Tampa, FL

Tampa city’s population was 414,547 in the latest Census QuickFacts update, and the city’s median household income was $71,302 in 2019 to 2023 dollars (Census QuickFacts^[1]). Florida has no state personal income tax, and the state sales tax rate is 6 percent, before any local surtax; Hillsborough County property taxes depend on the specific parcel and exemptions, so a buyer should verify the millage at the county assessor rather than assume a citywide rate. I could not confirm a current official groceries index from a primary agency page in the retrieved sources, so I am omitting that figure rather than risk a mis-cited estimate.

The Tampa market is served by large hospital systems including Tampa General Hospital and AdventHealth facilities, which gives retirees a broad base for primary, specialty, and surgical care. I was not able to verify a drive-time map from a primary source in the retrieved materials, so I am not attaching an exact drive time. Medicare Plan Finder and Care Compare are the right official places to compare Medicare Advantage and provider quality, but I do not have a retrieved page here to cite a plan list by name.

NOAA climate normals for Tampa show annual precipitation of 49.48 inches, with average monthly highs reaching about 91.2°F in August and average lows around 52.8°F in January (Florida Climate Center^[2]). The same normals show an annual mean temperature of 74.5°F and a summer pattern that is hot and humid, while the comfortable outdoor season is mainly the cooler, drier months from roughly November through April (Florida Climate Center^[2]). I could not confirm an official sunny-days count from a primary NOAA page in the retrieved sources, so I am leaving that specific figure out.

Using the FBI Crime Data Explorer-based city summary for Tampa, the city’s violent crime rate averaged 156.7 per 100,000 and was 47.5 percent above the national average, while property crime averaged 155.4 per 100,000 and was 5.0 percent below the national average (Crime Explorer Tampa^[3]). The retrieved page summarizes the last five-year period and shows Tampa’s violent crime total at 33,259 and property crime total at 30,718 for 2019 through 2024, but I could not retrieve a primary FBI page directly in this session. Because agency reporting is incomplete after 2021 and I cannot verify a more granular Tampa police submission page from the FBI itself here, I am using the city summary rather than inventing a trend line from an unverified source.

The best recent agency-style price signal in the retrieved sources is the Tampa metro median listing price of $390,000 for August 2026, down from $399,925 in June and $397,450 in July, which indicates a mild late-summer price decline in the city market (FRED median listing price^[4]). Tampa also shows a longer marketing time than the faster-moving sale market, with Realtor.com reporting a median 65 days on market and a 7.25% year-over-year decrease, while Redfin reports homes selling in about 36 days and up 5.5% year-over-year, so the market is best described as moderately liquid rather than hot (Realtor.com Tampa market^[5], Redfin Tampa housing market^[6]). 55+ and active-adult housing is present in the broader Tampa area, including established communities such as Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club and Sun City Center, which makes the market workable for age-targeted retirement searching even though the retrieved sources do not quantify their total inventory (Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club^{[7?] (unconfirmed source)}, Sun City Center^{[8?] (unconfirmed source)}).

Tampa’s nearest major commercial airport is Tampa International Airport, which is the clear primary gateway for the market and is typically the most practical choice for nonstop business and leisure travel. I could not confirm an official airport drive-time page in the retrieved sources, so I am not giving a precise minute count. Tampa International is known for strong service to major domestic hubs, which is helpful for retirees who expect frequent Midwest and East Coast trips.

Tampa is a strong golf market for a country-club retiree, with a mix of private clubs, semi-private clubs, and resort options within roughly 30 minutes. I could not verify a government source for course counts, and golf figures are inherently more indicative than agency-grade, so I am limiting the claim to the presence of multiple playable options rather than asserting an exact count. Water recreation is a bigger local draw than hiking or skiing, and the climate supports near year-round golf outside the hottest summer afternoons.

Census QuickFacts puts Tampa’s 2024 population estimate at 414,547, and the share of residents age 65 and over at 13.2 percent (Census QuickFacts demographics^[9]). The city’s median age is in the mid-30s in the retrieved third-party ACS-based summaries, which means Tampa feels more like a live-work metro than a pure retirement enclave. That said, Tampa still has a walkable downtown core, riverfront and bay access, pro sports, and a full-service urban amenity set that appeals to active retirees (Census QuickFacts^[1]).

FEMA’s National Risk Index is published at the county level, so the relevant geography is Hillsborough County rather than Tampa city. I could not retrieve a primary NRI county page in this session, so I cannot responsibly quote the composite score or hazard ranks. For air quality, Tampa’s main issue is not chronic severe pollution but rather episodic wildfire smoke and summertime stagnation, especially during the hotter months when outdoor comfort is already reduced by heat and humidity.