Scores by category

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

Safety42#9,128/15,637
Economy46#8,451/15,631
Housing19#12,157/14,977
Health48#8,129/15,609
Healthcare29#11,082/15,650
Environment67#5,078/15,453
Education54#7,206/15,649
Infrastructure5#14,900/15,650
Community37#9,781/15,651
Leisure & amenities28#11,236/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Comfortable days · high33.3%
91/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLake County value
New homes permitted · high10.6 /1k
89/100Florida 7.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Depression · low19.3%
87/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Median Air Quality Index · low35
86/100Florida 422025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLake County value
Mammography screening · high52.0%
81/100Florida 46.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
New business applications · high17.5 /1k
81/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLake County value

Weaknesses

Rent-burdened households · high58.1%
5/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Hot days · high113 days
6/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLake County value
Rent as share of income · high32.3%
11/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high15.7%
14/100Florida 13.7%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Injury deaths · high122 /100k
14/100Florida 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
Average commute time · high30.6 min
15/100Florida 28.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Trends

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

PopulationRising
16,752 (2015-2019) → 20,463 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
16.8% (2015-2019) → 8.3% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.3× (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Unemployment rateImproving
9.3% (2015-2019) → 2.6% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.0% (2015-2019) → 86.7% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,319 (2015-2019) → $58,886 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Tavares, Florida improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved5

Unemployment−6.8 points9.3% → 2.6%
Child poverty−8.5 points16.8% → 8.3%
Bachelor's++5.3 points20.6% → 25.9%
Household income+30%$45,319 → $58,886
Broadband+6.7 points80.0% → 86.7%

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×3.2× → 4.3×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Tavares, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.6 min2015-2019	30.6 min2020-2024	+6.0 min	Within the margin of error	7%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.6%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Improved	70%
Broadband subscriptions	80.0%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Improved	42%
Child poverty rate	16.8%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	−8.5 points	Improved	79%
Effective property tax rate	0.97%2015-2019	0.83%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
High school diploma or higher	88.0%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4152015-2019	0.4742020-2024	+0.058	Within the margin of error	13%
Median household income	$45,3192015-2019	$58,8862020-2024	+30%	Improved	55%
Poverty rate	11.0%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	32.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent-burdened households	53.1%2015-2019	58.1%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Unemployment rate	9.3%2015-2019	2.6%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Improved	98%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.4%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	32%

“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 Tavares, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tavares, 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, Tavares, Florida itself moved −9.5 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

20,463 residents (±37)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19†
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (−2.8 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

20,463 residents (±37)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

White68%13,966
Black8.2%1,679
Hispanic or Latino16%3,312
Asian2.4%†497
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%†7
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.9%†1,002

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (−4.1 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

16,290 residents (±593)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

No high school diploma10%1,691
High school or GED30%4,895
Some college21%3,365
Associate degree13%2,127
Bachelor's degree19%3,103
Graduate degree6.8%1,109

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+6.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

9,154 households (±477)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k17%1,595
$25k–50k26%2,359
$50k–75k17%1,532
$75k–100k16%1,443
$100k–150k11%1,048
$150k–200k6.8%†620
$200k or more6.1%†557

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−7.8 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

9,154 households (±477)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Own77%7,030
Rent23%2,124

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+7.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,037 households (±393)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Under $75012%†248
$750–1,00013%†263
$1,000–1,50025%†511

Home values

7,030 homes (±545)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Under $150k27%1,910
$150k–250k22%1,527
$250k–400k41%2,859

Age of homes

10,233 homes (±499)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

2010 or later27%2,754
2000–200919%1,978
1980–199926%2,614

Size of homes

10,233 homes (±499)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Studio0.9%†89
1 bedroom13%1,321
2 bedrooms39%4,039

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

7,495 workers (±914)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone75%5,586
Carpool12%†901
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.0%†73
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.8%†658
Other3.7%†277

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−10.1 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

6,837 workers (±879)

Tavares, Florida
Florida share

Under 15 min32%†2,169
15–29 min26%1,810
30–44 min16%1,099

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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

Lake County has 8,849 employer establishments, 208 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248; 0.74× Florida's), with 96,577 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,837. The Census Bureau also counts 43,033 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,849; 43,033 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 208; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 96,577
Average annual pay: $44,837; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	892	20.9	1.35×More than typical	7,944	$57,397	3,086
Ambulatory health care services	880	20.6	0.99×About typical	9,957	$58,314	2,089
Restaurants and other eating places	577	13.5	0.74×Fewer than typical	11,648	$21,806	225
Lessors of real estate	527	12.4	1.00×About typical	1,768	$43,948	4,270
Services to buildings and dwellings	474	11.1	1.65×More than typical	2,641	$42,928	3,336
Offices of physicians	330	7.7	1.20×About typical	3,489	$75,540	285
Construction of buildings	304	7.1	0.94×About typical	1,648	$52,298	1,343
Building equipment contractors	290	6.8	1.13×About typical	3,190	$59,878	459
Full-service restaurants	279	6.5	0.85×About typical	6,316	$24,292	94
Real estate agents and brokers	266	6.2	1.28×More than typical	475	$46,065	1,800
Building finishing contractors	260	6.1	1.60×More than typical	1,045	$44,122	985
Landscaping services	260	6.1	1.74×More than typical	1,444	$43,171	1,157

Rank places for an industry Open Lake County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 426,453 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Tavares, Florida: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

12.8KFY2017
1.2KFY2018
3.3KFY2019
2.3KFY2020
95.6KFY2021
8.8KFY2022
746FY2023
1.2KFY2024
859FY2025

What was bought

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 Tavares, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Tavares, Florida's figures are part of those of Lake County, FL ($14.6M 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: Tavares is mostly in Lake County.

See federal money in Lake 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.

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