Hillsborough County is located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metropolitan area. An estimate in 2021 shows the population of Hillsborough County at 1,512,070 people with a yearly growth rate of 1.34%, which itself is greater than the populations of 12 states according to their 2019 population estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Tampa. Hillsborough County is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Hillsborough County was created on January 25, 1834, from Alachua and Monroe Counties, during the U.S. territorial period (1822–1845). The new county was named for Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough, who served as British Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772. The County was created through efforts by Augustus Steele.
The county's 1834 area was much larger and included eight other present-day counties: Charlotte County, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.
The last significant change in Hillsborough County's borders was the separation of its western section to create Pinellas County in 1911.
On New Year's Day in 1914, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line initiated the first scheduled commercial airline service in the world, from St. Petersburg to Tampa.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (19.4%) are covered by water. About of shoreline are on Tampa Bay.
The county's unincorporated area is around , more than 84% of the total land area. Municipalities account for . The modern boundaries of the county place it midway along the west coast of Florida.
A narrow portion of Hillsborough County to the south, consisting almost exclusively of water, extends west to the Gulf of Mexico roughly along the Tampa Port Shipping Channel. This has the effect of keeping Hillsborough County from being technically landlocked. The central portion of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is in Hillsborough County. So is Egmont Key, at the entrance to Tampa Bay; this narrow strip of land separates Pinellas County from Manatee County. The northernmost tip of a spoil island just west of Port Manatee also lies in Hillsborough County.
Hillsborough is home to Alafia River State Park and Hillsborough River state parks, and to the C. W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir and Lithia Springs, one of the largest natural springs in Florida.
Adjacent counties Pasco County – north Polk County – east Manatee County – south Pinellas County – west Hardee County – southeast
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,459,762, a median age of 37.6 years, 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.0 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 52.6% White, 16.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.9% from some other race, and 16.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 29.3% of the population.
96.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 559,949 households in the county, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.8% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 602,886 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 59.0% were owner-occupied and 41.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%.
Racial and ethnic composition
+Hillsborough County, Florida – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)491,299606,466632,605660,565667,79175.94%72.71%63.33%53.74%45.75%Black or African American alone (NH)84,834107,111144,259191,260224,47913.11%12.84%14.44%15.56%15.38%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,3372,1832,9912,9482,8170.21%0.26%0.30%0.24%0.19%Asian alone (NH)3,83310,90121,58541,32869,9280.59%1.31%2.16%3.36%4.79%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census610703914xx0.06%0.06%0.06%Other race alone (NH)1,4584851,9682,9929,6550.23%0.06%0.20%0.24%0.66%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census15,23822,79556,797xx1.53%1.85%3.89%Hispanic or Latino (any race)64,199106,908179,692306,635427,3819.92%12.82%17.99%24.95%29.28%Total646,960834,054998,9481,229,2261,459,762 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 Census U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Ethnic/Race Demographics: White (non-Hispanic) (71.3% when including White Hispanics): 53.7% (12.1% German, 11.0% Irish, 8.9% English, 6.7% Italian, 2.6% French, 2.4% Polish, 1.9% Scottish, 1.6% Scotch-Irish, 1.3% Dutch, 0.8% Russian, 0.8% Swedish, 0.7% Welsh, 0.6% French Canadian, 0.6% Norwegian, 0.5% Hungarian, 0.5% Greek) Black (non-Hispanic) (16.7% when including Black Hispanics): 15.6% (2.4% West Indian/Afro-Caribbean American, 0.7% Jamaican, 0.6% Haitian, 0.5% Other or Unspecified West Indian, 0.1% Trinidadian and Tobagonian, 0.1% British West Indian, 0.1% U.S. Virgin Islander, 0.9% Subsaharan African) Hispanic or Latino of any race: 24.9% (7.4% Puerto Rican, 5.3% Cuban, 5.3% Mexican, 1.2% Colombian, 1.1% Dominican, 0.7% Spaniard, 0.5% Honduran) Asian: 3.4% (1.2% Indian, 0.5% Vietnamese, 0.5% Filipino, 0.4% Chinese, 0.4% Other Asian, 0.3% Korean, 0.1% Japanese) Two or more races: 3.1% American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.4% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1% Other Races: 5.0% (0.6% Arab)
In 2010, 6.0% of the Hillsborough's population considered themselves to be of only American ancestry (regardless of race or ethnicity.)
Of the 536,092 households, 29.74% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.25% were married couples living together, 14.76% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.69% were not families. About 27.12% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.96% (2.35% male and 5.61% female) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11.
The age distribution was 23.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,536, and for a family was $59,886. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $35,184 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,062. About 10.7% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those aged 65 or over.
In 2010, 15.1% of the county's population was foreign born, with 44.5% being naturalized American citizens. Of foreign-born residents, 67.5% were born in Latin America, 16.7% born in Asia, 9.2% were born in Europe, 3.2% born in Africa, 3.1% in North America, and 0.3% were born in Oceania.
2000 Census As of the census of 2000, 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 425,962 housing units averaged 405 per square mile (156/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 75.17% White (63.3% Non-Hispanic White), 14.96% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.66% from other races, and a 2.56% from two or more races. 17.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The county was the thirty-second most populous county in the nation.
Of the 391,357 households, 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were not families. Roughly 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07.
The age distribution was: 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,663, and for a family was $48,223. Males had a median income of $34,111 versus $26,962 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,812. About 9.10% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.
Level of Education Level Hillsborough Co. Florida U.S. College/Associate Degree 29.0% 28.8% 27.4% Bachelor's Degree 16.7% 14.3% 15.5% Master's or PhD 8.4% 8.1% 8.9% Total 54.1% 51.2% 51.8%Source: U.S. Census2004 U.S. Census
Languages As of 2010, 74.59% of the population spoke only English at home, 19.52% spoke Spanish, 0.56% French Creole (mainly Haitian Creole), and 0.51% spoke Vietnamese as their mother language. In total, 25.41% of the population spoke a language other than English as their primary language.
Politics and government
Voter registration According to the Florida Secretary of State's office, Republicans now make up the plurality of active registered voters in Hillsborough County. Hillsborough county voter registration & party enrollment as of June 10, 2025 Political partyTotal VotersPercentage Republican287,13736.08% Democratic270,43133.98% No Party Affiliation212,51226.70% Minor parties25,8033.24%Total795,883100.00%
Statewide and national elections Hillsborough County tends to lean Democratic, having not been won by a Republican presidential candidate from 2004 until 2024. It is part of the politically important I-4 Corridor between Tampa Bay and Orlando, an area that historically decides most elections in Florida. Hillsborough was considered a bellwether county, voting for the statewide winner in every presidential election from 1964–2012. It has also voted for the winner of the presidency in every election since 1928 except twice, voting for the loser only in 1992 and 2016. The southern portion of the county, around Tampa, is powerfully Democratic, while the northern and eastern portions are heavily Republican.
On the statewide level, the county also tends to lean Democratic with Democrats Bill Nelson for senator and Andrew Gillum for governor both winning the county in the 2018 elections. However, Republican senator Marco Rubio did win the county in his 2010, 2016 and 2022 senatorial campaigns and Republican Governor Ron Desantis won it in his 2022 gubernatorial campaign after the county supported Democrats for the previous three gubernatorial elections since 2010.
In 2008, Barack Obama won the county by seven points, the first Democrat to capture the county since Bill Clinton's re-election victory in 1996. Obama won Hillsborough again in 2012 over Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney by roughly the same margin.
In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican since Calvin Coolidge in 1924 to win a presidential election without carrying the county.