DeSoto County, FL

County

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2024 Population

35,386

US Senator

Rick Scott

Republican Party

US Senator

Ashley Moody

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.5

1.64% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

24.1%

4.25% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$54,417

6.98% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$174,100

14.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

13,409

3.79% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in DeSoto County, FL reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

91.3% of the residents in DeSoto County, FL are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in DeSoto County, FL was $174,100, and the homeownership rate was 72.5%.

Most people in DeSoto County, FL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.5 minutes. The average car ownership in DeSoto County, FL was 2 cars per household.

DeSoto County, FL borders Charlotte County, FL, Glades County, FL, Hardee County, FL, Highlands County, FL, Manatee County, FL, and Sarasota County, FL.

United States Florida Arcadia, FL

Population & Diversity

DeSoto County, FL is home to a population of 35.4k people, from which 91.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 13.7% of DeSoto County, FL residents were born outside of the country (4.83k people).

In 2024, there were 4.45 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (19.4k people) in DeSoto County, FL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.37k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 4.37k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.3%

2024 Citizenship

92%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.3% of DeSoto County, FL residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in DeSoto County, FL was 92%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in DeSoto County, FL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in DeSoto County, FL

White (Non-Hispanic)
19.4k ± 121
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
4.37k ± 877
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.37k ± 257

30.1%

Hispanic Population

10.6k people

30.1% of the people in DeSoto County, FL are hispanic (10.6k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in DeSoto County, FL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Florida.

Most Common Origin

Cuba
1,008,771 ± 24,085 people
Haiti
353,350 ± 14,476 people
Colombia
307,955 ± 13,528 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Florida was Cuba, the natal country of 1,008,771 Florida residents, followed by Haiti with 353,350 and Colombia with 307,955.

Foreign-Born Population

13.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.83k people

12.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.42k people

As of 2024, 13.7% of DeSoto County, FL residents (4.83k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in DeSoto County, FL was 12.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in DeSoto County, FL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
884 ± 195
Gulf War (1990s)
577 ± 333
Gulf War (2001-)
333 ± 192

DeSoto County, FL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.53 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in DeSoto County, FL.

Economy

The economy of DeSoto County, FL employs 13.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in DeSoto County, FL were Construction (2,439 people), Retail Trade (1,548 people), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services (1,259 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($72,911), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,508), and Utilities ($66,111).

Employment

Occupations

13.4k

2024 Value

± 1,164

3.79%

1 Year growth

± 11.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in DeSoto County, FL grew at a rate of 3.79%, from 12.9k employees to 13.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in DeSoto County, FL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,761 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,737 people), and Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (1,181 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of DeSoto County, FL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Florida.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Florida (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

13.4k

2024 Value

± 1,164

3.79%

1 Year growth

± 11.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in DeSoto County, FL grew at a rate of 3.79%, from 12.9k employees to 13.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in DeSoto County, FL, are Construction (2,439 people), Retail Trade (1,548 people), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services (1,259 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of DeSoto County, FL, though some of these residents may live in DeSoto County, FL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,269

Median earning men ± $5,582

$34,525

Median earning women ± $5,322

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,774), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,252), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,583).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($53,207), Public Administration ($42,936), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($42,427).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Florida.

Y-Axis

4.23%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 9.69M people employed in Florida. This represents a 4.23% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 12.6%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Florida.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

68
Construction
48
Other Services (except Public Administration)
36
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$61.4k
Transportation and Warehousing
$44.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$34.4k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Florida went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (43%), followed by Jill Stein (0.396%).

Rick Scott and Ashley Moody are the senators currently representing the state of Florida. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Florida is currently represented by 26 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for DeSoto County, FL. Showing the available data for Florida.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (56.1%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (43%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.396%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Florida went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (43%), followed by Jill Stein (0.396%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Florida for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Florida

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Florida.

Rick Scott

Senator from Florida

Assumed office on January 8, 2019
Inauguration delayed in order to finish his term as Governor of Florida.

Ashley Moody

Senator from Florida

Assumed office on January 21, 2025
While elections for full class 3 terms will take place in 2028, Florida will hold a special election in 2026 to elect a senator to complete the remainder of Marco Rubio's term.

Rick Scott and Ashley Moody are the senators currently representing Florida.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Florida over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in DeSoto County, FL was $174,100 in 2024, which is 0.523 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $151,500 to $174,100, a 14.9% increase. The homeownership rate in DeSoto County, FL is 72.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in DeSoto County, FL have an average commute time of 30.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in DeSoto County, FL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in DeSoto County, FL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.5%.

Housing

Property

$174,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,130

$9,300

Median Property Taxes

±$773

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In DeSoto County, FL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in DeSoto County, FL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

72.5%

Homeownership

2024

64.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.5% of the housing units in DeSoto County, FL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 71.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in DeSoto County, FL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$54,417

Median Household Income

± $3,888

12.8k

Number of Households

± 974

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.8k households in DeSoto County, FL grew to $54,417 from the previous year's value of $50,868.

The following chart displays the households in DeSoto County, FL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for DeSoto County, FL is from Florida.

0.473

2023 Wage GINI in Florida

0.474

2022 Wage GINI in Florida

In 2023, the income inequality in Florida was 0.473 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.136% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Florida was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Florida in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Florida across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (69.8%)
Carpooled (22.4%)
Worked At Home (4.72%)

In 2024, 69.8% of workers in DeSoto County, FL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (22.4%) and those who worked at home (4.72%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in DeSoto County, FL have a longer commute time (30.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.18% of the workforce in DeSoto County, FL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in DeSoto County, FL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in DeSoto County, FL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in DeSoto County, FL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in DeSoto County, FL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

24.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in DeSoto County, FL (8.08k out of 33.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females < 5, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in DeSoto County, FL is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 26.2% of the children was living in poverty in DeSoto County, FL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 17.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 441 in DeSoto County, FL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 277 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

80.1% of the population of DeSoto County, FL has health coverage, with 23% on employee plans, 21.8% on Medicaid, 18.8% on Medicare, 14.2% on non-group plans, and 2.21% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in DeSoto County, FL see 3,823 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,823 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 5045 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 363 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53% were men and 47% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,823 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in DeSoto County, FL

Primary care physicians in DeSoto County, FL see an average of 3,823 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,823 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in DeSoto County, FL in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.6% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 36.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 24.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53% were men and 47% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

19.9%

Uninsured

23%

Employer Coverage

21.8%

Medicaid

18.8%

Medicare

14.2%

Non-Group

2.21%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in DeSoto County, FL grew by 6.2% from 18.8% to 19.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in DeSoto County, FL changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 83 in DeSoto County, FL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in DeSoto County, FL.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 44.2% in DeSoto County, FL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in DeSoto County, FL.