Lakewood RanchFL
Population 43,945: a town settled in 1994.
Is Lakewood Ranch a good place to live?
Lakewood Ranch’s best grade is for health: residents are healthier than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Add incomes to its strengths: the median household earns $123K. The weak point is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $590K, 7.3 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall, that makes a B−, good for 142nd of 634 in Florida. That leaves it better than 53% of U.S. towns. Only 27 of Florida’s 779 towns score lower on history. The biggest park or preserve is James L. Patton Park, at 84 acres.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Lakewood Ranch stand out
Where Lakewood Ranch beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
How Lakewood Ranch grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lakewood Ranch is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Tropicana Field and 49 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lakewood Ranch. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaRaymond James Stadium
21 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
36 mi Stadium & arenaBenchmark International Arena
11 mi MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
28 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí MuseumPhoto credits
Tropicana Field: EaglesFanInTampa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raymond James Stadium: NASA, Public domain · Anna Maria Island: Bfpage at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Benchmark International Arena: Miosotis Jade, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0 · Salvador Dalí Museum: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0
Moving to Lakewood Ranch: who provides what
Lakewood Ranch is unincorporated, so Manatee 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lakewood Ranch.
Lakewood Ranch has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has less tooth loss than most of Florida, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
Lakewood Ranch earns a D− for cost of living
At 7.3 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income, the typical home (about $590K) costs more against local pay than in 85% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $590K, is 17% below its August 2022 peak.
For Lakewood Ranch, the typical rent is $2,299 a month. The share of households in Lakewood Ranch who are owner-occupiers is 80%, against 72% in Florida’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Zillow values the typical Lakewood Ranch home at about $590,000, down 2.6% in a year, 57% above the Florida typical home. A home in Lakewood Ranch typically sold within 67 days of listing.
| Lakewood Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,299 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 72% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lakewood Ranch’s public schools outperform 68% of Florida districts
The Manatee school district runs its public schools. Three of the 13 schools are below, and why each made the list. The 6 public schools in Lakewood Ranch teach 4,947 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.D. Gullett Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,314 | A |
| Lakewood Ranch Preparatory AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,369 | – |
| Robert Willis Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 785 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Lakewood Ranch earns an A for health
Its widest gap with Florida is tooth loss: 5.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide.
On the CDC’s 31 measures, Lakewood Ranch is ahead of Florida on 20 and behind on 2. The share of adults in Lakewood Ranch who report frequent mental distress is 13%, below both Florida’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (17%). Among adults in the town, 8.8% smoke cigarettes.
| Lakewood Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | Lakewood Ranch | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.8% | 12.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.5% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.9% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lakewood Ranch faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Federal aid has come to Lakewood Ranch households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. FEMA puts 62% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 26% to inland flooding. This Florida town has had 8 paid flood insurance claims since 2019.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Conserved land covers 10.4% of Lakewood Ranch
Trails total 21 miles in 12 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Lakewood Ranch: 12, covering 214 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bob Gardner Community Park | 0.3 mi | 45 |
| 2. Greenbrook Adventure Park | 0.3 mi | 24 |
| 3. Greenbrook Park | 0.3 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Lakewood Ranch’s year
The Bradenton 5 Ese weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 50.1°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.5°.
The typical July afternoon high in Lakewood Ranch is 92°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Lakewood Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 50°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A job hub: Lakewood Ranch has 1.3 jobs for every working resident and draws in 16,856 commuters
Jobs based here grew from 8,001 in 2013 to 18,359. 31.6% of workers work from home, against 15.7% across Florida.
The share of residents in Lakewood Ranch who live below the poverty line: 7.4%. Most people who work leave Lakewood Ranch to do it: just 11% work in town. Since 2013, Lakewood Ranch has added 10,358 jobs, to 18,359 in 2023. The top destinations are Sarasota (10%), Bradenton (8%) and Tampa (7%).
| Lakewood Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 32% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $123,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Everything we know about Lakewood Ranch
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Lakewood Ranch
About 5 of every 100 Lakewood Ranch residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
About Lakewood Ranch
Planned community in Florida, United States
Lakewood Ranch is a planned community and a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Manatee County and northeastern Sarasota County, Florida, United States, consisting of approximately 35,000 acres (14,000 ha). It is part of the Sarasota metropolitan area. According to the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 34,877.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1994
- Area
- 8.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
Questions about Lakewood Ranch
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lakewood Ranch, FL a good place to live?
Lakewood Ranch grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #142 of 634 in Florida. It grades A for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Lakewood Ranch, 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−.