Pasco County, Florida

Pasco County is a county in Florida, United States, about 30 miles north of Tampa on the Gulf coast. It had a population of 561,891 at the 2020 census, an estimated 611,444 by 2024, and covers 747 square miles (1,930 km2) of land centred near 28°18′N 82°26′W.

Dade City is the county seat; its postal code is 33525. The county holds 4 cities, 2 incorporated towns and roughly two dozen larger unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 12101.

Towns & Villages in Pasco County

Pasco has only six incorporated places, but most residents live outside them. Two dozen census-designated places (CDPs) — Wesley Chapel alone holds more people than any incorporated city in the county — carry the population instead. The table below covers every incorporated place plus every CDP with a 2020 census count on record.

Three places share the “Port Richey” name and confuse mapping apps: New Port Richey (a city), Port Richey (a separate, smaller city just south of it) and New Port Richey East (an unincorporated CDP east of New Port Richey’s city line). All three are distinct legal places. Note also that Pasco County’s namesake, Samuel Pasco, has no connection to Pasco, Washington — the two places share a name by coincidence, not history.

ZIP Codes

• 33525 — Dade City (also serves Dade City North)
• 33523 & 33526 — Dade City rural routes
• 34652, 34653, 34655, 34656 — New Port Richey (also serves Jasmine Estates)
• 34668 & 34673 — Port Richey (also serves River Ridge and Key Vista)
• 33540, 33541, 33542, 33539 — Zephyrhills (also serves Meadow Oaks)
• 33576 — San Antonio
• 33574 — St. Leo
• 33543, 33544, 33545 — Wesley Chapel
• 34638, 34639, 34637 — Land O’ Lakes (also serves Pasadena Hills, Connerton and Heritage Pines)
• 34667, 34669, 34674 — Hudson (also serves Bayonet Point and Moon Lake)
• 34690, 34691, 34692 — Holiday (also serves Beacon Square and Quail Ridge)
• 34680 — Elfers
• 34679 — Aripeka
• 33524 — Crystal Springs
• 33537 — Lacoochee
• 33593 — Trilby

Trinity uses New Port Richey’s 34655 ZIP rather than one of its own; the community has no standalone post office.

Geography

Pasco County sits on Florida’s west-central Gulf coast. The western third is low, flat tidal marsh; the eastern third rises into sandy hills 100 to 300 feet above sea level, part of the same central Florida ridge that runs through neighboring Polk County. The county holds about 70 lakes and 122 square miles of water — 14 percent of its total area — including the Anclote and Pithlachascotee rivers, both of which drain west to the Gulf near New Port Richey.

Hernando County borders Pasco to the north, Sumter County to the northeast, Polk County to the east, Hillsborough County to the south, Pinellas County to the southwest, and the Gulf of Mexico forms the western edge. Sumter County has no Towns & Villages page yet, and Hillsborough County’s Florida page is not currently live on this site, so neither is linked here.

Demographics

Pasco County counted 561,891 residents at the 2020 census, up from 464,697 in 2010; the 2024 estimate puts the county at 611,444. Wesley Chapel (64,866) and Land O’ Lakes (35,929) are the two largest communities, both unincorporated. Median household income was $70,492 in 2024. Land-area population density works out to roughly 752 people per square mile using the 2020 count.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at 40,884 workers, followed by retail trade at 37,952 and professional, scientific and technical services at 23,592. AdventHealth runs hospital campuses in Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel; HCA Florida operates the Medical Center of Trinity, near the Pasco–Pinellas–Hillsborough line. Saint Leo University, a Benedictine college founded in 1889, anchors the town of St. Leo and is one of the county’s larger employers outside health care. Zephyrhills lends its name to the bottled-water brand drawn from local springs, now owned by BlueTriton Brands. The Pasco County Fair runs each March in Dade City.

History

Florida’s legislature created Pasco County on June 2, 1887, splitting it off from the southern half of Hernando County, and named it for U.S. Senator Samuel Pasco, who had just taken office and never visited the county that carries his name. Timucua people lived in the area before European contact; Seminoles moved into the region later and clashed with American settlers through the early 19th century. Dade City was named the county seat at organization; as the coastal population grew through the 20th century, the county added a second government complex in New Port Richey so west-side residents would not have to drive across the county for basic services — both offices still operate today.

Getting There

Interstate 75 crosses eastern Pasco through Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes; the Suncoast Parkway (SR 589) toll road runs north–south through the county’s center. US 19 follows the coast, and US 41 and US 301 cross the county roughly north to south further inland.

• Tampa — 30 miles south
• Clearwater — 25 miles south
• Orlando — 50 miles east
• Ocala — 60 miles north

Zephyrhills Municipal Airport handles general aviation and is a well-known skydiving destination. Tampa International Airport, the nearest commercial airport, sits about 30 miles south. The nearest Amtrak station is Tampa Union Station, roughly 35 miles south on the Silver Star line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Pasco County?
On Florida’s west-central Gulf coast, about 30 miles north of Tampa, between Hernando County and Hillsborough County.

What is the population of Pasco County?
561,891 at the 2020 census; the 2024 estimate is 611,444.

How big is Pasco County?
747 square miles of land and 122 square miles of water, 868 square miles total.

What is the county seat of Pasco County?
Dade City, ZIP code 33525. New Port Richey hosts a second county government complex for west-side residents.

How many towns are in Pasco County?
Six incorporated places — four cities and two towns — plus roughly two dozen unincorporated CDPs, several of which are larger than any incorporated city.

What ZIP codes cover Pasco County?
34-prefixed codes cover the west coast (New Port Richey, Port Richey, Holiday, Hudson); 33-prefixed codes cover the east (Zephyrhills, Dade City, San Antonio, St. Leo, Wesley Chapel).

Why is Wesley Chapel bigger than any city in Pasco County?
It grew rapidly after I-75 and the Shops at Wiregrass mall opened, but residents never incorporated it — it remains a census-designated place governed directly by the county rather than a city government.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.