Lake Wales, FL

Census Place

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2023 Population
16,365
0.547% 1-year decline
US Senator
N/ARick Scott
Republican Party
US Senator
N/AAshley 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

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 Races Including Other (Hispanic) (11.9%), 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.

The largest universities in Lake Wales, FL are Ruben's Five Star Academy (18 degrees awarded in 2023).

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.

Population & Diversity

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 1.94k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lake Wales, FL
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    7.79k ± 1.01k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    3.14k ± 722
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    1.94k ± 1.01k
30.7%
Hispanic Population
5.02k 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 1.94k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

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

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Lake Wales, FL.
Most Common Origin
  1. Cuba
    1,008,771 ± 24,085 people
  2. Haiti
    353,350 ± 14,476 people
  3. Colombia
    307,955 ± 13,528 people

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

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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 approximately the same as 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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    596 ± 195
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    153 ± 101
  3. 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.

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Economy

The economy of Lake Wales, FL employs N/A people. In 2023, the largest industries in Lake Wales, FL were N/A, and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($95,833), Educational Services ($50,121), and Transportation & Warehousing ($46,209).

Employment

Occupations

N/A
N/A Value
± N/A

From N/A to N/A, employment in Lake Wales, FL stayed at a rate of NaNk%, from N/A employees to N/A 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.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in N/A (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

N/A
N/A Value
± N/A

From N/A to N/A, employment in Lake Wales, FL stayed at a rate of NaNk%, from N/A employees to N/A employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lake Wales, FL, are N/A. 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.

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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).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.
Y-Axis
N/A%
Year-over-year N/A
Employment change between N/A N/A and N/A N/A

As of N/A N/A, there are N/A people employed in N/A. This represents a N/A% N/A in employment when compared to N/A N/A.

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

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in N/A.

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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

2024 Election Results
  1. N/ADonald J. Trump (56.1%)
    Republican Party
  2. N/AKamala Harris (43%)
    Democratic Party
  3. N/AJill 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Florida

N/ARick Scott
Senator from Florida1
Assumed office on January 8, 2019
Inauguration delayed in order to finish his term as Governor of Florida.
N/AAshley Moody
Senator from Florida2
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.

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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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Lake Wales, FL awarded 18 degrees. The student population of Lake Wales, FL in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 9 male students and 2 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lake Wales, FL are Hispanic or Latino (11 and 61.1%), followed by Black or African American (6 and 33.3%), White (1 and 5.56%), and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders (0 and 0%).

The largest universities in Lake Wales, FL by number of degrees awarded are Ruben's Five Star Academy (18 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lake Wales, FL are Barbering (15 and 83.3%) and Nail Specialist & Manicurist (3 and 16.7%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 11 students enrolled in Lake Wales, FL, 81.8% men and 18.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 5 records, of which 40% were women and 60% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Barbering
Most Common
11 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Lake Wales, FL was N/A with N/A 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.

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Universities

Gender
Ruben's Five Star Academy
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
18 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Ruben's Five Star Academy with 18 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 12 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lake Wales, FL, which is 2 times more than the 6 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 11 degrees mean that there were 1.83 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 6 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

In 2023, 1.24% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.24% of women were in the same situation.

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

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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 2023 were High School or Equivalent (4.99M), Some college (3.57M), and Bachelors Degree (3.46M).

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.

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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 lower than 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.

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 $3k+ range.

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

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Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity

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

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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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lake Wales, FL is from Lake Wales, FL.
N/A Wage GINI in N/A
  1. N/A
  2. N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Lake Wales, FL across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (79.3%)
  2. Carpooled (11.2%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

N/A% of the population of Lake Wales, FL has health coverage, with N/A% on employee plans, N/A% on Medicaid, N/A% on Medicare, N/A% on non-group plans, and N/A% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in N/A see N/A patients per year on average, which represents a N/A N/A from the previous year (N/A patients). Compare this to dentists who see N/A patients per year, and mental health providers who see N/A patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

Coverage

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, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

N/A%
Uninsured
N/A%
Employer Coverage
N/A%
Medicaid
N/A%
Medicare
N/A%
Non-Group
N/A%
Military or VA

Between N/A and N/A, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lake Wales, FL N/A by N/A from N/A% to N/A%.

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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