Willow OakFL
A town of 7,454.
Is Willow Oak a good place to live?
Willow Oak earns a D−, 621st among Florida's 634 graded towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 88% of the state's. Residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Willow Oak, above both the Florida town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 29 of Florida’s 776 towns score lower on walkability. Willow Oak has 1 place on the National Register.
99% of working residents leave Willow Oak for work
Where Willow Oak’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Willow Oak grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Willow Oak is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Willow Oak: who provides what
Willow Oak is unincorporated, so Polk 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 Willow Oak.
Willow Oak has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the Florida rate and scores below Fuller Heights and its other neighbors on health.
Willow Oak’s grade for health is a C−
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Fuller Heights (C) to Mulberry (B−).
45% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Willow Oak. Willow Oak beats the Florida average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Willow Oak.
| Willow Oak | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Willow Oak | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6.3% | 7.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.9% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Willow Oak
Willow Oak has 320 jobs for its 2,761 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Willow Oak for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Willow Oak is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Willow Oak grew to 320 in 2023, 79 more than in 2013.
| Willow Oak | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 5% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Willow Oak faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Willow Oak.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Willow Oak, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Lakeland 2 weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 119 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 49.4°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.6°.
Willow Oak has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Willow Oak’s January low is 49°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Willow Oak | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Willow Oak has set aside 10% of its land for conservation
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Alafia River Reserve, at 201 acres.
| Willow Oak | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 10% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alafia River Reserve | — | 201 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Willow Oak sells for about $333K
50% of Willow Oak households own their home.
| Willow Oak | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,117 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Tropicana Field and 48 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Willow Oak. Close and well known come first.
Big draw40 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaRaymond James Stadium
26 mi Stadium & arenaBenchmark International Arena
26 mi Theme parkBusch Gardens Tampa4.0M visitors a year
21 mi Theme parkLegoland Florida
21 mi Theme parkCypress GardensPhoto credits
Tropicana Field: EaglesFanInTampa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raymond James Stadium: NASA, Public domain · Benchmark International Arena: Miosotis Jade, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Busch Gardens Tampa: Wolle8ball, CC BY 3.0 · Legoland Florida: Jacob Montgomery, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cypress Gardens: Bruchey at English Wikipedia, Public domain
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Everything we know about Willow Oak
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Willow Oak
About 3 of every 100 Willow Oak residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Willow Oak
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Willow Oak is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Polk County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, Willow Oak had a population of 6,806. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 112 ft
- Area code
- 863
Willow Oak’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Willow Oak.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Fuller Heights (D−) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Oak | #621 | D− | C | — | D | C− |
| Mulberry | #408 | C | B | — | D | B− |
| Medulla | #545 | D | C− | — | D | B− |
| Fuller Heights | #580 | D− | C | — | D | C |
Willow Oak, Mulberry, Medulla and Fuller Heights report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Willow Oak with a neighbor →
Questions about Willow Oak
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Willow Oak, FL a good place to live?
Willow Oak grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #621 of 634 in Florida. It grades C− for health and D for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Willow Oak, FL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $276,000, 26% below the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.