Florida and Tampa rank among the top places with the most remote workers

March 9, 2021

With remote working such a hot topic right now, particularly as it relates to talent attraction, the Tampa Bay EDC’s market research analyst created a story map providing a snapshot of remote work in Tampa and outlining what the future may hold for remote work. Below are some key takeaways, and the full analysis can be viewed here.

Florida ranked ninth among states with the greatest percentage of remote workers. While the four counties that make up the Tampa MSA – Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas – were all among the top 20 counties within Florida with the highest percentage of workers who reported working from home. All four counties reported a percentage between 7-8%, higher than the national average of 5.2%. Keep in mind these percentages are based on pre-COVID 2019 U.S. Census data, so the current actual figures are likely much higher.

In fact, according to LawnStarter, 42% of the U.S. labor force was working from home as of June 2020, up from just 8.2% in February 2020. LawnStarter went on to rank the best cities for remote workers based on 15 key factors such as remote job opportunities, internet speed, and the cost of renting a home office. Tampa landed #13 on the list among 150 of the biggest U.S. cities.

An estimated 31% of workers who were employed in early March 2020 switched to working from home by the first week of April 2020. The top three industries with the highest share of employees working remote by April 2020 were finance (81.1%), information (80.4%), and professional and business services (71.6%).

From 2010-2019, the number of remote workers in the Tampa MSA grew by 54%, twice as much as the national average at 27%. While 2020 may have been the year of remote work, according to a survey from Enterprise Technology Research, the percentage of workers permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021.