Lake Wales, Florida population
Incorporated place · Official geographic code 1238950 · Census name: Lake Wales city
· Annual resident population estimate
U.S. Census Bureau · Population Estimates Program · Vintage 2025
+864 residents (+4.86%) since July 1, 2024.
- Population change, 2020–2025
- +2,365July 1 to July 1 · +14.52%
- Land-area density, 2025
- 918.8People per square mile · 2025 land area
- Population rank, 2025
- 2045 of 19,471Active whole incorporated places; balances excluded
Lake Wales population history
Open historical explorerThese six July 1 estimates belong to one consistent Vintage 2025 series. The Census Bureau revises earlier years when it releases a new vintage; a figure from an older publication may differ from the value below.
Annual estimates · 2020–2025 · Vertical scale shown on chart.
The highest observed population in this annual series was 18,650 in 2025. This is a peak within 2020–2025 coverage, not an all-time record.
| Reference date | Population | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2020 | 16,285 | — |
| July 1, 2021 | 16,421 | +136 |
| July 1, 2022 | 16,586 | +165 |
| July 1, 2023 | 16,840 | +254 |
| July 1, 2024 | 17,786 | +946 |
| July 1, 2025 | 18,650 | +864 |
Why is the April 2020 estimates base different from a census count?
The PEP estimates base here is 16,064 residents on April 1, 2020. It incorporates the Census Bureau’s corrections and geographic revisions and serves as the starting point for this annual series. It is not labeled an original 2020 census count. The chart starts at July 1, 2020, so its five-year change uses two July observations. Read about measurement types.
Growth and density
Between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2025, Lake Wales gained 2,365 residents, a 14.52% increase. The annualized change over these five elapsed years was +2.75%. Annualized change is a summary of the interval; it does not imply that the population changed at that rate in every year.
The 2025 Gazetteer reports 20.30 square miles of land. Dividing the July 1, 2025 population by that compatible land area gives 918.8 people per square mile. Water area is excluded. Density depends on geographic boundaries. It describes this entire place, rather than a typical neighborhood or built-up area.
Calculations use unrounded source values. Population counts are displayed as integers, percentages to two decimals and density to one decimal. Calculation methods · Growth calculator
Population characteristics and migration
This incorporated-place totals file does not provide city-level births, deaths, migration components or age distributions. Those statistics are not estimated from a county’s values here. County profiles provide supported change components, while age characteristics require a separately labeled PEP or ACS product. See characteristics coverage.
Geographic context
This is the whole incorporated-place record, not a metropolitan-area population. A place can span more than one county; the county links below come from published county/place-part relationships. County totals are context and are not substitutes for a city observation.
| Place | Population · 2025 | Change · 2024–25 | Growth · 2024–25 | People / sq. mi. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk CountyFlorida · County equivalent · 12105 | 874,790 | +23,356 | +2.74% | 486.4 |
Showing 1 of 1 related records.
Florida population · State city directory · City proper versus county versus metro
Places with nearby population ranks
Selected from the same 2025 comparison universe, using neighboring population ranks. Similar population does not imply similar density, boundaries or demographics.
| Place | Population · 2025 | Change · 2024–25 | Growth · 2024–25 | People / sq. mi. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThomasvilleGeorgia · Incorporated place · 1376224 | 18,667 | -61 | -0.33% | 1,243.4 |
| Wisconsin RapidsWisconsin · Incorporated place · 5588200 | 18,654 | -110 | -0.59% | 1,341.9 |
| Winthrop TownMassachusetts · Incorporated place · 2581005 | 18,647 | -28 | -0.15% | 9,353.7 |
| PinecrestFlorida · Incorporated place · 1256625 | 18,635 | -167 | -0.89% | 2,501.1 |
Source, citation and downloads
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025, sub-est2025.csv, variable POPESTIMATE2025; Lake Wales city, Florida, geographic code 1238950; resident population 18,650 on July 1, 2025; boundaries January 1, 2025. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025.csv. Retrieved September 30, 2026. US Population Data snapshot pep-2025-r1, transformation 1.
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