Polk County · Florida · South · 17k residents
Lake Wales, FL: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Lake Wales: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Florida median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,111/wk. Florida's corporate income tax rate is 5.5%. Commercial electricity averages 11.0¢/kWh.
Compare Lake Wales side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,111/wk
Corporate income tax
5.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
20.8%
Commercial electricity
11.0¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Lake Wales's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
64/100
Steady
Ranks Lake Wales's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $239,300 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $260 |
| Property tax rate | 0.8% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $915/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,142/mo |
| State & local income tax | 0% |
| Sales tax | 7% |
| Corporate income tax | 5.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,111/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.8% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.0¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 20.3/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $122,200 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $84,030 |
| Wage: General manager | $96,220 |
| Wage: Customer service | $38,750 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $39,690 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $57,090 |
| Wage: Electrician | $54,920 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $31,820 |
| Cost of living index | 90 |
| Groceries index | 103 |
| Utilities | $180/mo |
| Transit pass | $65/mo |
| Gas price | $3.25/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,000/mo |
| Median household income | $56,347 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.3% |
| Population | 17k |
| Crime index | 45/100 |
| School rating | 5.8/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 97/100 |
| Avg. commute | 28 min |
| Sunny days / year | 240 days |
| July high | 93°F |
| January low | 50°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | -3.3% |
| Home price MoM | -0.4% |
| Rent YoY | -0.6% |
| Rent MoM | +1.0% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.6% |
| Building permits YoY | -19.3% |
| Ocean coast | 61 mi |
| Big lake | 81 mi |
| Mountains | 461 mi |
| Major airport | 39 mi |
| Ski resort | 543 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Haines City, FL · 34k
- Winter Haven, FL · 55k
- Poinciana, FL · 75k
- Kissimmee, FL · 81k
- Lakeland, FL · 120k
Similar size
- West Pensacola, FL · 21k
- Florida Ridge, FL · 21k
- Fort Walton Beach, FL · 21k
- Midway CDP (Santa Rosa County), FL · 21k
- Groveland, FL · 22k
Real listings in Lake Wales
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Lake Wales a good place to run a business?
- Florida's corporate income tax rate is 5.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,111/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.0¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Lake Wales, FL?
- Lake Wales indexes at 90 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,142/mo and a acs median home value of $239,300.
- How much does a house cost in Lake Wales?
- The acs median home value in Lake Wales is $239,300 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Lake Wales?
- A two-bedroom in Lake Wales rents for about $1,142/mo.