Metropolitan Area

In this paper, we are going to look at Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which is defined by the United States Census Bureau. This MSA is also be called as Tampa Bay Area. It Is a region close to Tampa Bay and west of central Florida. Throughout this paper, I will collect data from different categories of the Tampa MSA and going to mainly focus on these areas: population and population growth, population density, race & ethnicity, Immigration, education attainment, GDP per-capita, unemployment, poverty and housing prices.
Atter collecting data Trom tne aoove categories, I will use tnem to compare wltn US national level. After the comparison, I will see what significant problems the area is facing, for example such as high housing prices, high immigration rate, low GDP, etc. Looking at these data we are able to see if Tampa, FL MSA is a quality living region when it compares to the US national level. After drawing different details from each subject with evidence and sources, I will be able to contrast main factors that Tampa MSA should be focus on developing.
Whether they should be maintain, higher r lower the rate in order to have a better living standard. We can be able to draw conclusions with the collected data. According to the United States Census Bureau Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas table, the estimated population of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area is around 2,824,724 in 2011. The population has risen around 36000 since 2010. This number is relatively high when it compares to the population growth within a year in other MSAs.

Tampa Bay is one of the top 20 argest metropolitan areas in the US, it ranked 19 among 942 US metro and micro areas as of 2011. However, it is still a low ranking Metro Area when it comes to the weighted density in the US. From the ranking survey from Austin Contrarian, Tampa, FL Metro Area ranked 43 out of 50 in all US Metro Areas in 2010. The population weighted area density in this area is around 3,323. When it compares to other MSAs like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, it is lower since the density in all these metro areas are recorded with over 10,000.
The change in population-weighted density from 2000 to 2010 is -3. 3%. This number is still consider as a regular According to the diversity data gathered by Harvard University, the main racial/ ethnicity group in Tampa MSA is Caucasian with 66. 5% of the population. Hipic made up the second largest group of race with around 17%. When we look at population in the US as of ethnicity, an estimated 63% of the total population in the US were Caucasian and Hipics were 17% in 2012. Tampa MSA ethnicity distribution is very similar with the US ethnicities percentage.
Two counties of the Tampa Bay region are ranked top counties with high net migration. From 2000-2010, 119,997 foreign-born population were recorded. While the US foreign born population was 28. 4% in the past decade, Tampa MSA was 51. 3%. The number was doubled the US national level. The percentage of high school graduate or higher in Tampa Metro Area was estimated 87% and 26. 2% for graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2010. It is a average percentage when we compare it with other MSAs. These number were very close to the US national level.
It showed Tampa Metro Area has put a significant expense in education to follow the US national level of education attainment. From Metropolitan Area on the Bureau of Economic Analysis site, it stated Tampa- St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (MSA) real GDP per capita is 36,648 in 2012. It ranked 155 out of 381 MSAs. Tampa MSAs’ GDP per capita is higher than many other MSAs in the United States. It shows that Tampa MSA industry growth is positive and people earn, therefore they have more disposable income to spend.
The largest employment group in the Tampa MSA is trade, transportation and utilities (21. 82%). The second group is professional and business services (18. 46%). Looking at the ocation quotient, the manufacturing industry in Tampa area has the lowest number among all. / represents lampa employment level In tne manuTacturlng level Is lower than the overall US total level of 1. 0. Other employment industry like financial activities in Tampa MSA is going better than the overall national level with 1. 38, which is 0. 8 better than US total. Another industry with a higher location quotient is professional and business services of 1. 14. Both of these industry in Tampa employment is higher than the US total. The overall location quotient of this MSA is ery close to 1 which means similar to the US industry distribution. From the location quotient we can see Tampa is less involved in the manufacturing industry but focused more in financial activities and business services. The most current (Oct 2013) unemployment rate of the US is 7. . Tampa MSA was recorded with 6. 4 unemployment rate, which is lower than overall US level. Even though is it lower than the overall US unemployment rate but still this is not a very positive number when we compare with other MSAs. The poverty rate of Tampa metropolitan According to the National Association of Realtors data, the most updated third quarter of 2013 median home price of Tampa Bay Area is $151,800. In the third quarter of 2012, house prices was 138,000. It has risen 10% in a year.
Even though it has risen ten percent in the past year, it is still a normal figure when we look at overall United States economies. In the NAR report, data showed that 144 out of 163 metropolitan statistical areas increased in 88 percent in the median existing single- family home price. Tampa MSA is one of the fifty four areas that had a double-digit increases, while only 19 had price decreases. This fast rising national median prices is the strongest annual growth in the US in this eight years. Commuting in Tampa Bay Area is disappointing, it is the worst among the nation.
In 2010, Forbes. com did a ranking on 60 lasrgest metropolitan areas in the US and Tampa MSA was ranked the worst out of all the metros area. In this survey, they measured travel time, travel delays and road congestion in each of these cities. Also, they looked at percentage of commuters used public transit or carpooled and referred them as the “green commuter”. Looking at the US Census Bureau’s figure of Public Transportation Usage for the 50 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas 2008, 2009″, the usage of civilians who used public transportation to work was only 1. % in 2008 and 1. 4% in 2009. As we can see less than two people out of a hundred used public transit commute to work. With a very developed public transportation system, big cities like New York and San Francisco had recorded over 30% and 15% usage of public transportation. The reason of why residents in Tampa Bay rarely use public transportation may because of the poor development and maintenance of these facilities. In conclusion, Tampa Bay Area