Family incomes in University trail those of 98% of U.S. towns
Only 5% stay in University for work; outside it, Tampa is the main destination (29%, 8 miles). Not counting college students, poverty touches 31.1% of residents, next to 12.1% for Florida as a whole. The average commute, 28 minutes each way, matches the Florida norm.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set University apart
University trades workers with the towns around it
University has about as many jobs (20,747) as working residents (18,283), but they are mostly different people: 17,340 residents leave for work each day while 19,804 people come in. Only 5% of the jobs in University are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
University and Tampa trade workers both ways
Tampa is the top workplace for University residents (29%) and also where the most people who work in University come from (17% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The jobs in University pay better than its residents’ jobs
65% of the jobs based in University pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 47% of the jobs University residents hold. 95% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside University. The jobs ↓
A young workforce
32% of University’s working residents are 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
University draws workers from far and wide
The 20,747 jobs in University are filled from a wide area. University’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 39%; the other 56% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for University
On family income, poverty and job access, University is better than 23% of U.S. towns, #548 of 638 in Florida. Job access by car holds University’s grade up (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); family income pulls it down ($43,855, U.S. $99,999).
21% of University’s residents are college students, and off-campus students count in the Census poverty figures. Where students are 15% or more of the people the Census checks for poverty (21% here), the grade uses the rate without them: 31.1%, against 37.0% for all residents. Unemployment (5.1%) is left out here: students looking for part-time work count as unemployed. Income is ranked as median family income ($43,855), since student households pull the household median down ($37,207).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for family income and poverty, University could be anywhere from C− to C.
The workday shuffle in and out of University
On a workday 17,340 residents head out to work, 943 work right here, and 19,804 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.13 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where University’s working residents head each day
Where University clocks in
29% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
University is a services town
20,747 jobs are based in University.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in University, 2013 → 2023: 17,321 → 20,747. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs University’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from University: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of University workers work from home, vs 16% across Florida. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 20,494 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Florida: 83% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from University
About 24% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
University is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 23,541 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 85% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 23% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 10.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 20.6% of University households have no vehicle (Florida 6.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of University’s commuters take a bus or train.
How University compares with U.S. towns of 34,000 to 65,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 44 | Parkland FL | 39,186 | $199K | 4.3% | 3.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | Fruit Cove FL | 35,877 | $142K | 2.7% | 2.8% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 111 | Cooper City FL | 35,030 | $132K | 5.0% | 4.0% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 830 | Del Rio TX | 34,496 | $66K | 19.0% | 4.9% | 52% | C− |
| 831 | Winchester NV | 37,081 | $50K | 23.8% | 9.0% | 6% | C− |
| 832 | University FL | 48,127 | $37K | 37.0% | 5.1% | 5% | C− |
| 833 | Huntsville TX | 49,088 | $48K | 23.9% | 10.9% | 32% | C− |
| 834 | Westmont CA | 34,123 | $51K | 25.3% | 11.1% | 2% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 909 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of University, the top three, the last and three more from Florida.
University and its neighbors: 30% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | University workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University | – | C− | A+ | 28 min | $37,207 |
| Lutz | under 2% | A | C+ | 32 min | $120,031 |
| Lake Magdalene | 1% | B | B | 27 min | $75,594 |
| Tampa | 29% | B− | A | 25 min | $75,475 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Tampa. Darker towns draw more of University’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Students. 21% of residents are college students; the poverty input leaves off-campus students out (above).
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in University: questions
What is the median household income in University?
$37,207 (±$2,194) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,568 across Florida and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in University?
37.0% of residents live below the poverty line; leaving out college students, 31.1%. Florida: 12.6%.
How long is the commute from University?
28 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Florida and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in University work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tampa (29%, 8 mi), East Lake-Orient Park (5%, 6 mi), Town 'n' Country (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is University walkable?
University is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.2 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around University without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 21% of households have no car. 23% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from University, from the people who make the trip.
More of University
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.