Is Lake Butler a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Health is where it shines (A+) — CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 95% of the country. It is strong on incomes as well: the median household earns $182K. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $930K, 11.8 years of the Orlando metro’s $79K median household income. The overall grade comes out at B−, 132nd of 634 in Florida. On that grade it does better than 55% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Tibet-Butler Preserve, 437 acres with 4.8 miles of trail. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lake Butler, against 31% in Florida’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
How Lake Butler grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lake Butler is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Lake Butler stand out
Where Lake Butler beats most towns.
Lake Butler has grown 22% from 2010 to 2020
15,400 counted in 2010 and 18,851 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Butler.
Lake Butler has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, has less tooth loss than most of Florida and has household incomes well above the Florida norm.
A smaller share of adults report frequent physical distress in Lake Butler than in most of Florida or the rest of the country
Its widest gap with Florida is tooth loss: 6.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide. Against the 1,290 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Butler’s, it is healthier than 55%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Lake Butler, 17% get no exercise outside work. For adults locally, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 13%.
| Lake Butler | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 20% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lake Butler | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.1% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 16.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On state tests, Lake Butler’s schools beat 54% of Florida districts
The largest public high school is Windermere High, with 3,217 students. Three of the 6 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Orange school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset Park ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 699 | A− |
| Windermere HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,217 | B |
| Lake Whitney ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 549 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
In Lake Butler, the median household income runs higher than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
Jobs based here grew from 1,477 in 2013 to 3,470.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Lake Butler rose by 1,993, to 3,470. In Lake Butler, 3.7% of residents live below the poverty line. Most people who work leave Lake Butler to do it: just 3% work in town. The top destinations are Orlando (23%), Lake Buena Vista (9%) and Winter Garden (3%).
| Lake Butler | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $183,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.7% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Protected land: 4.8% of Lake Butler
Trails total 5.6 miles in 5 parks and preserves. The trail network density in Lake Butler is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Lake Butler | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tibet-Butler Preserve | 4.8 mi | 437 |
| 2. George Bailey Park | 0.6 mi | 18 |
| 3. R. D. Keene Park and Boat Ramp | — | 65 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Lake Butler’s year
The Orlando Intl Ap weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 110 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 49°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.2°.
In Lake Butler, the January low is 49°F. Snow almost never falls.
| Lake Butler | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Moderate risk in Lake Butler, with inland flooding at the top
47% of Lake Butler’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 20%. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 51% of U.S. communities. 13 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1994.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Lake Butler
Walt Disney World Resort and 56 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Butler. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw5 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.3M visitors a year
Big draw7 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe4.0M visitors a year
5 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.2M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaCamping World Stadium
8 mi Theme parkSeaWorld Orlando4.3M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Walt 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
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Moving to Lake Butler: who provides what
Lake Butler is unincorporated, so Orange County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
97% of working residents leave Lake Butler for work
Where Lake Butler’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Butler
About 4 of every 100 Lake Butler residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Lake Butler
Unincorporated area in Florida, US
Lake Butler is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated area, completely surrounding the town of Windermere, in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 18,851 at the 2020 census, up from 15,400 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Lake Butler CDP contains the communities of Isleworth and Summerport Beach.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 19 sq mi
- Area code
- 407
Lake Butler’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Lake Butler.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Butler | #132 | B− | D− | — | B− | A+ |
| Winter Garden | #214 | C+ | D | — | B− | A− |
| Horizon West | #128 | B | D− | — | B− | A |
| Bay Hill | #126 | B | D− | — | B− | A+ |
| Ocoee | #298 | C+ | D | — | B− | B− |
| Gotha | — | — | D− | — | B− | A− |
Gotha has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Lake Butler, Winter Garden, Horizon West, Bay Hill, Ocoee and Gotha report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Butler with a neighbor →
Questions about Lake Butler
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Butler, FL a good place to live?
Lake Butler grades B− overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #132 of 634 in Florida. It grades A+ for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Lake Butler, FL expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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