Photo: Connor J. Williams · CC BY 3.0There are 2.1 jobs in Lakeland for every working resident, and 87,102 people commute in
Employers in Lakeland report 102,307 jobs, and 48,153 of its residents work somewhere. The two grades for Lakeland are B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 31.0 in Miami.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Lakeland in brief
Lakeland is where the jobs are
Lakeland has 102,307 jobs, 2.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 180,000 people are in town, 43% more than the 126,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Lakeland draws workers from far and wide
The 102,307 jobs in Lakeland are filled from a wide area. Lakeland’s own residents hold 15% and the ten next-biggest home towns 14%; the other 71% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Lakeland has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Lakeland went from 70,790 in 2013 to 102,307 in 2023, +45%. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Lakeland are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 28 across Florida. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Florida worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What’s behind Lakeland’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lakeland is better than 46% of U.S. towns, #377 of 638 in Florida. Job access by car holds Lakeland’s grade up (ahead of 74% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($64,185, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Lakeland could be anywhere from C+ to B−.
The daily flow of workers through Lakeland
On a workday 32,948 residents head out to work and 15,205 work right here.
About 180,000 people are in Lakeland on a workday afternoon, 43% more than live here.
2.1 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Lakeland’s workforce comes from
Where Lakeland clocks in
6% of workers
5% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The kinds of work in Lakeland
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lakeland, 2013 → 2023: 70,790 → 102,307. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Lakeland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Lakeland: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lakeland workers work from home, vs 16% across Florida. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 45,744 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Florida: 83% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Lakeland
About 19% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Lakeland is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lakeland is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #105 of 638 in Florida. Both inputs place Lakeland near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 53,440 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 68% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 27% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 79% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.4% of Lakeland households have no vehicle (Florida 6.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Lakeland’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
213th of 317: where Lakeland ranks among U.S. towns of 88,000 to 169,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 2 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Franklin TN | 90,226 | $120K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 31% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 84 | Plantation FL | 99,183 | $93K | 10.0% | 4.0% | 10% | A− |
| 85 | Riverview FL | 113,697 | $100K | 7.5% | 4.3% | 6% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | Miramar FL | 142,570 | $89K | 8.5% | 4.5% | 6% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 211 | Spokane Valley WA | 108,405 | $74K | 12.9% | 5.2% | 30% | B− |
| 212 | Abilene TX | 131,588 | $63K | 16.1% | 3.0% | 62% | B− |
| 213 | Lakeland FL | 125,520 | $64K | 13.2% | 4.5% | 32% | B− |
| 214 | Visalia CA | 146,541 | $82K | 11.5% | 6.9% | 44% | B− |
| 215 | Provo UT | 114,527 | $64K | 23.0% | 5.1% | 30% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 317 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Lakeland, the top three, the last and three more from Florida.
How Lakeland compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Plant City (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lakeland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | – | B− | A | 23 min | $64,185 |
| Crystal Lake | under 2% | C | A | 29 min | $49,424 |
| Combee Settlement | under 2% | C− | B− | 29 min | $40,384 |
| Polk City | under 2% | B | C− | 32 min | $79,762 |
| Plant City | 3% | B | B | 28 min | $67,439 |
| Lakeland Highlands | under 2% | A | B | 24 min | $108,263 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lakeland’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Lakeland: questions
What is the median household income in Lakeland?
$64,185 (±$2,146) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,568 across Florida and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lakeland?
13.2%, against 12.6% across Florida and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lakeland?
23 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Florida and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lakeland work?
32% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bartow (6%, 14 mi), Tampa (5%, 32 mi), Plant City (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Lakeland walkable?
Lakeland is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.6 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lakeland without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 27% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lakeland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lakeland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.