Tampa Bay Industries Most Dependent on Noncitizen Workers in 2025

(TAMPA BAY) As of August 15, 2025, new Census-based estimates show Tampa Bay’s economy leans hardest on noncitizen workers in agriculture and mining, followed by construction, then transportation and utilities. Foreign-born noncitizens—covering lawful permanent residents, work visa holders, and undocumented workers—account for a large share of staff in these fields, according to U.S. Census Bureau data averaged from 2019 to 2023.

The findings matter for employers planning harvests, work sites, and delivery schedules—and for families whose paychecks depend on steady hours in these jobs.

• 44.3% of workers in agriculture and mining are foreign-born noncitizens
• 17.2% in construction
• 10.3% in transportation and utilities

Across the entire metro, foreign-born noncitizens make up about 7.6% of the overall workforce. When looking at all immigrants (including naturalized citizens), their role is even larger: immigrants hold about 19.7% of jobs in the Tampa Bay area, a touch higher than their 18.5% share of the working-age population. That gap points to higher labor force participation among immigrants than among U.S.-born residents locally.

Where the Reliance Is Most Visible

The reliance on immigrant labor is most visible in agriculture and mining. In Plant City, a strawberry hub, farm owner Fidel Sanchez saw his staff drop from roughly 80 workers to about 40 after Florida tightened immigration enforcement in 2023.

With fewer hands to plant and pick, some farms have turned to subcontractors who recruit temporary staff on H-2A visas. That approach helps fill shifts but also pushes up labor costs and limits planting capacity, growers say.

Construction remains the metro’s next-most exposed industry. The share of foreign-born noncitizens in construction sits at 17.2% in Tampa Bay, mirroring statewide trends. Across Florida, the construction industry shows the largest gap between foreign-born and native-born employment rates—11.7% versus 6.1%. That split helps explain why builders in Tampa Bay feel labor pressure more acutely when immigration policy tightens.

Transportation and utilities also depend on immigrant labor. More than one in ten workers in that sector are foreign-born noncitizens—a figure that matters for port activity, warehousing, and power and water operations. While these jobs vary—drivers, line crews, warehouse staff—the common thread is steady demand and schedules that are hard to slow without real economic costs.

Policy Pressure Meets Labor Dependence

Since 2023, Florida has enacted some of the country’s toughest immigration enforcement measures, pushed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The package:

• Strengthens penalties for people without status
• Creates new state crimes related to immigration status
• Limits certain benefits, including in-state tuition for undocumented students
• Commits nearly $300 million to expand local and state roles in federal enforcement

That approach aligns with President Trump’s mass deportation strategy. The result is a basic tension: the state’s economy relies on immigrant labor while enforcement shrinks the available workforce.

Employers in fields with high immigrant shares—especially agriculture and hospitality—report tighter staffing, higher costs, or both. Experts warn some businesses may:

• Reduce services
• Raise prices
• Add more machines to cope

That is already visible on some farms, where producers say they planted fewer acres or left crops unharvested when they couldn’t hire enough crews.

President Trump acknowledged in summer 2025 that mass deportations have removed “very good, long time workers” from farms and hotels. He promised policy adjustments, but no major federal changes have been implemented to date. That leaves day-to-day effects to state rules, local enforcement choices, and how employers respond.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, this policy mix is creating uneven outcomes across counties, with regions like Tampa Bay feeling outsized pressure because so many essential jobs depend on immigrant labor.

The broader statewide picture adds context:

• Immigrants hold 27.7% of jobs across Florida.
• Immigrant labor force participation rate: 64.8%
• Native-born Floridians’ labor force participation rate: 57.9%

Policymakers now face a tradeoff: strict rules aim to deter unlawful presence, yet the same rules can thin the workforce in sectors that already struggle to hire.

What Employers Are Doing Now

Agricultural producers are increasingly looking at temporary visas. The H-2A program lets U.S. farms bring in seasonal workers when there aren’t enough local applicants. It’s a vital tool for strawberry growers around Tampa Bay during peak planting and harvest. But the program is:

• Complex and expensive
• Employers must pay required wages, cover certain housing and transport costs, and file on strict timelines
• Visa timing can clash with weather or crop cycles

The official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services page on H-2A explains program rules and steps for employers and workers: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2a-temporary-agricultural-workers.

Some farms, like those in Plant City, rely on labor contractors to manage the visa process and recruit crews. That can ease paperwork but adds fees, and not every contractor can guarantee full shifts exactly when needed. When fields miss their window, yields slide, and local packers and shippers feel the ripple effect.

Construction firms face another clock. With 17.2% of the construction workforce in Tampa Bay made up of foreign-born noncitizens, sudden crew losses push schedules out. Key challenges include:

• Training new local hires takes time
• Bidding models based on wage and productivity assumptions can break when costs shift mid-project
• Delayed projects can cascade into other contracts and timelines

Transportation and utilities employers report steady demand for drivers, warehouse teams, and field techs. A 10.3% noncitizen share means even modest attrition can leave routes uncovered or maintenance backlogs. Some tasks can move toward automation—like warehouse sorting—but many still require people on the ground.

Community and Policy Responses

Community leaders in Tampa Bay argue for practical steps that support both safety and economic activity. Proposals include:

• Allowing driver’s licenses for undocumented residents so workers can commute legally and carry insurance
• Policies to reduce spillover effects into legal visa programs that support hospitality and tourism

Advocates say issuing licenses would improve road safety and help employers keep reliable staff. Academics warn Florida’s recent laws can spill over into legal visa programs vital to the state economy.

For now, business owners are planning for a tight labor market. Typical responses include:

1. Farms may:
   • Plant fewer acres
   • Switch to sturdier crops
   • Invest in more machinery
2. Builders may:
   • Spread crews across fewer sites
   • Renegotiate timelines
3. Warehouse managers may:
   • Shuffle shifts to keep key routes moving

None of these steps solve the core issue: Tampa Bay’s core industries—agriculture and mining, construction, transportation and utilities—depend on immigrant labor to meet daily demand.

What’s Next

The next few months will test whether employers can bridge gaps with temporary visas and training or whether more projects will be scaled back. Outcomes hinge on two main scenarios:

• If federal policy remains unchanged while state enforcement stays strict, Tampa Bay’s labor shortages are likely to persist.
• If Washington adjusts rules or resources—especially around seasonal work—the pressure could ease.

Until then, the data tell a clear story about who holds up the region’s fields, job sites, and supply lines—and what happens when those workers can’t clock in.

Key takeaway: Tampa Bay’s daily economy—harvests, construction schedules, and supply chains—relies disproportionately on immigrant labor. Policy choices and enforcement are directly shaping labor availability, costs, and the region’s economic resilience.