Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tavares is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, ranked 368th of 634 in Florida, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $59K. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $306K for a typical one and 3.9 times the Orlando metro’s $79K median household income. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Tavares, where Florida’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. On hazard risk, just 67 of Florida’s 779 towns do better. Tavares has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Harry C. Duncan House and Lake County Courthouse.
Where Tavares beats most towns.
13,951 counted in 2010 and 19,003 in 2020; an estimated 22,490 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 18.4% since 2020, after 36.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Tavares is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 113 in 1900, 19,003 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tavares, 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 Tavares.
Tavares draws workers from Eustis and beyond, has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
17,444 jobs are based in Tavares, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 11,870 in 2013 to 17,444.
Most working residents leave Tavares for work: only 17% work in town. Tavares’ average trip to work is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Tavares grew to 17,444 in 2023, 5,574 more than in 2013.
| Tavares | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lake school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Tavares High School, with 1,458 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecrest Academy TavaresLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 972 | A |
| Tavares High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,458 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
People 65 and older are 36% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (38% statewide). The median age in Tavares is 53.1 years. Tavares has grown 18% since 2020, to 22,490 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Tavares | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 53.1 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 31% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Tavares | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.2% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.5% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 19.4% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.4% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.1% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.8% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Tavares | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aesops Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 2. Fred Stover Park Sports Complex | — | 9 |
| 3. Dead River Conservation and Stormwater Project | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Lisbon weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 327 days, longer than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Lisbon weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 73 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Tavares has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 47° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Tavares home is worth about $307,000, down 1.8% in a year, 18% below the Florida typical home.
| Tavares | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,496 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 72% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 8,628 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tavares’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Tavares beats the Florida average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 16% of adults have diabetes in Tavares.
| Tavares | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Tavares | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.7% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.6% | 8.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 1 of the 111 Florida towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Tavares. Tavares's reported crime rate is well below Florida's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Tavares | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.4 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 2002, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tavares.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tavares. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw27 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.5M visitors a year
Big draw29 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaCamping World Stadium
Big draw27 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.5M visitors a year
30 mi Theme parkSeaWorld Orlando4.3M 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 · Camping World Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Universal's Islands of Adventure: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · SeaWorld Orlando: SeaWorld, CC BY 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Tavares
About 5 of every 100 Tavares residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
Where Tavares’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Tavares on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Florida, United States
Tavares (, tuh-VAIR-ees) is a city and the county seat of Lake County, Florida. Its population at the 2020 census was 19,003. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Tavares.
Tavares and Eustis report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Tavares with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tavares grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #368 of 634 in Florida. It grades C+ for health and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
2 notable people were born here, including Jermaine Taylor and Mallory Horne.
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