Published
February 24, 2025
Contact
Yassert A. Gonzalez – Manager – Economics, Demographics & Research – 813-582-7356 (o) – [email protected] – planhillsborough.org
Last updated
February 27, 2025
As large and influential corporations are issuing mandates for their workers to return to the office[i], we look at the growth in remote work in Hillsborough County and beyond. This is the first 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 32 of the survey (p. 16). It read as follows: “How did this person usually get to work LAST WEEK?” Alas, “hybrid work” was not a choice available to survey participants. Thus, as they could have answered in many ways, hybrid workers or those who work at the office at least one weekday per week may not have been fully captured under the “work from home” category.
Key Takeaways
- Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties have the highest share of workers who work from home.
- In Tampa Bay Region, nearly 1 in 5 workers work from home
- Statewide, 6 of 8 Tampa Bay Region Counties have the highest share of workers that work from home.
- Within Hillsborough County, most areas with the highest share of workers working from home are in Unincorporated Hillsborough County.
- Within Hillsborough County, most areas saw dramatic increases in the share of workers who work from home.
Tampa Bay Region Counties – Work for Home Trends
In 2023, in the Tampa Bay Region, 1 in 6 workers worked from home. As seen in Table 1 and Figures 1a-1d, the share of workers working from home ranged from 10.80% (Polk County) to 18.40% (Pasco County). As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated the trend of working fully or partially remotely. Thus, since 2018, the share of workers working from home doubled or more than doubled. Hillsborough County’s share of the workforce that works from home is larger than the median for the region and Florida’s share of workers working from home (See Figure 1c).
Table 1. Share of Workers that Work from Home for Tampa Bay Region Counties and Florida
| Geography | 2013 | 2018 | 2023 | 2013-2018 Percent Change | 2018-2023 Percent Change | 2013-2023 Percent Change |
| Citrus | 5.30% | 5.60% | 12.10% | 5.66% | 116.07% | 128.30% |
| Hernando | 4.70% | 6.70% | 12.80% | 42.55% | 91.04% | 172.34% |
| Hillsborough | 5.30% | 6.60% | 18.30% | 24.53% | 177.27% | 245.28% |
| Manatee | 5.60% | 7.50% | 14.90% | 33.93% | 98.67% | 166.07% |
| Pasco | 5.50% | 7.70% | 18.40% | 40.00% | 138.96% | 234.55% |
| Pinellas | 5.10% | 7.00% | 17.60% | 37.25% | 151.43% | 245.10% |
| Polk | 3.70% | 4.20% | 10.80% | 13.51% | 157.14% | 191.89% |
| Sarasota | 5.30% | 7.30% | 15.20% | 37.74% | 108.22% | 186.79% |
| Tampa Bay Region | 5.30% | 6.85% | 15.05% | 29.25% | 119.71% | 183.96% |
| Florida | 4.80% | 5.80% | 13.90% | 20.83% | 139.66% | 189.58% |
Note: Tampa Bay Region shares are calculated as the median of the shares of the 8 counties.
Figure 1a. Share of Workers that Work from Home for Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties
Figure 1b. Share of Workers that Work from Home 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 that Work from Home and 2018-2023 Percent Change in Share of Workers that Work from Home for Tampa Bay Region Counties
Florida Counties – Work from Home Trends
As seen in Figure 2, 5 of 8 Tampa Bay Region Counties ranked in the top 10 counties of the state with the highest share of workers working from home. Statewide, those shares ranged from 2.8% (Lafayette County) to 23.7% (St. Johns County) and averaged 10.5%.
Figure 2. Share of Workers that Work from Home for 67 Florida Counties
Hillsborough Census Tracts – Working from Home 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 1.3% (Census Tracts 119.05 in Riverside Heights/Egypt Lake) to 60% (Census Tract 122.11 in Brandon) and average 17.9%. The 10 Census Tracts with the highest shares of workers working from home are located in Brandon, South County, and Westchase (See Table 2 and Figures 3a and 3b). Most of the Census Tracts with highest shares of workers working from home are located in Unincorporated Hillsborough County (See Figure 4a). Most Census Tracts saw dramatic increases in share of workers working from home since 2018 (Figure 4b).
Table 2. 10 Census Tracts with Highest Share of Workers Working from Home in 2023
| Census Tract | Area | 2013 | 2018 | 2023 | 2013-2018 Percent Change | 2018-2023 Percent Change | 2013-2023 Percent Change |
| Census Tract 38 | Ybor/Palmetto Bay | 5.00% | 8.10% | 36.10% | 62.00% | 345.68% | 622.00% |
| Census Tract 61.01 | South Tampa | 11.30% | 10.20% | 40.00% | -9.73% | 292.16% | 253.98% |
| Census Tract 102.16 | New Tampa | 3.84% | 4.54% | 35.80% | 18.20% | 688.10% | 831.51% |
| Census Tract 109 | USF | 40.70% | 36.10% | 40.80% | -11.30% | 13.02% | 0.25% |
| Census Tract 115.25 | Citrus Park | 3.63% | 5.28% | 36.10% | 45.57% | 583.84% | 895.46% |
| Census Tract 117.14 | West Chase | 1.97% | 1.77% | 51.90% | -10.00% | 2,826.48% | 2,533.83% |
| Census Tract 122.11 | Brandon | 0.00% | 0.00% | 60.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Census Tract 140.08 | South County | 9.60% | 4.90% | 43.40% | -48.96% | 785.71% | 352.08% |
| Census Tract 140.09 | South County | 8.00% | 7.70% | 38.40% | -3.75% | 398.70% | 380.00% |
| Census Tract 140.17 | South County | 51.00% | 29.80% | 46.80% | -41.57% | 57.05% | -8.24% |
Figure 3a. 5 of 10 Census Tracts with Highest Share of Workers Working from Home
Figure 3b. 5 of 10 Census Tracts with Highest Share of Workers Working from Home
Figure 4a. Share of Workers that Work from Home by Census 2020 Tracts in Hillsborough County
Figure 4b. 2018-2023 Percent Change in Share of Workers that Work from Home by Census 2020 Tracts in Hillsborough County
Conclusion
We reviewed shares of workers working from home from various American Community Surveys. In the Tampa Bay Region, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties have the highest share of workers who work from home. These counties also have a higher share of workers working from home than most other counties in Florida. In the Tampa Bay Region, nearly 1 in 6 workers work from home. Within Hillsborough County, most areas with the highest share of workers working from home are in Unincorporated Hillsborough County. Most areas saw dramatic increases in the share of workers that work from home.
[i] FOX. “Amazon Asks Corporate Workers to Return to the Office Five Days a Week.” FOX 13 Tampa Bay, 16 Sept. 2024, www.fox13news.com/news/amazon-office-return-2025. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.