FlFenneySpring, 2004
Lake Panasoffkee’s story
63 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1893 on.
- 1963Lake Panasoffkee is settled
Lake PanasoffkeeFL
TownGrade
C+
#247 of 634 in FL
Public schools that outperform most of Florida. A town settled in 1963, now home to 4,768 people.
Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
4,768
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$203K
−1% in a year
Household income
$45K
median
Median age
46.5
years
Jobs based here
94
A commuter town
Settled
1963
63 years ago
Is Lake Panasoffkee a good place to live?
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $45K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. It also trails on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind just over four fifths of the country. Where it does best is schools: its schools rank ahead of 86% of Florida towns. Cost of living is another plus: a typical home costs about $203K, 2.7 years of the Wildwood metro’s $77K median household income. The overall grade comes out at C+, 247th of 634 in Florida. On that grade it does better than just over two fifths of U.S. towns. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Lake Panasoffkee, where Florida’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
How Lake Panasoffkee grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lake Panasoffkee is from typical.
Jobs & income94 jobs based hereDOpen →SchoolsBased on how pupils do in exams and testsAOpen →HealthHCA Florida Citrus Hospital 13.3 miles awayC−Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listC−Open →Cost of livingHomes are easier to afford than in most townsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.6 of 20; 7.7% of households have no car; 1.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landC−Open →HistoryNear the bottom of the towns comparedDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Housing market79 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 46.5; 10% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Lake Panasoffkee stand out
Where Lake Panasoffkee beats most towns.
SUMTER schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Panasoffkee Elementary School | PK–5 | 621 |
SchoolsA
#20 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools
NCES · EDFacts.
Typical home value
Lake Panasoffkee$203K
Florida$375K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 78% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A growing town
Lake Panasoffkee has grown 15% from 2010 to 2020
3,551 counted in 2010 and 4,072 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Panasoffkee.
Lake Panasoffkee pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
SchoolsA
Lake Panasoffkee earns an A for schools
86%of FL districts it outscoresASchool Grade
That grade comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $203K. It ranks #20 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools.
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Sumter school district. Enrollment at Lake Panasoffkee’s public school: 621 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Panasoffkee Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 621 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A−
Lake Panasoffkee earns an A− for cost of living
$203KZillow home value
Homes are within reach (about $203K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 2.7 years of the Wildwood metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $203K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Zillow values the typical Lake Panasoffkee home at about $203,000, down 1% in a year, 46% below the Florida typical home. The midpoint rent for Lake Panasoffkee comes to $1,019 a month. The share of households in Lake Panasoffkee who own their home: 66%.
| Lake Panasoffkee | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,019 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 72% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lake Panasoffkee$203K
Florida$375K
Market temperature
79
days on market
96.2%
sale-to-list price
−1%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC−
Health in Lake Panasoffkee trails 82% of U.S. towns
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
Against the 3,836 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Panasoffkee’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
14% of adults binge drink in Lake Panasoffkee. The town does better than the Florida average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 17. Among adults here, 43% have high blood pressure and 18% smoke cigarettes.
| Lake Panasoffkee | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
31 measures vs. Florida
1 better13 too close to call17 worse
| What stands out | Lake Panasoffkee | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.9% | 78.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 7.2% |
HCA Florida Citrus Hospital
13.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
15th
percentile among FL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Lake Panasoffkee’s workers leave town for work
2%work in town
Lake Panasoffkee has 94 jobs for its 1,470 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Only 2% of working residents stay in Lake Panasoffkee for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Wildwood (11%), Bushnell (6%) and Leesburg (6%). In Lake Panasoffkee, the average commute is 28 minutes.
| Lake Panasoffkee | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 31% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Lake Panasoffkee2%
Wildwood11%
Bushnell6%
Leesburg6%
Ocala4%
21 mi
median commute distance
94
jobs based in Lake Panasoffkee
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
The biggest natural risk in Lake Panasoffkee is inland flooding, at a high overall level
76risk score of 100
Paid flood insurance claims in Lake Panasoffkee since 2004: 3. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 76% of U.S. communities. 45% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 34%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 2004
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Lake Panasoffkee’s year
92°summer high
The Inverness 3 Se weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 112 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 46°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.6°.
Lake Panasoffkee’s peak summer temperature comes in at 92°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Lake Panasoffkee | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 46°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter48–72°
Spring58–83°
Summer72–91°
Fall63–84°
Dec 5
typical first frost
Mar 2
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
Conservation land takes up 0.6% of Lake Panasoffkee
0.6%conserved
Just 26 of its 4,212 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Lake Panasoffkee itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
Across 1 park or preserve: 0.2 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Lake Panasoffkee: one, of 8 acres.
0.6%
conserved · 26 of 4,212 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Panasoffkee | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Panasoffkee
17pages on Lake Panasoffkee
The big questions
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All 83 attractions →Sugarloaf Mountain and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Panasoffkee. Close and well known come first.
25 mi MountainSugarloaf Mountain
33 mi State parkWeeki Wachee Springs
33 mi National forestOcala National Forest
28 mi LookoutFlorida Citrus Tower
30 mi Zoo & aquariumSilver Springs
17 mi MuseumDon Garlits Museum of Drag RacingSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Sugarloaf Mountain: Lithium6ion at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Weeki Wachee Springs: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ocala National Forest: Sandra Friend, Public domain · Florida Citrus Tower: The shyguy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Silver Springs: NeilEvans, Public domain · Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
Getting set up
Moving to Lake Panasoffkee: who provides what
Lake Panasoffkee is unincorporated, so Sumter County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDuke Energy18.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Panasoffkee Water Assn 2wpsNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSumter CountySumter County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSumter Supervisor of ElectionsSumter County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3353833538 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Lake Panasoffkee for work
Where Lake Panasoffkee’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
94jobs based in Lake Panasoffkee
2%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lake Panasoffkee; the nearest are
Beacon CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Leesburg15.2 mi$51,680 tuitionCollege of Central FloridaUniversity or college · Public · Ocala26.6 mi$2,710 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Lake Panasoffkee residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Lake Panasoffkee
CDP in Florida, United States
Lake Panasoffkee is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lake Panasoffkee had a population of 4,072.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 59 ft
- ZIP code
- 33538
- Area code
- 352
Questions about Lake Panasoffkee
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Panasoffkee, FL a good place to live?
Lake Panasoffkee grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #247 of 634 in Florida. It grades C− for health and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Lake Panasoffkee is in here
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