glades County) and averaged 29.51%. 

Figure 2.  Share of Workers commuting to Other Counties for 67 Florida Counties

Hillsborough Census Tracts – Commuting to other counties Trends

A Census Tract is a small geographic area within a County.  There are 335 Census Tracts in Hillsborough County. Most Census Tracts have a share of their workforce that works from home.  Those shares range from 0.7% (Census Tracts 41 in Downtown Tampa) to 44.5% (Census Tract 130.04 in Plant City) and average 11.6%. The 10 Census Tracts with the highest shares of workers commuting to other counties are in New Tampa, Plant City, Little Manatee South, Westchase, and Ybor/Palmetto Bay (See Table 2 and Figures 3a and 3b). Naturally, most of the Census Tracts with highest shares of workers commuting to other counties are adjacent to those counties (See Figure 4a).  Nearly half of the Census Tracts saw experienced decreases in share of workers commuting to other counties since 2018 (Figure 4b).

Table 2.  10 Census Tracts with Highest Share of Workers Commuting to other counties in 2023

Geography	Area	2013	2018	2023	2013-2018 Percent Change	2018-2023 Percent Change	2013-2023 Percent Change
Census Tract 33	Ybor/Palmetto Bay	2.30%	6.10%	30.40%	165.22%	398.36%	1,221.74%
Census Tract 101.08	Plant City	24.90%	19.60%	29.00%	-21.29%	47.96%	16.47%
Census Tract 102.17	New Tampa	5.21%	5.44%	27.80%	4.27%	411.26%	433.09%
Census Tract 110.17	New Tampa	3.34%	5.74%	31.80%	71.74%	454.10%	851.60%
Census Tract 117.13	West Chase	14.85%	11.38%	29.30%	-23.35%	157.45%	97.34%
Census Tract 127.01	Plant City	19.80%	16.80%	29.00%	-15.15%	72.62%	46.46%
Census Tract 130.01	Plant City	20.20%	25.30%	33.40%	25.25%	32.02%	65.35%
Census Tract 130.02	Plant City	21.30%	21.60%	27.90%	1.41%	29.17%	30.99%
Census Tract 130.04	Plant City	16.30%	21.60%	44.50%	32.52%	106.02%	173.01%
Census Tract 140.03	Little Manatee South	27.70%	30.50%	33.60%	10.11%	10.16%	21.30%

Figure 3a.  5 of 10 Census Tracts with Highest Share of Workers Commuting to Other Counties

Figure 3b.  5 of 10 Census Tracts with Highest Share of Workers Commuting to Other Counties

Figure 4a.  Share of Workers commuting to Other Counties by Census 2020 Tracts in Hillsborough County

Figure 4b.  2018-2023 Percent Change in Share of Workers commuting to Other Counties by Census 2020 Tracts in Hillsborough County

Conclusion

We reviewed shares of workers commuting to other counties from various American Community Surveys.  In the Tampa Bay Region, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties have the lowest share of workers commuting to other counties. Pasco County has highest share of workers commuting to other counties. This share has decreased significantly since 2018. Statewide, the counties with the highest share of workers that work in other counties are mostly rural and are not located in the Tampa Bay Region.  In Glades County, the share of workers commuting to other counties is nearly 70%. Inside Hillsborough County, those areas with the highest share of workers commuting to other counties are adjacent to those other counties.

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[i] U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “CAGDP1 County and MSA gross domestic product (GDP) summary” (accessed Wednesday, January 22, 2025).