Housing data for Fort Meade, FL
Fort Meade, FL has an estimated 5,225 residents and 2,717 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Polk County.
30.0% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $922 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−14.4%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 5,225 (±26)
- Housing units
- 2,717 (±204)
- Households that rent
- 30.0%
- Median gross rent
- $922
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −14.4%
What stands out in Fort Meade
Households without a vehicle: 13.8% (±7.2 points) in Fort Meade, higher than in Polk County (5.4%).
Homes built before 1980: 54.1% (±10.8 points) in Fort Meade, higher than in Polk County (30.0%).
Median household income: $36,657 (±$8,377) in Fort Meade, lower than in Polk County ($65,978).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 3.1% (±3.1 points) in Fort Meade, lower than in Polk County (9.3%).
- Commute and cars in Fort Meade
- Age of homes in Fort Meade
- Income and affordability in Fort Meade
- Types of homes in Fort Meade
Housing in Fort Meade at a glance
- Median rent: $922 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $922 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 79.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 30.0% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $36,657 median household income
- Home values: $175,900 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,409 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,233 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 3.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 53.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 54.1% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 5.2% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 90.5% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 40.2 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −14.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 19.8% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Fort Meade against Polk County, its state and the nation
| Fort Meade | Polk County | Florida | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 5,225 (±26) | 790,694 (exact) | 22,416,077 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 2,717 (±204) | 340,748 (±196) | 10,256,470 (±942) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 30.0% (±7.0 points) | 29.5% (±0.7 points) | 32.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $922 (±$64) | $1,363 (±$28) | $1,669 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $36,657 (±$8,377) | $65,978 (±$1,143) | $74,568 (±$284) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $175,900 (±$24,052) | $266,500 (±$3,458) | $359,000 (±$930) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,233 (±$580) | $1,933 (±$35) | $2,730 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 54.1% (±10.8 points) | 30.0% (±0.7 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 40.2 minutes (±12.0) | 30.5 minutes (±0.5) | 28.0 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 70.9% (±8.8 points) | 90.7% (±0.5 points) | 91.6% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 44.7 years (±3.2) | 39.5 years (±0.2) | 42.6 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Fort Meade covers 8.2 square miles of land, about 638 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Fort Meade has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 6,104 (±33) | 5,225 (±26) | −14.4% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 2,760 (±210) | 2,717 (±204) | −1.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $771 (±$31) | $922 (±$64) | +19.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $77,900 (±$12,741) | $175,900 (±$24,052) | +125.8% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $44,325 (±$4,917) | $36,657 (±$8,377) | −17.3% | Down after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,092 (±$96) | $1,409 (±$323) | +29.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $660 (±$77) | $1,233 (±$580) | +86.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 22.7% (±5.2 points) | 30.0% (±7.0 points) | +7.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 19.0% (±8.9 points) | 5.2% (±5.4 points) | −13.8 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Polk County
Fort Meade has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Polk County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Polk County recorded 217 violent and 777 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Fort Meade
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartow | 8.4 mi | $1,142 | $234,100 | 34.1% |
| Bowling Green | 8.9 mi | $1,011 | $116,800 | 29.8% |
| Alturas | 9.2 mi | $1,017 | $165,800 | 12.3% |
| Crooked Lake Park | 14 mi | $1,666 | $198,000 | 29.2% |
| Wahneta | 14 mi | $1,113 | $97,500 | 38.2% |
| Highland City | 14 mi | $1,993 | $347,100 | 20.7% |
| Eagle Lake | 15 mi | $1,688 | $256,300 | 24.1% |
| Mulberry | 15 mi | $920 | $133,800 | 20.8% |
Places in Florida most like Fort Meade
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pomona Park | $917 | $159,600 | $43,317 | 25.4% |
| Dade City North | $947 | $185,900 | $32,277 | 39.3% |
| Vernon | $807 | $115,800 | $43,194 | 30.2% |
| Dunnellon | $765 | $168,200 | $40,545 | 24.4% |
| Branford | $901 | $157,100 | $44,313 | 50.3% |
| Inwood | $1,230 | $142,300 | $55,540 | 31.4% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Florida.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Fort Meade, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,258 | $1,338 | $1,608 | $2,212 | $2,688 |
HUD income limits for Fort Meade, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $18,350 | $30,600 | $48,900 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $34,950 | $55,900 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $39,300 | $62,900 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $43,650 | $69,850 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $47,150 | $75,450 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $50,650 | $81,050 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $54,150 | $86,650 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $57,650 | $92,250 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $83,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Fort Meade
What is the average rent in Fort Meade, FL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Fort Meade is $922 (±$64) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Fort Meade?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Fort Meade, FL is $491 (±$296) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Fort Meade rent-burdened?
79.0% of renting households in Fort Meade pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Fort Meade?
Fort Meade has an estimated 658 (±181) renting households, 30.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Fort Meade?
The median household income in Fort Meade is $36,657 (±$8,377) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Fort Meade, FL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $175,900 (±$24,052) for owner-occupied homes in Fort Meade (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Fort Meade growing?
In Fort Meade, the number of residents went from 6,104 in 2015–2019 to 5,225 in 2020–2024 (−14.4%), a measurable decrease.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Fort Meade city, Florida
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Fort Meade city, Florida (place:24100, in state:12).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .