Elevation of Tampa
15ft
above sea level · 5 m
Tampa is a city in Florida with 413,554 people, the 3rd most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 8th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 27.95° N · 82.46° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 27° 56′ 51″ N · 82° 27′ 30″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 17R · 356,526 E · 3,092,245 N
- Zone 17 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 413,554 people
- 114 sq mi of land · 3,612 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 3 m grid
- Data from December 2013: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Tampa had 413,554 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 7.3% more than in April 2020, when it had 385,336. Its 114 sq mi of land work out to 3,612 people/sq mi; the state average is 437 people/sq mi.
It’s the 3rd most populous of the 956 places the Census counts in Florida (cities, towns and CDPs), after Jacksonville (1,017,689), and holds 1.8% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Hillsborough County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 2.0 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Tampa sits at 15 ft (5 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Tampa is 843 ft below it.
The state capital, Tallahassee, is 204 mi away in a straight line and 189 ft higher than Tampa.
Of the 7 cities in Florida with a page, Tampa is the 3rd lowest: the highest is Tallahassee (204 ft) and the lowest is Miami (6 ft).
The highest point in Florida is Britton Hill, at 345 ft according to the USGS: 330 ft above Tampa, 311 mi away in a straight line.
- 84 Tampa 15 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Tampa.
What is the elevation of Tampa?
Tampa is 15 feet (5 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Tampa?
Latitude 27.94752 and longitude -82.45843, in decimal degrees (27° 56′ 51″ N · 82° 27′ 30″ W). In UTM, zone 17: 356,526 E and 3,092,245 N, on NAD83.
How does Tampa rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 8th lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Tampa in?
Hillsborough County, Florida.
Which is higher, Tampa or Tallahassee?
Tallahassee. Tampa sits at 15 ft and Tallahassee at 204 ft: a difference of 189 ft, 204 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know