What is the median rent in Lakeland, FL?

Name: Median rent in Lakeland, FL, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Lakeland, FL is $1,395 (±$41) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 20,136 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Lakeland, the median gross rent went from $999 in 2015–2019 to $1,395 in 2020–2024 (+39.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,395 (±$41)
Rented homes: 20,136 (±976)
$2,000 or more: 13.5%
Since 2015–2019: +39.6%

How much rent costs in Lakeland

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Lakeland	Polk County	Florida	United States
Less than $500	4.6% (±1.3 points)	4.5%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	15.7% (±2.5 points)	20.4%	10.7%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	36.9% (±3.5 points)	33.4%	26.0%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	29.4% (±3.0 points)	23.2%	28.8%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	7.9% (±1.5 points)	12.6%	17.4%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	3.6% (±1.7 points)	4.3%	7.2%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	2.0% (±0.8 points)	1.6%	6.3%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 36.9% of renting households.

13.5% of rented homes in Lakeland cost $2,000 or more a month.

Lakeland against Polk County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Lakeland	Polk County	Florida	United States
Median gross rent	$1,395 (±$41)	$1,363 (±$28)	$1,669 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	20,136 (±976)	81,077 (±1,915)	2,716,443 (±16,958)	42,849,984

In Lakeland, median gross rent is not measurably different from Polk County ($1,363).

It is also lower than in Florida ($1,669).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Polk County, Lakeland ranks 10 of 33 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 484 of 793.

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

How rent in Lakeland has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$999 (±$21)	$1,395 (±$41)	+39.6%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	44.4% (±1.5 points)	43.6% (±1.7 points)	−0.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	9.2% (±1.7 points)	6.9% (±1.5 points)	−2.3 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.

Median gross rent in places near Lakeland

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Lakeland
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Lakeland	—	$1,395 (±$41)	—
Combee Settlement	3.1 mi	$1,130 (±$117)	Lower
Crystal Lake	3.6 mi	$1,181 (±$87)	Lower
Fussels Corner	5.7 mi	$937 (±$320)	Lower
Lakeland Highlands	6.8 mi	$1,704 (±$261)	Higher
Kathleen	6.8 mi	$1,247 (±$230)	Not measurably different
Medulla	6.9 mi	$1,287 (±$71)	Lower
Highland City	7.9 mi	$1,993 (±$338)	Higher
Fuller Heights	9.4 mi	$1,444 (±$164)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Combee Settlement, FL ($1,130), Crystal Lake, FL ($1,181), Fussels Corner, FL ($937).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Lakeland Highlands, FL ($1,704), Highland City, FL ($1,993).

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

Median gross rent across Polk County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
4	Loughman	$1,898 (±$234)
5	Lakeland Highlands	$1,704 (±$261)
6	Eagle Lake	$1,688 (±$422)
7	Crooked Lake Park	$1,666 (±$450)
8	Dundee	$1,628 (±$306)
9	Fuller Heights	$1,444 (±$164)
10	Lakeland	$1,395 (±$41)
11	Cypress Gardens	$1,369 (±$230)
12	Lake Alfred	$1,349 (±$340)
13	Medulla	$1,287 (±$71)
14	Kathleen	$1,247 (±$230)
15	Winter Haven	$1,246 (±$80)
16	Inwood	$1,230 (±$136)

Showing 13 of 33 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.

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Questions about Lakeland

What is the average rent in Lakeland, FL?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Lakeland is $1,395 (±$41) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Lakeland?

In Lakeland, the median gross rent went from $999 in 2015–2019 to $1,395 in 2020–2024 (+39.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Lakeland cost more than $2,000 a month?

13.5% of rented homes in Lakeland have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 4.6% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Lakeland higher than in Polk County?

In Lakeland, median gross rent is not measurably different from Polk County ($1,363).

It is also lower than in Florida ($1,669).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

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) for Lakeland city, Florida (place:38250, in state:12).

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

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.