† 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
GroupLake WalesFloridaUnited States
American10.4%7.7%5.3%
German8.1%8.9%12.5%
English7.9%8.2%9.5%
Irish6.7%8.2%9.4%
Italian3.6%5.6%4.8%
Polish1.5%2.1%2.2%
French1.4%1.7%1.6%
Scottish1.4%1.3%1.3%
Puerto Rican12.8%5.6%1.8%
Mexican7.8%3.3%11.3%
Cuban2.5%7.3%0.7%
Venezuelan1.5%1.6%—
Dominican1.4%1.3%0.7%
Colombian1.2%2.1%0.4%
Guatemalan0.5%—0.5%
Honduran0.4%0.6%0.3%
African American†15.8%9.5%9.9%
Haitian2.5%2.3%0.3%
Jamaican1.4%1.5%0.4%
African1.2%0.5%0.5%
West Indian0.3%——
Asian Indian0.3%0.9%1.4%
Filipino0.3%0.5%0.9%
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
Lake Wales
Florida
United States
Median age
42.7
43.1
39.1
Age 18–24
7.6%
8.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
26.8%
21.3%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Lake Wales
Florida
United States
Median household income
$56,347
$74,568
$84,427
Poverty rate
22.4%
12.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
20.8%
34.2%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Lake Wales
Florida
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
25.8%
30.7%
22.3%
Spanish
22.7%
22.6%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
1.3%
2.7%
0.7%
Religious landscape
Measure
Lake Wales
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.
Lake Wales, Florida
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−0.2%
2008
+11.9%
2012
+8.6%
2016
−1.4%
2020
−3.1%
2024
−13.7%
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
42.5%Harris2,892
56.2%Trump3,828
1.3%
R+13.7
R+10.7
R+12.3
6,811
R
47.9%Biden3,455
51.0%Trump3,676
1.1%
R+3.1
R+1.7
R+7.5
7,209
R
47.5%Clinton3,070
48.9%Trump3,159
3.6%
R+1.4
R+9.9
R+3.5
6,459
D
53.8%Obama2,184
45.2%Romney1,836
1.0%
D+8.6
R+3.3
D+4.7
4,061
D
55.3%Obama3,298
43.4%McCain2,590
1.3%
D+11.9
D+12.1
D+4.6
5,964
R
49.8%Kerry2,489
50.1%Bush2,501
0.1%
R+0.2
—
D+2.2
4,996
Perched on Florida's Lake Wales Ridge, this Polk County city blends a legacy citrus workforce with growing Latino and Black populations, producing a competitive registration picture that diverges from its reliably Republican county surroundings.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 11.9 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 13.7 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 10.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 13.7 points.
A population of 16,785, a 48% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,347 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Crystal Lake and Silver Springs Shores.
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, Lake Wales, Florida voted Republican by 13.7 points (R+13.7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 6,811 votes cast, 2,892 went Democratic and 3,828 went Republican.
When did Lake Wales, Florida last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Lake Wales, Florida voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Lake Wales, Florida?
Lake Wales, Florida has a population of 16,785 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Lake Wales, Florida?
Median household income in Lake Wales, Florida is $56,347 — below the national median of $80,734. The Florida state median is $74,568.
What is the political history of Lake Wales, Florida?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Lake Wales, Florida from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 4 went Republican.
