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Lakeland ranks No. 4 best place to retire

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Photo via Catapult Lakeland

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Put on your party hat and pop open the champagne. 🥂 Lakeland was just awarded its newest claim to fame as one of the best places to retire to in the US.

The City of Lakeland was ranked No. 4 out of 734 cities nationwide on AdvisorSmith’s list of Midsize Cities Where Retirees are Moving. Swan City is smack-dab at the top of the list, between Scottsdale, AZ + Surprise, AZ, and The Villages, FL ranked No. 1.

According to the data (sourced from the US Census Bureau), over the course of five years, a total of 1,914 seniors have moved to Lakeland — and seniors, as a whole, make up 22% of the city’s population.

ICYMI, in recent years, Lakeland has taken home the title as the No. 10 best place to retire in the US + was also listed as an American “Silver City” — a fast-growing retirement destination, with healthcare as a major driver of economic growth.

So, why Lakeland? While we can guess that it may have to do with our state’s all-year seasonally warm weather + no income tax, these statistics don’t actually share the details on what led people to move to Swan City.

With that in mind, we’re turning it on over to you: What led you to spend your golden years in Lakeland? Let us know, below.

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Polk Vision published the assessment in June 2025 after 18 months of data collection.