Lake Wales, FL

Census Place

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2023 Population

16,365

0.547% 1-year decline

US Senator

Rick Scott

Republican Party

US Senator

Ashley Moody

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

41.1

4.64% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

24.4%

20.1% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$55,799

0.0609% 1-year decline

2023 Median Property Value

$225,900

8.35% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

5,624

8.19% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Lake Wales, FL had a population of 16.4k people with a median age of 41.1 and a median household income of $55,799. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Lake Wales, FL declined from 16,455 to 16,365, a −0.547% decrease and its median household income declined from $55,833 to $55,799, a −0.0609% decrease.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Lake Wales, FL are White (Non-Hispanic) (47.6%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (19.2%), Two+ (Hispanic) (12.9%), Other (Hispanic) (9.94%), and White (Hispanic) (7.76%).

None of the households in Lake Wales, 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 Lake Wales, FL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lake Wales, FL are Ruben's Five Star Academy (36 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Lake Wales, FL was $225,900, and the homeownership rate was 61%.

Most people in Lake Wales, FL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Lake Wales, FL was 2 cars per household.

United States Florida Polk County, FL Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Polk County (South) PUMA, FL

Population & Diversity

Lake Wales, FL is home to a population of 16.4k people, from which 95% are citizens. As of 2023, 9.71% of Lake Wales, FL residents were born outside of the country (1.59k people).

In 2023, there were 2.48 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.79k people) in Lake Wales, FL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.14k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.1k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95%

2023 Citizenship

94.1%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 95% of Lake Wales, FL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Lake Wales, FL was 94.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lake Wales, FL

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.79k ± 1.01k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.14k ± 722
Two+ (Hispanic)
2.1k ± 1.02k

30.7%

Hispanic Population

5.02k people

30.7% of the people in Lake Wales, FL are hispanic (5.02k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Lake Wales, FL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Cuba
1,003,261 ± 24,014 people
Haiti
344,713 ± 14,299 people
Colombia
299,067 ± 13,333 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Florida was Cuba, the natal country of 1,003,261 Florida residents, followed by Haiti with 344,713 and Colombia with 299,067.

Foreign-Born Population

9.71%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.59k people

10.2%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

1.68k people

As of 2023, 9.71% of Lake Wales, FL residents (1.59k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lake Wales, FL was 10.2%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
596 ± 195
Gulf War (1990s)
153 ± 101
Gulf War (2001-)
96 ± 74

Lake Wales, FL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.9 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Lake Wales, FL employs 5.62k people. The largest industries in Lake Wales, FL are Health Care & Social Assistance (842 people), Retail Trade (674 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (653 people), and the highest paying industries are Wholesale Trade ($95,833), Educational Services ($50,121), and Transportation & Warehousing ($46,209).

Males in Florida have an average income that is 1.34 times higher than the average income of females, which is $56,054. The income inequality in Florida (measured using the Gini index) is 0.474, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

5.62k

2023 Value

± 695

−8.19%

1 Year decline

± 19%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lake Wales, FL declined at a rate of −8.19%, from 6.13k employees to 5.62k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lake Wales, FL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (796 people), Transportation Occupations (529 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (486 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lake Wales, FL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

5.62k

2023 Value

± 695

−8.19%

1 Year decline

± 19%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lake Wales, FL declined at a rate of −8.19%, from 6.13k employees to 5.62k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lake Wales, FL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (842 people), Retail Trade (674 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (653 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lake Wales, FL, though some of these residents may live in Lake Wales, FL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,745

Median earning men ± $5,725

$34,205

Median earning women ± $4,045

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($95,880), Public Administration ($60,957), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,521).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,167), Manufacturing ($50,938), and Construction ($46,058).

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.

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 Lake Wales, 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.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Florida

Florida is currently represented by 26 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Florida have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Lake Wales, FL awarded 36 degrees. The student population of Lake Wales, FL in 2022 is skewed towards men, with 13 male students and 2 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lake Wales, FL are Hispanic or Latino (24 and 66.7%), followed by Black or African American (9 and 25%), White (3 and 8.33%), and Asian (0 and 0%).

The largest universities in Lake Wales, FL by number of degrees awarded are Ruben's Five Star Academy (36 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lake Wales, FL are Barbering (34 and 94.4%), Nail Specialist & Manicurist (2 and 5.56%), and General Cosmetology (0 and 0%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 15 students enrolled in Lake Wales, FL, 86.7% men and 13.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 9 records, of which 0% were women and 100% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Barbering

Most Common

21 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Lake Wales, FL was Barbering with 21 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Lake Wales, FL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Ruben's Five Star Academy

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

36 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Ruben's Five Star Academy with 36 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2022, 29 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lake Wales, FL, which is 4.14 times more than the 7 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 24 degrees mean that there were 2.67 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 9 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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 1.19% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.2% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (4.97M), Some college (3.58M), and Bachelors Degree (3.32M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lake Wales, FL was $225,900 in 2023, which is 0.745 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $208,500 to $225,900, a 8.35% increase. The homeownership rate in Lake Wales, FL is 61%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Lake Wales, FL have an average commute time of 26.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lake Wales, FL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Lake Wales, FL is $55,799. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Lake Wales, FL was Census Tract 142.02 with a value of $68,929, followed by Census Tract 155 and Census Tract 143.01, with respective values of $36,555 and $31,134.

Housing

Property

$225,900

Median Property Value 2023

±$13,026

$3,999

Median Property Taxes

±$501

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 Lake Wales, FL the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

61%

Homeownership

2023

66.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 61% of the housing units in Lake Wales, FL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.8%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 142.02
Census Tract 155
Census Tract 143.01

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Lake Wales, FL was Census Tract 142.02 with a value of $68,929, followed by Census Tract 155 and Census Tract 143.01, with respective values of $36,555 and $31,134.

The following map shows all of the places in Lake Wales, FL colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$55,799

Median Household Income

± $11,695

6.56k

Number of Households

± 707

In 2023, the median household income of the 6.56k households in Lake Wales, FL declined from $55,799 from the previous year's value of $55,833.

The following chart displays the households in Lake Wales, 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 Lake Wales, FL is from Florida.

0.474

2022 Wage GINI in Florida

0.473

2021 Wage GINI in Florida

In 2022, the income inequality in Florida was 0.474 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.285% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Florida was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (79.3%)
Carpooled (11.2%)
Worked At Home (6.52%)

In 2023, 79.3% of workers in Lake Wales, FL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.2%) and those who worked at home (6.52%).

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

26.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lake Wales, FL have a shorter commute time (26.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 4.24% of the workforce in Lake Wales, FL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

24.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lake Wales, FL (3.89k out of 16k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 65 - 74, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lake Wales, 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.

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.

Health

91.3% of the population of Lake Wales, FL has health coverage, with 31% on employee plans, 26.4% on Medicaid, 19.1% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 1.45% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Polk County, FL see 2190 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.53% increase from the previous year (2157 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2760 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 875 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Polk County, FL.

2,190 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Polk County, FL

Primary care physicians in Polk County, FL see an average of 2,190 patients per year. This represents a 1.53% increase from the previous year (2,157 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.9% under 18 years, 17.3% between 18 and 34 years, 33.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 26.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

8.71%

Uninsured

31%

Employer Coverage

26.4%

Medicaid

19.1%

Medicare

13.3%

Non-Group

1.45%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lake Wales, FL declined by 13.4% from 10.1% to 8.71%.

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

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