Lakeland may not be the biggest city in Florida (or even one of the top 10), but it’s certainly put itself on the map in the past few years. Take a peek at a few of Swan City + Polk County’s top nationwide rankings of 2024.
Population
- It’s a modern-day boomtown. According to US Census Bureau data, Polk County was the No. 1 spot for new movers last year, with more people moving here than any other county in the US.
- US News & World Report ranked Lakeland No. 18 on its list of the fastest-growing cities, based on its most recent net migration rate of 3.19%. Are you one of the new movers? We’ve got you covered.
Quality of life
- We knew it, but now the rest of the country does too — Lakeland is a great place to live. US News & World Report ranked it No. 80 out of 150 major cities on its “2025-2026 Best Places to Live” list based on factors like quality of life + value.
- There’s something here for every stage of life. According to US News & World Report, Lakeland is the 34th best place to retire, and it claimed No. 97 on WalletHub’s list of the best college towns.
Consider Lakeland for your first home — or your next.
Photo by @dietitian.anie
Real estate
- First-time home buyers will feel right at home here — WalletHub ranked Lakeland as the No. 7 best city to buy your first home, and also gave Swan City the No. 27 spot on its list of small cities with the overall best real estate markets.
- If you needed further evidence that Lakeland’s a great place to start out in real estate, check out Construction Coverage’s list of the top midsize metros to find a starter home — Lakeland ranked No. 21.
- Realtor.com also gave Lakeland a nod, ranking it as the No. 3 easiest housing market for homebuyers (meaning buyers have more power than sellers in this market).
Economy
- Lakeland got a big win when it ranked No. 30 in the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities index, up six spots from the year before. Cities featured here were chosen based on economic opportunity, employment, and high-tech impact.
- Expect your new favorite business to pop up soon. The Lakeland-Winter Haven area ranked No. 5 on Simply Business’ list of midsize metros with the most new business applications submitted from 2019 to 2023 — thanks to a 105.5% increase.
- The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro also ranked No. 13 on Flippa’s list of places with the most successful millennial business owners, with a little over 21% of its population being millennials born from 1981 to 1996.
- Smart Asset ranked Lakeland No. 166 on its list of “Best Job Markets” based on unemployment, median earnings, housing costs, and remote workers.
- Specific local spots are also climbing the ranks. Lakeland Linder International Airport recently ranked third on a list of Florida airports when it came to the amount of cargo handled last year — a whopping 903 million+ pounds.
