Tampa, FL – February 17, 2026 – The Tampa Bay Partnership and University of South Florida Muma College of Business released two complementary economic competitiveness reports that benchmark the area against 19 similar metropolitan communities. This year’s reports included a focus on innovation, education and work opportunities, along with quality of life.
The findings and insights were revealed and discussed at the State of the Region community luncheon held today on the USF Tampa campus. Nearly 500 business leaders, not-for-profit leaders and government officials attended the event.
The main findings from the 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report and 2026 Tampa Bay E-Insights Report show:
- The region is becoming more educated, with increases to educational attainment at every level.
- Innovation continues to play a critical role in both education and the broader ecosystem of the region. University research and development rose by $58 million to $467 million, and the region received an increase in small business awards.
- The issue of affordability remains a consistent theme. While Tampa Bay’s wages and net worth increased, those gains were offset by higher living costs.
- Housing affordability is putting a strain on the quality of life across the region. Roughly 3 out of 5 renters are spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
New this year is a data dashboard that allows statistical analysis of Tampa Bay against more than 600 counties across the U.S. on 24 metrics, hosted by USF. This is a complement to the State of the Region website, which focuses on the core comparison communities.
USF researchers publish the 2026 Tampa Bay E-Insights Report, sponsored by Florida Blue. The Tampa Bay Partnership and collaborating partners, Community Foundation Tampa Bay and United Way Suncoast, create the 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report.
Over the past nine years, this collaborative research effort has highlighted successes and regional challenges. Both reports explore how the Tampa Bay area’s eight-county region stands when compared to 19 similar-sized peer and aspirational metropolitan areas in key economic and socioeconomic metrics. The publications also serve as a guide for policymakers, public and private business leaders, and academic stakeholders to improve the region’s economic health and growth.
Overall, the Regional Competitiveness Report shows that Tampa Bay has had year-over-year improvements in 39 of the 61 indicators, including 83% of talent indicators, 80% of civic quality metrics, and 67% of Florida talent indicators.
“Beyond the positive progress in the data this year, the Tampa Bay Partnership celebrates the growing belief that our toughest challenges are solved together,” said Bemetra Simmons, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership. “The shared trust among business, government and nonprofit leaders is driving smarter strategies that are shaping the future of our region.”
USF’s research focused on three main themes — economic outcomes, education and opportunity, and quality of life. Through a people-centered analytical lens, the 80-page report paints a picture of a region growing but facing challenges of affordability and uneven access to opportunity.
“This year we celebrate nine years of collaborative research, and we hope these insights challenge our community leaders to think big, be innovative and act on the trends shaping our region’s future,” said David W. Blackwell, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the USF Muma College of Business.
The research teams selected comparison communities based on factors such as population and demography, the size of the economy and the presence of regional assets. They include Minneapolis-St. Paul, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Austin, Houston and Charlotte.
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About the Tampa Bay Partnership
The Tampa Bay Partnership is a coalition of regional business and non-profit leaders that is joined by a shared commitment to improving Tampa Bay residents’ personal and economic well-being. Formally incorporated in 1994 and re-established in 2016 as a regional research and public policy organization, the Partnership works with the region’s top employers, along with a diverse group of government and non-profit partners, to identify and address the most pressing challenges facing our community, including transportation, education, workforce, housing affordability and other emerging issues. Learn more at tampabay.org.
For more information, please contact:
Shannon Kalahar
Senior Director of Strategic Communications,
Tampa Bay Partnership
727-741-5440
skalahar@tampabay.org
About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.
Liz Brown, Muma College of Business
(813) 404-8081 (cell)
elbrown@usf.edu