What percentage of people rent in Lake Wales, FL?

Name: Renters and owners in Lake Wales, FL, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

40.8% (±4.7 points) of the occupied homes in Lake Wales, FL are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 2,825 renting households against 4,099 that own their home.

In Lake Wales, the share of households that rent went from 46.2% in 2015–2019 to 40.8% in 2020–2024 (−5.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 40.8% (±4.7 points)
Renting households: 2,825 (±397)
Median renter income: $28,899 (±$5,898)

Who rents and who owns in Lake Wales

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Lake Wales	Polk County	Florida	United States
Renter-occupied share	40.8% (±4.7 points)	29.5% (±0.7 points)	32.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	2,825 (±397)	85,480 (±2,095)	2,834,163 (±17,461)	45,017,354
Owning households	4,099 (±341)	203,945 (±2,155)	5,918,647 (±31,594)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.2)	2.7 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.2)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$28,899 (±$5,898)	$50,423 (±$1,573)	$53,617 (±$353)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$74,781 (±$5,671)	$75,442 (±$1,695)	$88,144 (±$469)	$100,009

In Lake Wales, the renter share is higher than in Polk County (29.5%).

It is also higher than in Florida (32.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Polk County, Lake Wales ranks 7 of 36 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 198 of 857.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Lake Wales has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	46.2% (±4.8 points)	40.8% (±4.7 points)	−5.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$821 (±$54)	$1,110 (±$79)	+35.2%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$44,186 (±$4,341)	$56,347 (±$7,706)	+27.5%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Lake Wales

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Lake Wales
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Lake Wales	—	40.8% (±4.7 points)	—
Highland Park	4.5 mi	1.9% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Crooked Lake Park	6.3 mi	29.2% (±10.6 points)	Lower
Dundee	6.7 mi	32.7% (±11.7 points)	Not measurably different
Alturas	7.4 mi	12.3% (±5.5 points)	Lower
Babson Park	7.4 mi	4.2% (±5.5 points)	Lower
Hillcrest Heights	7.7 mi	3.0% (±4.1 points)	Lower
Cypress Gardens	8.0 mi	24.4% (±5.8 points)	Lower
Wahneta	8.3 mi	38.2% (±16.0 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Highland Park, FL (1.9%), Crooked Lake Park, FL (29.2%), Alturas, FL (12.3%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Polk County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Loughman	56.7% (±12.3 points)
2	Crystal Lake	53.8% (±7.9 points)
3	Willow Oak	50.3% (±6.5 points)
4	Combee Settlement	50.1% (±15.8 points)
5	Lakeland	43.6% (±1.7 points)
6	Grenelefe	42.4% (±16.1 points)
7	Lake Wales	40.8% (±4.7 points)
8	Wahneta	38.2% (±16.0 points)
9	Winter Haven	36.3% (±2.9 points)
10	Bartow	34.1% (±4.2 points)
11	Medulla	33.8% (±5.4 points)
12	Jan Phyl Village	33.2% (±9.6 points)
13	Dundee	32.7% (±11.7 points)

Showing 13 of 36 places in Polk County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Lake Wales

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Questions about Lake Wales

How many renters are there in Lake Wales?

Lake Wales has an estimated 2,825 (±397) renting households, 40.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Lake Wales?

In Lake Wales, the share of households that rent went from 46.2% in 2015–2019 to 40.8% in 2020–2024 (−5.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Lake Wales?

A renting household in Lake Wales has 2.2 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Lake Wales?

The median renting household in Lake Wales, FL has an income of $28,899 (±$5,898) a year, against $74,781 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Lake Wales city, Florida (place:38950, in state:12).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.