Census-designated place · Orange County, Florida

Sky Lake, Florida

Sky Lake is a census-designated place in Orange County, Florida, part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area. It has 8,116 residents. Sky Lake, Florida has a quality-of-life score of 41 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #9,157 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #423 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on new business applications (high), depression (low) and comfortable days (high). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), rent-burdened households (high) and rent as share of income (high).

41Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #9,157 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #423 of 780 in FL
Population: 8,116 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 6,434.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 1266425

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety34#10,228/15,637
Economy58#6,517/15,631
Housing8#13,838/14,977
Health62#5,995/15,609
Healthcare33#10,517/15,650
Environment65#5,441/15,453
Education30#11,024/15,649
Infrastructure62#5,934/15,650
Community26#11,516/15,651
Leisure & amenities87#1,992/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sky Lake, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Orange 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

New business applications · high32.3 /1k
98/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauOrange County value
Depression · low15.7%
97/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Comfortable days · high33.9%
93/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOrange County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high7.5 /10k
91/100Florida 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOrange County value
Public EV charging ports · high11.6 /10k
86/100Florida 6.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyOrange County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Florida 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOrange County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.1 /10k
1/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesOrange County value
Rent-burdened households · high72.2%
2/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high39.4%
5/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Lack of reliable transportation · high15.7%
7/100Florida 9.8%United States 8.3%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · high31.7%
7/100Florida 17.9%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Hot days · high110 days
7/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOrange County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
7,331 (2015-2019) → 8,116 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
30.8% (2015-2019) → 17.4% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$44,767 (2015-2019) → $70,203 (2020-2024)
+57%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
25.9 min (2015-2019) → 36.0 min (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
66.0% (2015-2019) → 72.2% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
13.6% (2015-2019) → 18.3% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Sky Lake, Florida improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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

Uninsured−13 points30.8% → 17.4%
Household income+57%$44,767 → $70,203

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Sky Lake, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.9 min2015-2019	36.0 min2020-2024	+10.1 min	Within the margin of error	2%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.1%2015-2019	12.1%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Broadband subscriptions	91.1%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Child poverty rate	13.6%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Effective property tax rate	0.76%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	79.2%2015-2019	75.9%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	45%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.3712020-2024	−0.060	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$44,7672015-2019	$70,2032020-2024	+57%	Improved	89%
Poverty rate	11.6%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Rent as share of income	41.6%2015-2019	39.4%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	66.0%2015-2019	72.2%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	30.8%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	98%

“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 Sky Lake, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sky Lake, 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, Sky Lake, Florida itself moved +0.1 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

8,116 residents (±1,724)

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

2,370 households (±434)

Sky Lake, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k11%†269
$25k–50k15%†365
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,370 households (±434)

Sky Lake, Florida
Florida share

Own63%1,497
Rent37%873

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,462 workers (±598)

Sky Lake, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone74%2,571
Carpool15%†517
Public transit1.1%†37

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

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 Orange County, the county holding most of Sky Lake's residents.

Orange County has 45,588 employer establishments, 304 for every 10,000 residents (1.22× the US rate of 248; 1.08× Florida's), with 842,028 paid employees at an average annual pay of $58,345. The Census Bureau also counts 234,917 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 45,588; 234,917 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 304; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 842,028
Average annual pay: $58,345; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	3,515	23.4	1.12×About typical	39,022	$71,282	9,424
Lessors of real estate	3,400	22.6	1.84×More than typical	19,277	$72,381	22,005
Restaurants and other eating places	3,148	21	1.14×About typical	70,977	$26,557	1,692
Specialty trade contractors	2,874	19.1	1.24×About typical	28,742	$60,597	14,013
Management, scientific and technical consulting	1,905	12.7	1.89×More than typical	12,165	$84,457	7,440
Real estate agents and brokers	1,672	11.1	2.29×More than typical	9,280	$81,658	6,278
Construction of buildings	1,523	10.1	1.34×More than typical	11,685	$93,214	8,838
Legal services	1,436	9.6	1.78×More than typical	12,572	$124,834	1,524
Services to buildings and dwellings	1,387	9.2	1.37×More than typical	13,785	$38,461	16,618
Full-service restaurants	1,365	9.1	1.18×About typical	38,533	$31,191	786
Limited-service restaurants	1,351	9	1.12×About typical	27,289	$20,623	473
Offices of physicians	1,292	8.6	1.33×More than typical	14,402	$111,918	1,495

Rank places for an industry Open Orange County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,501,696 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 $375.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sky Lake, Florida: $46.22 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $375.1K; −72% vs FY2025
Per resident: $46.22; US $1,994
Sole-source: 38%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$170.1K45%
Transportation Security Administration$139.5K37%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$46.7K12%
Federal Bureau of Investigation$7,4052.0%
Department of the Army$5,3821.4%
Bureau of the Fiscal Service$4,5001.2%
Department of Energy$3,0360.8%
Federal Communications Commission$3510.1%

Top recipients

OPTIVOR TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$206.9K55%
ROTECH HEALTHCARE INC.$140.8K38%
HAMLIN TERRACE FOUNDATION$33.2K8.8%
WALGREENS SPECIALTY PHARMACY, LLC$4,8251.3%
PHOENIX TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, L.L.C.-$1800.0%

Spending by fiscal year

4.7MFY2017
6MFY2018
9.8MFY2019
5.2MFY2020
57.2KFY2021
-76.9KFY2022
-194.6KFY2023
788.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$201.5K54%
Home health care services · 6216$140.8K38%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$33.2K8.8%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$5,3821.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Sky Lake, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Sky Lake, Florida's figures are part of those of Orange County, FL ($6.7B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Orange 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.

Sky Lake, Florida is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

County

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

Orange County68100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL68

Other cities and towns in Orange 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/1266425

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends