Lakeland

Population & Demographics

Lakeland, FL

Lakeland is home to 119,961 people. Explore its demographics, housing, and economy — plus how its 51,214 resident workers commute each day.

FloridaCensus ACS 5-Year · LODES 2023
119,961
people
Population

119,961 residents

Median age 38.9 · U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year (2024).

Lakeland population & demographics

Who lives in Lakeland — population, age, housing, and income, from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population
119,961
Median age
38.9yrs
Median household income
$64,185
Median home value
$249,400
Median gross rent
$1,395/mo
Bachelor’s degree or higher
29.4%
Poverty rate
13.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates. Values shown as “—” are suppressed or unavailable for this place.

Race & ethnicity in Lakeland

How Lakeland breaks down by race and ethnicity — each bar is that group’s share of the population, from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2024).

White54.9%
Hispanic or Latino20.5%
Black17.9%
Two or more races3.2%
Asian2.5%
Some other race0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.0%

Race across Lakeland

Each dot is a group of people, placed in their 2020 Census block and colored by race or ethnicity — the pattern shows where groups live across Lakeland.

Lakeland at a glance
Employed Residents
51,214
Fewer than the city’s total population
Median home–work distance
25.5mi
Straight-line, not road distance
Work Locally
31.5%
Share working within the area
Work from home
14.4%
Residents who work from home (ACS)
Top destination outside city
Bartow
Excludes local — most work in-city

These figures are for Lakeland proper — the Census place within its city limits — not the surrounding metro area. Metro-wide totals you’ll see elsewhere are larger because they bundle in neighboring cities and suburbs.

How Lakeland commutes

Every dot is a worker moving between home and job. Trace where the area pulls people in from — and where its residents head each day.

63
Commute Score

63 / 100

How short the typical commute is here, on an absolute 0–100 scale (higher is shorter). How it’s calculated.

Lakeland

51,214 commutes, one dot at a time

Lakeland

Where 51,214 workers commute

Each dot ≈ 75 workers

Where residents work

Top destinations for people who live in Lakeland, by worker count.

1Lakeland0.0 mi16,122
2Bartow12.8 mi3,079
3Tampa31.2 mi2,412
4Plant City10.6 mi1,469
5Orlando48.9 mi1,244
6Winter Haven15.2 mi1,152
7Brandon21.9 mi698
8East Lake-Orient Park25.5 mi681

Who commutes in

Top origin places for workers who travel into Lakeland.

1Lakeland0.0 mi16,122
2Winter Haven15.2 mi2,521
3Plant City10.6 mi1,915
4Tampa31.2 mi1,888
5Lakeland Highlands6.1 mi1,826
6Highland City7.5 mi1,685
7Medulla6.1 mi1,579
8Bartow12.8 mi1,484

Top industries

The sectors that employ Lakeland’s workforce. Each bar is scaled to that sector’s share of all local jobs — the top sectors shown don’t add up to 100%.

Bar length = each sector’s share of all local jobs (0–100%)
HCHealth Care and Social Assistance17.0%
TRTransportation and Warehousing11.9%
RTRetail Trade10.2%
ADAdministrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services9.5%
MGManagement of Companies and Enterprises8.8%
FIFinance and Insurance8.5%
AFAccommodation and Food Services8.3%
MFManufacturing6.1%
WSWholesale Trade3.5%
Connectivity

Internet options for Lakeland

The biggest home-internet providers in the area — tap any to compare local plans.

5 providers · 2 with fiber
Speed availabilityshare of homes a plan reaches
1 Gbps~all homes
2 Gbps89%
5 Gbps88%
8 Gbps
See all internet providers in Lakeland

FindBetterInternet is a CensusFlow partner site — we link out so you can compare local plans, and CensusFlow’s Census data stays independent. Provider data is from the FCC National Broadband Map (satellite + fixed wireless excluded).