Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,946, settled in 1888.
Wauchula earns a D, 574th of 634 graded towns in Florida, mostly because of health. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. 38% of residents live below the poverty line in Wauchula, above both the Florida town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 49 of Florida’s 779 towns score lower on hazard risk. Wauchula has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Albert Carlton Estate and Downtown Wauchula Historic District.
Where Wauchula beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Wauchula’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Wauchula is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,099 in 1910, 4,900 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wauchula, 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 Wauchula.
Wauchula draws workers from Bowling Green and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the Florida rate.
31% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Wauchula. Wauchula beats the Florida average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 35% of adults worry about having enough food in Wauchula.
| Wauchula | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 20% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Wauchula | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 9.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30.5% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hardee school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wauchula Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 577 | B− |
| Pioneer Career AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 27 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
2,923 jobs are based in Wauchula, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Wauchula for work: only 18% work in town. Jobs based in Wauchula fell to 2,923 in 2023, 381 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Bartow (3%), Lakeland (2%) and Sebring (2%).
| Wauchula | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wauchula.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 37% in five years, to about $229K, against 19% across Florida. The median property tax bill is $1,176, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Wauchula home is worth about $229,000, about the same as a year ago, 39% below the Florida typical home. 43% of Wauchula households own their home.
| Wauchula | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,017 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Wauchula | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Wauchula weather station records that about 117 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 48.7°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.9°.
Wauchula has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Wauchula is 49°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Wauchula | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Wauchula's reported crime rate is below Florida's. Wauchula’s property crime rate is 8.7 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Wauchula | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 8.7 per 1,000 residents | 16.4 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Wauchula; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Wauchula residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
2 places in Wauchula on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Wauchula.
City in Florida, United States
Wauchula is a city and the county seat of Hardee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 4,900. Wauchula has been called the "cucumber capital of the world", although citrus has become a more important agricultural crop over the past few decades. It is home to the downtown's Wauchula Historic District and Albert Carlton Estate.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wauchula grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #574 of 634 in Florida. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($60,489 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
5 notable people were born here, including Doyle E. Carlton and B. J. McLeod.
