Tampa Is 2021?s Best City In U.S. For Veterans: WalletHub Study

TAMPA, FL ? Veterans who have opted to settle in Tampa can pat themselves on the back.

They live in the No. 1 city in the country for veterans, according to a recent study by the personal finance website, WalletHub, in its report, 2021?s Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are more than 19 million veterans currently living in the U.S. These veterans often face a host of challenges when re-entering civilian life. Despite Uncle Sam?s promises to provide health care as well as housing, employment and educational assistance upon their return from service, some cannot secure health care, jobs or shelter.

Although unemployment and homelessness declined nationally for veterans in recent years, the unemployment rate did rise to 6.5 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, the unemployment rate for veterans has now fallen to 3.9 percent, compared to 4.8 percent for the overall population.

On the other hand, veteran homelessness is still a big problem, and there were already more than 37,000 homeless veterans even before the pandemic.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported there were 92,106 veterans living in Hillsborough County (21,464 veterans living in the Tampa city limits) between 2015 and 2019. Veterans groups, however, say that number is low.

Veterans Affairs reported there were 98,307 veterans living in Hillsborough County in 2016, up 5,135 veterans from the population in 2015. If the number of veterans settling in Hillsborough County each year remains true to form, the actual population of veterans in the county is probably closer to 120,000.

Why Veterans Settle In Tampa

Owing to the fact that many active-duty military members retire in Tampa after serving at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa has a built-in population of veterans already.

The proximity of MacDill Air Force Base offers other perks including access to the commissary, the base medical clinic, the retiree activities office and retiree services.

Veterans also cite the security of having the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and its health clinics nearby as a reason for choosing to live in Tampa.

Tampa is also home to the Hillsborough County Veterans Resource Center at Veterans Memorial Park and Museum in Tampa, the Tampa Vet Center and the Veterans Assistance Center at Tampa Crossroads.

As further incentive for veterans to settle in Tampa, in March, Veterans Affairs announced it will combine three existing undersized VA mental health clinics throughout greater Tampa into a new 144,000-square-foot mental health care facility on Temple Terrace Highway and Davis Road. Construction will begin in this spring and is expected to be completed in 18 months.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and a growing suicide rate are increasing among veterans, so access to a mental health center is a plus.

Tampa also offers access to VA-funded and subsidized veterans housing including the James Cole Village in Tampa and Liberty Manor for Veterans, VA home loan-friendly neighborhoods, the availability of Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Supportive Housing (VASH) rental vouchers for homeless veterans through the Tampa Housing Authority, and the proximity of the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans? Nursing Home in Land O' Lakes, just outside the city, one of only eight veterans nursing homes in the state.

What WalletHub Discovered

To help military veterans find the best places in which to settle down, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 20 key indicators of livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness.

Source: WalletHub

Best Cities For Veterans To Live

The cities were ranked for employment, economy, quality of life and health with a maximum score of 25 per category.

Employment included the city's share of military skill-related jobs, the veteran unemployment rate, the job growth and the number of veteran-owned businesses.

The economy category looked at such things as housing affordability, veteran income growth, share of veterans living in poverty, educational opportunities, the median income for veterans and veteran homelessness per 1,000 veterans.

The quality of life category figured in the current veteran population of the city and the projected growth, family-friendliness, retiree-friendliness, restaurants that offer military discounts to veterans and arts and entertainment venues that offer discounts to veterans.

Finally, the health category examined the percentage of residents who are vaccinated against COVID-19, the number of VA benefits facilities, the number of VA health facilities and the quality of the VA health facilities.

Although Tampa didn't score at the top in any category, its cumulative rankings in each category gave Tampa an overall score of 71.38, putting it at the top of the list of 100 cities, followed by Austin, Texas, and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Here's how Tampa ranked compared to the 100 largest cities in the U.S.

• 28th for veteran population
• 16th for homeless veterans per veteran population
• 32nd for median veteran income
• 16th for veteran unemployment rate
• 55th ? Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated

Fremont, California, was topped the list when it comes to the highest percentage of military skill-related jobs and North Las Vegas, Nevada was worst.

Lincoln, Nebraska, has the lowest veteran unemployment rate and Newark, New Jersey, the highest.

Atlanta ranks the highest for veteran income growth while Irvine, California, ranks at the bottom.

Fremont, California, which has the highest percentage of military skill-related jobs, also has the lowest percentage of veterans living in poverty. Detroit has the highest number.

Virginia Beach, Virginia, has the highest veteran population while Hialeah, Florida, has the lowest.

San Francisco has the most homeless veterans per veteran population while Toledo, Ohio, has the fewest.

Also of interest to veterans, WalletHub released its 2021 Military Money Survey, which revealed that 77 percent of Americans agree that military families experience more financial stress than the average family, and issued a report on the best of 1,500 credit cards for military members this month.