Moving to Lakeland, Florida

About Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland

Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along I-4 east of Tampa and west of Orlando, it is the most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lakeland is situated among several lakes including Lake Morton downtown and is sometimes locally referred to by the nickname "Swan City" due to its sizeable population of swans, all of whom are descendants of two mute swans given to Lakeland by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Lakeland is home to several colleges and universities. Lakeland Linder International Airport is in Lakeland as is the corporate headquarters of Publix, a supermarket chain.

European-American settlers arrived in Lakeland from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina in the 1870s. The city expanded in the 1880s with the arrival of rail service, with the first freedmen railway workers settling here in 1883. They and European immigrants also came because of land development opportunities with farming, citrus, cattle and phosphate industry developing. Lakeland is home to the 1,267-acre Circle B Bar Reserve (513 ha).

Gender
Gender Lakeland Florida Country
Female 51.8% 51.1% 50.8%
Male 48.2% 48.9% 49.2%
Gender

Household Income


Income Lakeland Florida Country
Less than $10,000 7.4% 6.2% 5.8%
$10,000 to $14,999 5% 4.2% 4.1%
$15,000 to $24,999 10.3% 9.3% 8.5%
$25,000 to $34,999 12.7% 9.9% 8.6%
$35,000 to $49,999 14.5% 13.8% 12.0%
$50,000 to $74,999 19.5% 18.3% 17.2%
$75,000 to $99,999 12.1% 12.5% 12.8%
$100,000 to $149,999 10.9% 13.7% 15.6%
$150,000 to $199,999 3.3% 5.6% 7.1%
$200,000 or more 4.3% 6.4% 8.3%
Education


Education Lakeland Florida Country
< 9th Grade 4% 5% 5.0%
9-12th Grade 7% 7% 7.0%
High School or GED 32% 28% 27.0%
Other College 21% 20% 20.0%
Associate's Degree 10% 10% 9%
Bachelor's Degree 17% 19% 20.0%
Master's Degree 6% 8% 9.0%
Professional Degree 2% 2% 2.0%
Doctorate Degree 1% 1% 1.0%
Household Income
Education
Race / Ethnicity


Ethnicity Lakeland Florida Country
White 59.9% 53.4% 60.1%
African American 18.7% 15.2% 12.2%
American Indian 0.3% 0.2% 0.6%
Asian 1.9% 2.7% 5.6%
Hawaiian 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Other 0.6% 0.4% 0.3%
Multiracial 2.2% 2.2% 2.8%
Hispanic 16.3% 25.8% 18.2%
Race / Ethnicity