Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Auburndale earns a D−, 583rd among Florida's 634 graded towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 88% of the state's. Residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, the median household earns $78K. Auburndale’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, above both the Florida town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Auburndale's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Holland Jenks House and Auburndale Citrus Growers Association Packing House.
Where Auburndale beats most towns.
13,507 counted in 2010 and 15,616 in 2020; an estimated 21,369 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 37.2% since 2020, after 15.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Auburndale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 715 in 1920, 15,616 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1944 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Auburndale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw32 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.5M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe
Big draw32 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.5M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaCamping World Stadium
29 mi Theme parkSeaWorld Orlando4.3M visitors a yearWalt Disney World Resort: Anthony Quintano from Westminster, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Universal Studios Florida: Radiobroadcastcenter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Universal Epic Universe: Martin Lewison, CC BY 2.0 · Universal's Islands of Adventure: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Camping World Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · SeaWorld Orlando: SeaWorld, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Auburndale, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Auburndale.
Auburndale fares better on crime within Florida than nationally, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
Its public schools are run by the Polk school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Auburndale Senior High School, with 1,770 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jere L. Stambaugh MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,013 | D |
| Auburndale Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,770 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
43% of Auburndale adults sleep under 7 hours. Auburndale beats the Florida average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 41% of Auburndale adults have obesity.
| Auburndale | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Auburndale | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16.9% | 12.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.1% | 12.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, 183 acres with 2.5 miles of trail.
| Auburndale | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Myrtle Sports Complex | 2.5 mi | 183 |
| 2. Auburndale Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 27.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 55% of Florida’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 465 to 395 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Auburndale’s property crime rate is 16.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Auburndale | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.4 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bartow 1se weather station, 16 miles away, records that about 121 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 49.5°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.2°.
Auburndale has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Auburndale is 50°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Auburndale | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 50°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Auburndale home is worth about $304,000, down 1.2% in a year, 19% below the Florida typical home.
| Auburndale | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,208 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 72% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Auburndale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 5,869 in 2013 to 9,981.
Most working residents leave Auburndale for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Auburndale has added 4,112 jobs, to 9,981 in 2023. The top destinations are Lakeland (16%), Bartow (7%) and Winter Haven (7%).
| Auburndale | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.3% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4 within 15 miles of the center of Auburndale
About 4 of every 100 Auburndale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
4 places in Auburndale on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Auburndale.
City in Florida, United States
Auburndale is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida metropolitan statistical area. Its population was 15,616 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Auburndale.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburndale | #583 | D− | C | C | D | C− |
| Polk City | #591 | D− | C | — | D | C |
| Inwood | #601 | D− | B− | — | D | D− |
| Fussels Corner | #552 | D | A− | — | D | D |
| Winter Haven | #607 | D− | C− | C | D | C− |
| Lake Alfred | #476 | C− | C− | B+ | D | C+ |
Polk City, Inwood and Fussels Corner report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Auburndale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Auburndale grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #583 of 634 in Florida. It grades C− for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($65,978 across the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
6 notable people were born here, including Morgan Ortagus and Kyle Ryan.
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