All Countries
Lake Wales, FL
Full City Profile · Florida · Polk County County
2.9
/5.0
C+
Fair
16,365
Population
806/sq mi density
$55,799
Median Income
$27,794 per capita
$225,900
Home Value
$245,696 Zillow
$1,060
Median Rent
43.5% income on rent
74°F
Avg Temperature
330 sunny days/yr
325
Violent Crime/100K
2,118 property/100K
C+
Overall
2.9 / 5.0
Fair overall score based on economy, affordability, safety and education
B
Economy
3.3 / 5.0
$55,799 median income, 2.8% unemployment
A
Affordability
4.4 / 5.0
$225,900 home value, $1,060/mo rent
F
Safety
1.0 / 5.0
325 violent crimes/100K
C+
Education
2.8 / 5.0
22.0% bachelor's degree or higher
Change Over Time (2013–2023)
Population Change
+14.2%
14,720 → 16,808
over 10 years
Annual Pop. Growth
+1.34%
Compound annual growth rate
Median Income Change
+53.8%
$36,285 → $55,799
nominal, not inflation-adjusted
Annual Income Growth
+4.4%
Compound annual growth rate
Population Over Time
Total population for Lake Wales across each available Census ACS release.
Median Household Income Over Time
Median household income reported by U.S. Census ACS. Values are nominal (not adjusted for inflation).
Projected 2030
Simple projections extrapolating the 2013–2023 compound annual growth rate forward. These are mathematical extensions of recent trends, not forecasts — real outcomes depend on migration, policy and economic shifts.
Projected Population 2030
18,449
+1,641 from 2023 (16,808)
Projected Median Income 2030
$75,428
+$19,629 from 2023 ($55,799)
Year-by-Year Detail
| Year | Population | YoY % | Median Income | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14,720 | — | $36,285 | — |
| 2015 | 15,314 | +4% | $36,296 | +0% |
| 2017 | 15,984 | +4.4% | $40,499 | +11.6% |
| 2019 | 16,766 | +4.9% | $44,186 | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 16,684 | -0.5% | $49,226 | +11.4% |
| 2023 | 16,808 | +0.7% | $55,799 | +13.4% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (Data Commons). Home value and rent are not yet available historically.