Pasco County, Florida

Pasco County
U.S. County
Pasco County Courthouse (2024)
Flag Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 28°18′N 82°26′W / 28.3°N 82.44°W / 28.3; -82.44
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	June 2, 1887
Named for	Samuel Pasco
Seat	Dade City
Largest CDP	Wesley Chapel
Area
• Total	868 sq mi (2,250 km2)
• Land	747 sq mi (1,930 km2)
• Water	122 sq mi (320 km2)  14.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	561,891
• Estimate  (2023)	632,996[1]
• Density	752/sq mi (290/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	12th, 15th
Website	www.pascocountyfl.net

Pasco County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691, making it the eleventh-most populous county in the state.^[2] Its county seat is Dade City,^[3] and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco.

Pasco County is included in the Tampa Bay Area and is primarily a bedroom community for Tampa and St. Petersburg.

It includes numerous parks and trails located along rivers, the Gulf of Mexico, lakes, and highway/railroad right-of-ways. Several nudist resorts are located in Pasco. It has become known as the "naturist capital of the United States," beginning with a development in 1941.^[4] West Pasco includes retirement areas, commercial fishing, and suburbs of Tampa. The Suncoast Parkway as well as U.S. 19, U.S. 41, U.S. 98, U.S. 301, and Interstate 75 all pass through Pasco. The county is directly west of Polk and Sumter counties, north of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and south of Hernando County.