Tampa Bay Awards & Accolades

• 2024
  Tampa Named the #2 “Best City for Jobs” in the Nation – WalletHub Tampa Ranks as the #1 “Best City to Retire” in the U.S. – WalletHub
• 2023
  Clearwater Beach Named the #1 “Best Beach in the South” – USA Today
• 2022
  Tampa, FL Ranks as the #5 “Best Place to Live” in the U.S. – Bankrate Tampa Bay is Zillow’s #1 Hottest Real Estate Market for 2022 – Zillow

Top 10 Reasons to Move to Tampa Bay

1. Tampa is Top City to Retire In
   Tampa was recently ranked as the #1 “Best Place to Retire” in the entire country by WalletHub for 2023 – 2024. This study was based upon multiple index criteria including housing affordability, local activities, overall quality of life and quality of health care. View Full Ranking List. 

   BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN THE U.S.  2023 – 2024 

   Best Places to Retire in the US (2023-2024)

   #	City Name	Average Home Price	Average Age
   1	Tampa, FL	$382,663	35.9
   2	Scottadale, AZ	$823,008	47.7
   3	Fort Lauderdale, FL	$530,859	42.0
   4	Orlando, FL	$384,415	33.9
   5	Miami, FL	$571,215	40.1

     Average Home Prices as of Apr 1, 2024

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   View of Pensacola Beach from the Gulf Pier
2. Top-Rated Clearwater Beach
   Tampa Bay, which spans Clearwater and St Petersburg along Florida’s gulf coast, is home to popular beaches including Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach and the state park beaches of Caladesi Island and Fort DeSoto Park. Top-rated Clearwater Beach was most recently named as the #2 Beach in all of Florida in 2024 (Trip Advisor). This beach offers a powder-like sand which stays cool to the touch, even on the hottest of Florida’s summer days. View Clearwater Beach from Pier 60.

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3. Tampa Bay is a Year-Round Outdoor Playground
   With 246 sunny days each year and an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay is the ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. If you enjoy a great workout while being in the water, experience stand-up paddle boarding or kayak through the natural Florida mangroves to see native wild birds and abundant sea life. The 3.7 mile Riverwalk Trail along Tampa’s waterfront is also a popular destination for walking, jogging, bicycling, roller-blading and for exercising your pets.
4. Tampa Bay Offers Attractive Real Estate
   The Tampa Bay real estate market offers attractive housing prices for both young families and retirees alike. At the start of April 2024, the median Tampa Bay home price is $382,663 and the median Tampa Bay monthly rent price is $2,150 per month. If you prefer to live downtown, on a golf course or near a waterway, the cost of housing would obviously be more. To find out exact housing costs and the best Tampa Bay neighborhoods to live in, contact Laura Reynolds, our Tampa Bay relocation expert listed on this page.
5. Tampa Bay Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
   Tampa Bay’s employment and job market has been very robust with an unemployment rate at 3.3% in the spring of 2024, which is well below the nation’s average of 3.9%. Tampa Bay’s top sectors of employment in the include the military, healthcare, education, and various professional services. The largest employers of Tampa Bay, located in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, include local School Districts, MacDill Airforce Base, HCA West Florida Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, Publix Supermarkets, Bloomin Brands as well as local county governments.
6. Tampa Bay Offers Great Local Cuisine & Dining Options
   Tampa Bay offers residents a myriad of dining options including casual eateries, open-air sidewalk cafes and elegant five-star restaurants. There are also many new trendy craft breweries and beer gardens to check out. Many of are pet-friendly and provide for daily live entertainment. The trendy places you’ll definitely want to check out include Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Ybor City, Downtown St Pete, St Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach.
7. Tampa Bay Has Top-Rated Hospitals & Healthcare
   Residents of Tampa Bay have access to quality hospitals and medical services. The top hospitals in Tampa Bay include Tampa General Hospital (TGH), St Joseph’s Hospital and Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. Tampa General Hospital was recently ranked as a “Top 100” hospital in the U.S. in 2022 as well as the #2 Best Hospital in all of Florida in 2017 by US News & World Report. View Tampa General Hospital Ranking
8. Tampa Bay Offers Endless Events and Festivals
   The Tampa Bay area provides residents an active year-round scene of outdoor events, festivals and performances to continually check out. There are also many events that take place each year such as the popular Gasparilla boat parade, The Sugar Sand Festival, Havana Nights, The St Petersburg Grand Prix, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Margarita Fest, Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ and the Off Shore Power Boat Races just to name a few. View Current Tampa Bay Events.
9. Tampa Bay is Home to Theme Parks and Museums
   Many family-oriented theme parks and museums are located in Tampa Bay. Popular theme parks include Busch Gardens, Adventure Island Water Park, The Florida Aquarium, Big Cat Rescue and Dinosaur World. The Tampa Bay region also contains top educational museums including MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry), The Tampa Museum of Art, The Glazer Children’s Museum and The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.
10. Tampa Bay Has an Expanding Millennial Population
    Tampa was recently named as the #9 Top City in the entire U.S. where Millennials are moving to according to a recent study by Smart Asset Magazine (2022). Millennials are defined as those ranging in age from 27 to 42 (in 2023) who born between born between 1981 and 1996. Top reasons why Tampa Bay is seeing an increase in their Millennial population are the strong employment and job market, an expanding scene of technology startups and incubators such as Tampa Bay Wave as well as the growing local craft beer market including popular brewers such as Cigar City, Coppertail and Angry Chair Brewing.