DeLand vs Plant City

Which is the better fit for you?

DeLand, FL
50
Area Score
Bottom 20% nationally
Plant City, FL
54
Area Score
Bottom 32% nationally

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Plant City receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from DeLand to Plant City

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Everyday prices
3% higher
Regional price level 102.5 against 99.1 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$183 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,703 in Plant City against $1,520 in DeLand.
The median home
12% less
$291,800 in Plant City against $330,900 in DeLand.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F milder
Normal January lows are 52°F in Plant City against 50°F in DeLand; July highs are 93°F against 93°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

35 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

DeLand
Plant City
Opportunity: DeLand is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
50 · Bottom 37%
vs
48 · Bottom 34%
Growth: Plant City is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
64 · Top 23%
vs
73 · Top 11%
Climate
79 · Top 18%
vs
79 · Top 19%
Physical resilience: Plant City is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
25 · Bottom 21%
vs
35 · Bottom 28%
Housing affordability: Plant City is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
54 · Bottom 26%
vs
58 · Bottom 33%
Schools: Plant City is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
18 · Bottom 9%
vs
21 · Bottom 14%
Access: Plant City is the more favorable of the two.
Access
94 · Top 43%
vs
100 · Top 4%
Economic stability: Plant City is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
46 · Bottom 30%
vs
49 · Bottom 35%

Measured values

MetricDeLandPlant CitySource period
Population41,61140,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$71,863 ±$5,140$67,439 ±$4,9852024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$35,865 — more favorable$32,2862024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,133/sq mi1,369/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$330,900$291,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,355 ±$77$1,409 ±$542024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,520 — more favorable$1,703FY2026
Cost of living index99.1 — more favorable102.52023
Homeownership rate64.4%66.4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate5.9%4.8% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.3% — more favorable−1.0%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher33.7% — more favorable24.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate11.3% — more favorable15.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)19257912 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents4.614.2 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+0.5%−39.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high93°F93°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low50°F52°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation49.6"46.1"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport17 mi6 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate30.3 min ±2.2 min29.6 min ±1.8 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.037.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools11192024-25 school year
Students per teacher18.6 — more favorable19.02024-25 school year
Math proficiency45.1%51.4% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency49.6% — more favorable45.7%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility53.3%55.1%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

DeLand

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Plant City

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

DeLand
—
DeLand: Your Score
50
Area Score
Plant City
—
Plant City: Your Score
54
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: DeLand, FL · Plant City, FL · How this is calculated: methodology