Best PlacesUniversity Square, Tampa, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University Square, Tampa, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
University Square, Tampa ranks 5,351st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University Square, Tampa
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
University Square, Tampa's strengths and weaknesses
Where University Square, Tampa ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 75% of neighborhoods
Where University Square, Tampa ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University Square, Tampa
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University Square, Tampa home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $44,619, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses University Square, Tampa's effective rate of 0.78%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University Square, Tampa
University Square, Tampa runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University Square, Tampa.
Who works in University Square, Tampa, and how
Work in University Square, Tampa centers on construction and admin & support services. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in University Square, Tampa
University Square, Tampa has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 82% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 12 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of University Square, Tampa and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University Square, Tampa, month by month
University Square, Tampa sees roughly 132 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 72, with lows near 50. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 72° | 60° | 50° |
| April | 86° | 73° | 62° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 74° |
| October | 87° | 76° | 68° |
Flying in and out of University Square, Tampa
Tampa International sits about 8 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.1 million passengers in 2025, with 135 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around University Square, Tampa
Schools across University Square, Tampa average a B−, better than 60% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Patricia Sullivan Metropolitan Ministries Partnership SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Excelsior Prep Charter SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Witter Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Benito Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Liberty Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Wharton High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Freedom High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University Square, Tampa school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University Square, Tampa measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare University Square, Tampa against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University Square, Tampa
Is University Square, Tampa a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University Square, Tampa ranks 5,351st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and fast internet, and lowest on an overheated housing market and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University Square, Tampa expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $246,003. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $44,619 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is University Square, Tampa safe?
University Square, Tampa is safer than 20% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $449 per resident a year.
Compare University Square, Tampa with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University Square, Tampa. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University Square, Tampa represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
University Square, Tampa detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University Square, Tampa: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University Square, Tampa: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University Square, Tampa: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University Square, Tampa: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University Square, Tampa detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.