Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lake Wales grades D− overall, 624th of 634 graded towns in Florida, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 88% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Lake Wales, above both the Florida town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include El Retiro and Mountain Lake Estates Historic District. Lake Wales's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Lake Wales beats most towns.
Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 796 in 1920, 16,361 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lake Wales is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Wales, 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 Lake Wales.
Lake Wales fares better on crime within Florida than nationally, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Winter Haven and other neighbors.
19% of Lake Wales adults report frequent physical distress. Lake Wales beats the Florida average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 20% of Lake Wales adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Lake Wales | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Lake Wales | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82% | 78.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.9% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Polk school district. Two of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward W Bok Academy NorthLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 726 | B− |
| Lake Wales Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,597 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $240K, is 7% below its May 2024 peak.
The typical Lake Wales home is worth about $240,000, down 2.1% in a year, 36% below the Florida typical home. 59% of households own their home in Lake Wales.
| Lake Wales | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,110 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 29.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of Florida’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 466 to 274 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Lake Wales is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Lake Wales | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.9 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
7.3 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, at 181 acres.
| Lake Wales | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge | — | 181 |
| 2. Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area | — | 181 |
| 3. Lake Wailes Park | — | 96 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Mtn Lake weather station records that about 129 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 49.6°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.4°.
Lake Wales’ July high is 92°F. Lake Wales has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Lake Wales’ January low is 50°F.
| Lake Wales | 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
Lake Wales has about as many jobs (7,377) as working residents, but only 927 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Lake Wales for work: only 13% work in town. Since 2013, Lake Wales has added 701 jobs, to 7,377 in 2023. The top destinations are Winter Haven (8%), Bartow (8%) and Lakeland (6%).
| Lake Wales | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 5% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake Wales.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Wales. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw39 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.5M visitors a year
Big draw37 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe
2 mi GardenBok Tower Gardens
7 mi Theme parkLegoland Florida
Big draw39 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.5M 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 · Bok Tower Gardens: Averette, CC BY 3.0 · Legoland Florida: Jacob Montgomery, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Universal's Islands of Adventure: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 2.5
3 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Wales
About 5 of every 100 Lake Wales residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
14,225 counted in 2010 and 16,361 in 2020; an estimated 18,650 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.1% since 2020, after 15% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
19 places in Lake Wales on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Lake Wales.
City in the United States
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 16,361 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lake Wales.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wales | #624 | D− | C− | C | D | D |
| Waverly | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dundee | #630 | D− | C− | — | D | D− |
| Winter Haven | #607 | D− | C− | C | D | C− |
| Highland Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Dundee reports no FBI crime data of its own. Waverly and Highland Park aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lake Wales with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake Wales grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #624 of 634 in Florida. It grades D for health, C for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.6 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−.
18 notable people were born here, including Amar'e Stoudemire and Vin Baker.
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