City · Union County, Florida

Lake Butler (city), Florida

Lake Butler is a city in Union County, Florida. It has 1,601 residents. Lake Butler (city), Florida has a quality-of-life score of 5 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,897 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #749 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), property crime rate (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), drought exposure (high) and mental health care shortage (high).

5Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,897 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #749 of 780 in FL
Population: 1,601 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 671.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 1237650

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety39#9,579/15,637
Economy8#14,361/15,631
Housing19#12,098/14,977
Health4#14,917/15,609
Healthcare4#15,052/15,650
Environment49#7,843/15,453
Education48#8,084/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,155/15,650
Community1#15,570/15,651
Leisure & amenities1#15,531/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lake Butler (city), Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Union County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low92 min
98/100Florida 158 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesUnion County value
Property crime rate · low335 /100k
95/100Florida 1,176 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2022Federal Bureau of InvestigationUnion County value
Child care cost burden · low20.8%
92/100Florida 25.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Math scores · high3.41
91/100Florida 3.28United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Reading scores · high3.33
90/100Florida 3.17United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Comfortable days · high33.0%
90/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationUnion County value

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low6.8%
0/100Florida 87.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Florida 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAUnion County value
Mental health care shortage · high20.0
1/100Florida 16.3United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationUnion County value
Life expectancy · low68.4 yrs
1/100Florida 78.5 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Restaurants and bars · low2.5 /10k
1/100Florida 9.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.6 /10k
1/100Florida 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,778 (2015-2019) → 1,601 (2020-2024)
−10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.5% (2015-2019) → 91.1% (2020-2024)
+32 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$31,750 (2015-2019) → $49,922 (2020-2024)
+57%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
35.0% (2015-2019) → 24.7% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
19.4 min (2015-2019) → 25.8 min (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
8.4% (2015-2019) → 13.3% (2020-2024)
+4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lake Butler (city), Florida improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Broadband+32 points59.5% → 91.1%
Household income+57%$31,750 → $49,922

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Lake Butler (city), Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.4 min2015-2019	25.8 min2020-2024	+6.3 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.4%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Broadband subscriptions	59.5%2015-2019	91.1%2020-2024	+32 points	Improved	98%
Child poverty rate	42.4%2015-2019	38.8%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Effective property tax rate	0.76%2015-2019	0.48%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	73%
High school diploma or higher	81.4%2015-2019	82.6%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	83%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5152015-2019	0.4282020-2024	−0.088	Within the margin of error	94%
Median household income	$31,7502015-2019	$49,9222020-2024	+57%	Improved	89%
Poverty rate	35.0%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	26.8%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Rent-burdened households	45.7%2015-2019	45.8%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.6%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	38%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Lake Butler (city), Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lake Butler (city), Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Lake Butler (city), Florida itself moved +10.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,601 residents (±316)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

649 households (±132)

Lake Butler (city), Florida
Florida share

Under $25k24%†156
$25k–50k26%†169
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

649 households (±132)

Lake Butler (city), Florida
Florida share

Own42%†273
Rent58%†376

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

474 workers (±131)

Lake Butler (city), Florida
Florida share

Drive alone83%†393
Carpool11%†50
Public transit

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Union County, the county holding most of Lake Butler's residents.

Union County has 148 employer establishments, 92.5 for every 10,000 residents (0.37× the US rate of 248; 0.33× Florida's), with 1,586 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,431. The Census Bureau also counts 811 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 148; 811 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 92.5; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 1,586
Average annual pay: $46,431; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Union County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	17	10.6	0.69×Fewer than typical	120	$47,833	69
Truck transportation	11	6.9	1.36×More than typical	379	$57,704	39
Construction of buildings	8	5	0.66×Too few to compare	27	$36,704	33
Restaurants and other eating places	8	5	0.27×Too few to compare	122	$19,992	7
Building equipment contractors	7	4.4	0.73×Too few to compare	59	$41,915	11
Religious organizations	7	4.4	0.79×Too few to compare	25	$29,760	—
Ambulatory health care services	6	3.8	0.18×Too few to compare	32	$47,844	53
Gasoline stations	6	3.8	1.16×Too few to compare	67	$21,373	—
Lessors of real estate	6	3.8	0.30×Too few to compare	13	$31,769	49
Limited-service restaurants	5	3.1	0.39×Too few to compare	106	$16,943	—
Other specialty trade contractors	5	3.1	1.25×Too few to compare	50	$57,720	27
Services to buildings and dwellings	5	3.1	0.46×Too few to compare	10	$27,200	92

Rank places for an industry Open Union County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 15,992 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $378 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lake Butler (city), Florida: $0.24 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $378; +35% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.24; US $1,995
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Forest Service$378100%

Top recipients

GPC CONSOLIDATED REPORTING$378100%

Spending by fiscal year

107.2FY2017
84.5FY2021
1.2KFY2022
0FY2024
279.9FY2025
377.8FY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$378100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing · 3279$378100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Lake Butler (city), Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Lake Butler (city), Florida's figures are part of those of Union County, FL ($32.2K in FY2026), never added to them: 1.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lake Butler is mostly in Union County.

See federal money in Union County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Lake Butler (city), Florida is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Kat CammackR-FL-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Union County10100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Union County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1237650

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends