Highlands County, FL

County

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2024 Population

105,702

US Senator

Rick Scott

Republican Party

US Senator

Ashley Moody

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

54.4

0.369% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

15.3%

0.831% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$54,897

1.23% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$187,900

5.62% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

36,763

2.87% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Highlands 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.

95% of the residents in Highlands County, FL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Highlands County, FL are South Florida State College (588 degrees awarded in 2023) and UR Beauty & Barber Academy (18 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Highlands County, FL was $187,900, and the homeownership rate was 78.6%.

Most people in Highlands County, FL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Highlands County, FL was 2 cars per household.

Highlands County, FL borders Charlotte County, FL, DeSoto County, FL, Glades County, FL, Hardee County, FL, Okeechobee County, FL, Osceola County, FL, and Polk County, FL.

United States Florida Sebring, FL

Population & Diversity

Highlands County, FL is home to a population of 106k people, from which 95% are citizens. As of 2024, 10.8% of Highlands County, FL residents were born outside of the country (11.4k people).

In 2024, there were 6.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (66.7k people) in Highlands County, FL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.82k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 9.25k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95%

2024 Citizenship

95.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95% of Highlands County, FL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Highlands County, FL was 95.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Highlands County, FL

White (Non-Hispanic)
66.7k ± 581
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.82k ± 406
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
9.25k ± 1.07k

22.2%

Hispanic Population

23.5k people

22.2% of the people in Highlands County, FL are hispanic (23.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Highlands 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

10.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

11.4k people

10.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

11.2k people

As of 2024, 10.8% of Highlands County, FL residents (11.4k 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 Highlands County, FL was 10.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,419 ± 435
Gulf War (1990s)
928 ± 204
Gulf War (2001-)
889 ± 230

Highlands County, FL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.76 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Highlands County, FL employs 36.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Highlands County, FL were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,894 people), Retail Trade (4,586 people), and Construction (3,706 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($120,046), Finance & Insurance ($50,371), and Public Administration ($49,405).

Employment

Occupations

36.8k

2024 Value

± 1,649

2.87%

1 Year growth

± 6.26%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Highlands County, FL grew at a rate of 2.87%, from 35.7k employees to 36.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Highlands County, FL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,132 people), Sales & Related Occupations (3,984 people), and Management Occupations (2,857 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Highlands 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

36.8k

2024 Value

± 1,649

2.87%

1 Year growth

± 6.26%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Highlands County, FL grew at a rate of 2.87%, from 35.7k employees to 36.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Highlands County, FL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,894 people), Retail Trade (4,586 people), and Construction (3,706 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Highlands County, FL, though some of these residents may live in Highlands County, FL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,721

Median earning men ± $1,954

$35,201

Median earning women ± $1,707

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($121,088), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($50,287), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($50,282).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($72,750), Public Administration ($56,829), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,056).

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

180
Construction
163
Other Services (except Public Administration)
152
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

$362k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$153k
Retail Trade
$56.5k
Construction

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 Highlands 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.

Education

In 2023, universities in Highlands County, FL awarded 606 degrees. The student population of Highlands County, FL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,035 male students and 1,965 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Highlands County, FL are White (271 and 45%), Hispanic or Latino (230 and 38.2%), Black or African American (64 and 10.6%), and Two or More Races (13 and 2.16%).

The largest universities in Highlands County, FL by number of degrees awarded are South Florida State College (588 and 97%) and UR Beauty & Barber Academy (18 and 2.97%).

The most popular majors in Highlands County, FL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (215 and 35.5%), Registered Nursing (72 and 11.9%), and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT Paramedic) (43 and 7.1%).

The median tuition cost in Highlands County, FL for a public four year colleges is $3,135 for in-state students and $11,829 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 3,000 students enrolled in Highlands County, FL, 34.5% men and 65.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 1,295 records, of which 68.6% were women and 31.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
215 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
64 degrees awarded
Radiographer
10 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Highlands County, FL was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 215 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Highlands County, FL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

South Florida State College
588 degrees awarded
UR Beauty & Barber Academy
18 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was South Florida State College with 588 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 224 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Highlands County, FL, which is 0.586 times less than the 382 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 271 degrees mean that there were 1.18 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 230 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($3,135) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($30) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Highlands County, FL was $187,900 in 2024, which is 0.565 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $177,900 to $187,900, a 5.62% increase. The homeownership rate in Highlands County, FL is 78.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Highlands County, FL have an average commute time of 23.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Highlands County, FL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Highlands County, FL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.82%.

Housing

Property

$187,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,429

$36,845

Median Property Taxes

±$1,480

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 Highlands 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 Highlands County, FL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

78.6%

Homeownership

2024

63.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 78.6% of the housing units in Highlands County, FL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 78.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Highlands 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.

$54,897

Median Household Income

± $2,416

46.9k

Number of Households

± 1,706

In 2024, the median household income of the 46.9k households in Highlands County, FL declined from $54,897 from the previous year's value of $55,581.

The following chart displays the households in Highlands 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 Highlands 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 (75.2%)
Carpooled (12.2%)
Worked At Home (8.59%)

In 2024, 75.2% of workers in Highlands County, FL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.2%) and those who worked at home (8.59%).

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

23.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Highlands County, FL have a shorter commute time (23.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.86% of the workforce in Highlands County, FL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Highlands 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 Highlands County, FL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Highlands County, FL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Highlands County, FL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.82%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

15.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Highlands County, FL (15.9k out of 104k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 55 - 64.

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

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, 27.4% of the children was living in poverty in Highlands County, FL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.4%.

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 318 in Highlands County, FL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 32.2 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

86.2% of the population of Highlands County, FL has health coverage, with 25.3% on employee plans, 16.7% on Medicaid, 25.8% on Medicare, 16.3% on non-group plans, and 2.16% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Highlands County, FL see 1,722 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,722 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2112 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1109 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,722 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Highlands County, FL

Primary care physicians in Highlands County, FL see an average of 1,722 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,722 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.8% under 18 years, 13.6% between 18 and 34 years, 32.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 35.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

13.8%

Uninsured

25.3%

Employer Coverage

16.7%

Medicaid

25.8%

Medicare

16.3%

Non-Group

2.16%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Highlands County, FL grew by 8.3% from 12.7% to 13.8%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Highlands 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 76.2 in Highlands County, FL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Highlands 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 36.2% in Highlands County, FL.

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