Lake Wales, FL

Census Place

2024 Population

16,785

US Senator

Rick Scott

Republican Party

US Senator

Ashley Moody

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.7

3.89% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

22.4%

8.06% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$56,347

0.982% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$239,300

Population & Diversity

Lake Wales, FL is home to a population of 16.8k people, from which 94.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.4% of Lake Wales, FL residents were born outside of the country (1.75k people).

In 2024, there were 2.04 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.44k people) in Lake Wales, FL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.65k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.08k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.2%

2024 Citizenship

95%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.2% of Lake Wales, FL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lake Wales, FL was 95%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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)
7.44k ± 898
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.65k ± 725
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2.08k ± 1.06k

30.8%

Hispanic Population

5.18k people

30.8% of the people in Lake Wales, FL are hispanic (5.18k people).

The following chart shows the 8 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
1,051,839 ± 24,582 people
Haiti
364,479 ± 14,701 people
Colombia
327,463 ± 13,946 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Florida was Cuba, the natal country of 1,051,839 Florida residents, followed by Haiti with 364,479 and Colombia with 327,463.

Foreign-Born Population

10.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.75k people

9.71%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.59k people

As of 2024, 10.4% of Lake Wales, FL residents (1.75k 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 Lake Wales, FL was 9.71%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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
530 ± 162
Gulf War (1990s)
116 ± 92
Gulf War (2001-)
92 ± 67

Lake Wales, FL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.57 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Lake Wales, FL.

Economy

The economy of Lake Wales, FL employs 5.84k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lake Wales, FL were Retail Trade (774 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (704 people), and Educational Services (629 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($104,286), Wholesale Trade ($98,583), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,877).

Employment

Occupations

5.84k

2024 Value

± 699

3.88%

1 Year growth

± 16.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lake Wales, FL grew at a rate of 3.88%, from 5.62k employees to 5.84k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lake Wales, FL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (664 people), Sales & Related Occupations (630 people), and Material Moving Occupations (557 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 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

5.84k

2024 Value

± 699

3.88%

1 Year growth

± 16.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lake Wales, FL grew at a rate of 3.88%, from 5.62k employees to 5.84k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lake Wales, FL, are Retail Trade (774 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (704 people), and Educational Services (629 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

$43,438

Median earning men ± $7,025

$36,542

Median earning women ± $4,269

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($104,286), Wholesale Trade ($99,417), and Public Administration ($63,081).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($51,776), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,194), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,996).

Education

The student population of Lake Wales, FL in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 17 male students and 5 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lake Wales, FL are Hispanic or Latino (15 and 55.6%), Black or African American (10 and 37%), White (1 and 3.7%), and Two or More Races (1 and 3.7%).

The largest universities in Lake Wales, FL by number of degrees awarded are Ruben's Five Star Academy (27 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lake Wales, FL are Barbering (23 and 85.2%), Nail Specialist & Manicurist (4 and 14.8%), and Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (0 and 0%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 22 students enrolled in Lake Wales, FL, 77.3% men and 22.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 19 records, of which 21.1% were women and 78.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Barbering

Most Common

19 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Lake Wales, FL was Barbering with 19 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Lake Wales, FL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Ruben's Five Star Academy

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

27 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Ruben's Five Star Academy with 27 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 19 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lake Wales, FL, which is 2.38 times more than the 8 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 15 degrees mean that there were 1.5 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 10 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lake Wales, FL was $239,300 in 2024, which is 0.719 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $225,900 to $239,300, a 5.93% increase. The homeownership rate in Lake Wales, FL is 59.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lake Wales, FL have an average commute time of 23.9 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

$239,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,723

$4,099

Median Property Taxes

±$511

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.

Rent vs Own

59.2%

Homeownership

2024

65.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 59.2% of the housing units in Lake Wales, FL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lake Wales, 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.

$56,347

Median Household Income

± $7,706

6.92k

Number of Households

± 713

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.92k households in Lake Wales, FL grew to $56,347 from the previous year's value of $55,799.

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.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Florida

0.473

2023 Wage GINI in Florida

In 2024, the income inequality in Florida was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.383% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Florida was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (74.4%)
Carpooled (13.4%)
Worked At Home (8.7%)

In 2024, 74.4% of workers in Lake Wales, FL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.4%) and those who worked at home (8.7%).

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

23.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lake Wales, FL have a shorter commute time (23.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.73% 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

22.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lake Wales, FL (3.68k out of 16.4k 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 65 - 74, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 6 - 11.

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

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

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

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

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