† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupLakelandFloridaUnited States
American12.3%7.7%5.3%
German9.5%8.9%12.5%
English9.3%8.2%9.5%
Irish7.9%8.2%9.4%
Italian4.3%5.6%4.8%
Polish1.7%2.1%2.2%
French1.6%1.7%1.6%
Scottish1.6%1.3%1.3%
Puerto Rican8.5%5.6%1.8%
Mexican5.2%3.3%11.3%
Cuban1.7%7.3%0.7%
Venezuelan1.0%1.6%—
Dominican0.9%1.3%0.7%
Colombian0.8%2.1%0.4%
Guatemalan0.4%—0.5%
Honduran0.3%0.6%0.3%
African American†13.4%9.5%9.9%
Haitian2.1%2.3%0.3%
Jamaican1.2%1.5%0.4%
African1.0%0.5%0.5%
West Indian0.3%——
Asian Indian0.7%0.9%1.4%
Filipino0.7%0.5%0.9%
Chinese0.3%0.5%1.3%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Lakeland
Florida
United States
Median age
38.9
43.1
39.1
Age 18–24
12.5%
8.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
21.5%
21.3%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Lakeland
Florida
United States
Median household income
$64,185
$74,568
$84,427
Poverty rate
13.2%
12.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
29.4%
34.2%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Lakeland
Florida
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
20.8%
30.7%
22.3%
Spanish
16.0%
22.6%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
1.5%
2.7%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
1.0%
1.9%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Lakeland
Florida
United States
Catholic
—
19.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
18.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
53.1%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Lakeland, Florida
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−11.1%
2008
+0.4%
2012
−2.8%
2016
−4.2%
2020
−4.5%
2024
−11.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
43.3%Harris21,202
55.2%Trump27,027
1.5%
R+11.9
R+7.4
R+10.4
48,963
R
46.9%Biden24,314
51.4%Trump26,668
1.6%
R+4.5
R+0.3
R+9.0
51,834
R
45.3%Clinton20,542
49.5%Trump22,449
5.3%
R+4.2
R+1.5
R+6.3
45,379
R
48.1%Obama21,948
50.9%Romney23,203
1.0%
R+2.8
R+3.1
R+6.6
45,607
D
49.6%Obama20,874
49.2%McCain20,708
1.2%
D+0.4
D+11.5
R+6.9
42,076
R
43.9%Kerry15,844
55.0%Bush19,847
1.1%
R+11.1
—
R+8.6
36,077
Lakeland anchors a fast-growing inland corridor where white working-class and expanding Hispanic populations have shifted the electorate rightward over the past decade, making it a reliable bellwether for Polk County outcomes.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 0.4 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 11.9 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 7.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 11.9 points.
A population of 119,961, a 57% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,185 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Winter Haven and Ocala.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Lakeland, Florida voted Republican by 11.9 points (R+11.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 48,963 votes cast, 21,202 went Democratic and 27,027 went Republican.
When did Lakeland, Florida last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Lakeland, Florida voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Lakeland, Florida?
Lakeland, Florida has a population of 119,961 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Lakeland, Florida?
Median household income in Lakeland, Florida is $64,185 — below the national median of $80,734. The Florida state median is $74,568.
What is the political history of Lakeland, Florida?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Lakeland, Florida from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 1 went Democratic and 5 went Republican.
