In the classic 1967 movie The Graduate, a family friend offers a recent college grad a one-word career tip: Plastics.

If the movie were remade today, a two-word tip might be: Health care. It's a lucrative field, judging by those who bought luxury homes in the Tampa Bay area in 2015.

Of the 25 most expensive properties sold last year, nine went to physicians and executives who make their living in the nation's $3 trillion health care industry. They outnumbered buyers from any other field and reflect the bay area's growing prominence as a health care hub, home to such to such esteemed institutions as Moffitt Cancer Center and All Children's Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Other home buyers in 2015 came from a diverse range of backgrounds. They include an Indiana couple who own a large sign business; an entrepreneur who sold his e-commerce company to FedEx; and a director of the sports bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings.

Unlike 2014, when one bay area manse sold for $6.7 million and two more topped $5.5 million, no homes last year commanded more than $5 million. Nine of the priciest were cash purchases.

"I still think (Tampa Bay) is very under-valued,'' said Realtor Dania Perry, who sold a Redington Beach home for $4.425 million. "As downtown St. Pete continues to grow and become more vibrant, you'll see more folks wanting to be in our area. For a long time it had the reputation as being where folks go to retire, and it's nothing like that today.''

Some other noteworthy nuggets about the Top 25 sales:

• All of the priciest homes last year were waterfront, unlike in 2014 when inland mansions in Avila and Tampa Palms made the most expensive list.

• Tampa's Davis Island is the most popular area for the well-heeled, with four of its homes in the top 25.

• Of the five condos on the list, three are on downtown St. Petersburg's Beach Drive and two are on Clearwater Beach.

Here's a look at 2015's most expensive homes and their owners:

Courtesy of Greg Dean, Real Pro Media

Courtesy of Greg Dean, Real Pro Media

1. Price: $4.9 million

Davis Islands, Tampa

Basics: 8,900 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 7 full baths

The Mediterranean-influenced mansion with a curved, floating staircase and open view of Hillsborough Bay sold to real estate and probate lawyer Joshua Keleske as trustee of the 332 Blanca Land Trust.

Times files

Times files

2. Price: $4.9 million

Clearwater Beach

Basics: 5,349 square feet, four bedrooms, four full baths

The new owner of this penthouse at the Residences at Sandpearl Resort is the Todd Christopher Revocable Trust. Christopher founded Vogue International, a Clearwater-based maker of hair and personal care products. He owns two other condos in the same resort.

3. Price: $4.425 million

Redington Beach

Basics: 8,627 square feet, eight bedrooms, eight full baths

One of the largest gulf-front properties on the Pinellas beaches, this home sold to David Shpilt and Pamela Atkinson of London, Ontario. In 2014, a Canadian newspaper reported, Shpilt said he and a partner had acquired a site suitable for a medical marijuana facility.

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

4. Price: $4 million

Beach Park, Tampa

Basics: 7,047 square feet, six bedrooms, six full baths

Christopher and Kimberly Calkin bought the bayfront estate, built in 1924 and known as Villa Terracina. He's an insurance and personal injury lawyer; she's an interior designer.

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

5. Price: $3.7 million

Treasure Island

Basics: 7,984 square feet, five bedrooms, five full baths

Known as Villa La Serenissma, this estate on the Intracoastal Waterway sold to Kevin and Shari Wagner. She is the daughter of Ashley Furniture founder Ronald Wanek and is the company's vice president of international sales.

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

6. Price: $3.5 million

Sunset Park, Tampa

Basics : 6,005 square feet, six bedrooms, six full baths

Edgar D. Ramirez, an anesthesiologist, and his wife, Jennifer, closed last March on this newly built home with views of downtown St. Petersburg's skyline.

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

7. Price: $3.315 million

Davis Islands, Tampa

Basics: 6,344 square feet, five bedrooms, five full baths

Jerry and Gloria Rose bought this home with salt water pool and spa from Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mattias Ohlund. Rose is a former top executive of food processing giant Cargill and a current director of Buffalo Wild Wings.

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

8. Price: $3.3 million

Culbreath Isles, Tampa

Basics: 6,899 square feet, six bedrooms, six fulls baths

Located in a gated enclave, this home with a Disney World-style pool sold to Stephen and Jane Langley, both originally from England. He is chief of pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

Courtesy of Smith & Associates Real Estate

9. Price $3.4 million

Davis Islands, Tampa

Basics: 3,797 square feet, four bedrooms, three full baths

Built in the 1920s as one of Davis Islands' original Mediterranean-style mansions, this home was sold in 2015 for $3.3 million to Ulrike Wolter and Geoffrey Duyk, who has a medical degree and has been associated with biotech and pharmaceutical companies. They resold if for $3.4 million to 84 Adalia LLC. The home has been knocked down.

10. Price: $3.3 million

Davis Islands, Tampa

Basics: 7,828, five bedrooms, six full baths

The home with views of the downtown Tampa skyline from a third floor observation patio sold to Andrew and Joetta Asher as trustees. He was hired last year as chief financial officer of Tampa-based Wellcare.

Courtesy of Strickland Property Group

Courtesy of Strickland Property Group

11. Price: $3.3 million

Snell Isle, St. Petersburg

Basics: 5,787 square feet, four bedrooms, six full baths

Situated on protected sailboat water, the 10-year-old house sold to Jandim Realty LLC of Southport, Conn. Jandim is headed by developer David Mack, who is planning a 35-story apartment tower in downtown St. Petersburg.

Courtesy of Alex Malagon

Courtesy of Alex Malagon

12. Price: $3.275 million

Gulfport

Basics: 5,590 square feet, five bedrooms, five full baths

Dwight Woiteshek, an orthopedic surgeon, and Maria Aurora bought this home with lagoon and waterfalls on a corner lot in the gated Pasadena Yacht & Country Club.

Courtesy of Re/Max RealTec Group

Courtesy of Re/Max RealTec Group

13. Price: $3.25 million

Palm Harbor

Basics: 6,382 square feet, six bedrooms, six full baths

The new owners of this Old Florida-style home are Christopher and Pamela Kelsch. He is founder, CEO and president of Oldsmar-based Vanguard Protex Global, which makes anti-shoplifting devices and retail security systems.

14. Price: $3.2 million

Redington Beach

Basics: 4,006 square feet, four bedrooms, four full baths

This new Key West Style home with 11-foot ceilings sold to Stephen Hagstrom. He is director of trade development for Advanced Retail Merchandising, a Lakeland-based company that provides merchandising and brand marketing services to retailers.

15. Price: $3 million

Bel Mar Shores, Tampa

Basics: 6,801 square feet, five bedrooms, five full baths

Located in South Tampa on a bayfront lot, this home sold to Donna Marie Bocko and Andrew Richard Mintz. He is CEO of Tampa-based Women's Care, a women's health physicians group, and she is owner and president of Project Management Consulting at DBCS Consulting.

Courtesy of Strickland Property Group

Courtesy of Strickland Property Group

16. Price: $2.927 million

Snell Isle, St. Petersburg

Basics: 3,601 square feet, four bedrooms, four full baths

The new owner of this home on a peninsula at the north end of Snell Isle is Jon Clements. His Washington, D.C.-based Clements International insures American corporations and individuals overseas.

17. Price: $2.923 million

Snell Isle, St. Petersburg

Basics: 5,034 square feet, five bedrooms, five full baths

David Eichenbaum, an ophthalmologist, and his wife, Erin, a member of the Sembler family of shopping-center developers, bought this Spanish-inspired home on two full lots.

18. Price: $2.8 million

Redington Shores

Basics: 3,608 square feet, four bedrooms, three full baths

Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, the home is owned by MBH 2013 LLC whose manager is Pamela Mixon. Records show she is related to prominent agriculturist Gerald Mixon, who founded Winter Haven's Sunny Ridge Farm and demonstrated that blueberries can be profitably grown in Florida.

Courtesy of Cary John/ Smith & Associates

Courtesy of Cary John/ Smith & Associates

19. Price: $2.8 million

Beach Drive, St. Petersburg

Basics: 5,100 square feet, four bedrooms, four full baths

This penthouse with two gas fireplaces and a home theater at the Cloisters of Beach Drive sold to insurance broker Solomon Kilgroe.

20. Price: $2.8 million

Beach Drive, St. Petersburg

Basics: 4,962 square feet, three bedrooms, three full baths

Wilfredo and Mayra Lorenzo bought this 29th floor condo in Parkshore Plaza. He's a gynecologist, she's in internal medicine.

Courtesy of Cary John/ Smith & Associates

Courtesy of Cary John/ Smith & Associates

21. Price: $2.775 million

Dickman Island, Ruskin

Basics: 4,125 square feet, four bedrooms, three full baths

Larry and Pamela Collins are the new owners of this home on a private island with helipad in south Hillsborough County. The couple own Indiana-based Collins Painting & Design, which sells hand-lettered signs to 4,500 retailers worldwide including gift stores and bridal shops.

Courtesy of Coldwell Banker

Courtesy of Coldwell Banker

22. Price: $2.768 million

Apollo Beach

Basics: 7,454 square feet, four bedrooms, four full baths

Rajesh Malik, a cardiologist, and his wife, Renuka, bought this estate on a full acre of open bay.

23. Price: $2.726 million

Beach Park, Tampa

Basics: 5,531 square feet, four bedrooms, five full baths

Located on a cove on Culbreath Bayou, the home is now owned by Craig Trumbell. In 2007, he founded Bongo International as a package-forwarding service for international consumers. He sold it to FedEx in 2014 for $42 million.

24. Price: $2.7 million

Clearwater Beach

Basics: 4,065 square feet, four bedrooms, three full baths

A Canadian sold this penthouse in the Mandalay Beach Club to LT Condo Management LLC as trustee of the Beach Condo Land Trust of 2015. The only name associated with the buyer is Bruce H. Gordon, a partner in a Tampa law firm.

25. Price: $2.65 million

Beach Drive, St. Petersburg

Basics: 4,962 square feet, four bedrooms, three full baths

This 28th floor penthouse in Parkshore Plaza sold to Frederick and Janine Arnold. She's an interior designer, he's a lawyer and chief financial officer of Convergex, a New York-based international financial services company.

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Contact Susan Taylor Martin at smartin@tampabay.com. Follow @Susanskate.