Lakeland vs Highland City

Which is the better fit for you?

Lakeland, FL

Area Score

Bottom 15% nationally

Highland City, FL

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Area Score

Missing required signal: growth.

Signals

Lakeland

Highland City

Opportunity

43 · Bottom 22%

55 · Bottom 47%

Climate

79 · Top 19%

Physical resilience

20 · Bottom 14%

20 · Bottom 13%

Housing affordability

72 · Bottom 36%

Access

100 · Top 3%

100 · Top 1%

Economic stability

40 · Bottom 18%

74 · Top 20%

Measured values

Metric	Lakeland	Highland City	Source period
Population	119,961	13,276	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income	$64,185	$90,947	2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income	$35,902	$40,407	2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density	1,802/sq mi	1,684/sq mi	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value	$249,400	$347,100	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent	$1,395	$1,993	2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate	56.4%	79.3%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate	5.8%	5.7%	June 2026
Employment change (year over year)	0.4%	0.4%	June 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.4%	33.1%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate	13.2%	5.9%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Average July high	93°F	93°F	1991-2020 Normals
Average January low	52°F	52°F	1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation	46.1"	46.1"	1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport	6 mi	9 mi	NASR current cycle
Average commute	25.1 min	30.2 min	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age	38.9	39.2	2024 ACS 5-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.

Physical risk tradeoff

Lakeland

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hurricane.

Highland City

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hurricane.

Your best match

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Lakeland

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Highland City

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Area Score

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Full profiles: Lakeland, FL · Highland City, FL · How this is calculated: methodology