2025 E-Insights Report

Balanced Growth and Racial Differences

Another important aspect of economic outcomes is how the economic growth is distributed across different sections of society. To this end, the USF research team analyzed the performance of the Tampa Bay region with respect to 19 other comparison MSAs along the indicator of income inequality with the help of the Gini index.

The USF research team considered the variables related to racial indicators, including differences in the Black-white unemployment rate, Black-white poverty rate, Black-white labor force participation rate, Black-white educational attainment rate and Black-white use of public and private transportation for commuting to work. The goal of the analysis is to understand how the Tampa Bay MSA is performing in terms of bridging the gap between different social strata and racial groups.

Key Insights

  • Worsening Income Inequality: Tampa Bay’s Gini index has gradually increased over the past decade, resulting in a declining ranking from 12th in 2013 to 19th in 2023.

  • Reduced Gap in Black-White Unemployment: The region’s unemployment rate gap has steadily decreased from 7.3 in 2012 to 2.0 in 2023, reflecting a significant improvement in employment equality between Black and white populations. Its ranking also improved from ninth in 2012 to fourth in 2023.

  • Notable Progress in Poverty Gap: The Black-white poverty rate gap in Tampa Bay has narrowed significantly from 17.4 in 2012 to 7.6 in 2023. Its ranking improved from 16th in 2012 to fifth in 2023, demonstrating notable progress in reducing economic disparities between Black and white populations.

  • Black-White Labor Force Participation Rate Gap: Tampa Bay has a significant Black-white labor participation rate gap, which has been steadily increasing since 2013. Tampa Bay currently ranks last, reflecting one of the highest disparities in labor force participation rates among comparison MSAs.

  • Black-White Educational Attainment Rate Gap: Tampa Bay shows a low educational attainment rate gap over time, with a stable trend. Tampa Bay’s rank has also steadily improved and has been among the top 10 MSAs.

  • Black-White Digital Access Gap: Tampa Bay has a moderate digital access gap that has remained relatively stable over the years and has consistently ranked around the 13th position.

  • Mixed Transportation Outlook: Tampa Bay consistently exhibits one of the lowest racial gaps in public transportation usage, positioning it among the better-performing MSAs. There is a bigger difference in personal car access between races, showing stable improvements with Tampa Bay ranking 13th across MSAs.