Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety31#634/924
Economy5#878/925
Housing59#376/925
Health25#692/925
Healthcare6#867/923
Environment66#308/917
Education0#922/925
Infrastructure9#844/925
Community10#830/925
Leisure & amenities0#922/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Arcadia, FL micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Depression · low19.4%
94/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · low20 mi
86/100Florida 21 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high1.1%
84/100Florida 1.2%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Child care cost burden · low23.1%
83/100Florida 25.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high30.6%
82/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
New business applications · high15.1 /1k
79/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Income adjusted for local prices · low$38,251
0/100Florida $70,596United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.8 /10k
0/100Florida 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · low10.8%
0/100Florida 34.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Some college · low36.0%
0/100Florida 65.0%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Job growth · low-7.2%
0/100Florida 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Restaurants and bars · low3.5 /10k
1/100Florida 9.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
34,093 (2020) → 37,078 (2025)
+8.8%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 90% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+90 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
57.3% (2015-2019) → 82.0% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Public librariesImproving
0.3 /10k (2019) → 0.5 /10k (2024)
+105%5 yearsUS 0.5 /10k → 0.5 /10k
New business applicationsImproving
8.4 /1k (2020) → 15.1 /1k (2025)
+80%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Mental health providersImproving
151 /100k (2021) → 269 /100k (2025)
+79%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k

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, Arcadia, FL micropolitan area improved on 13 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 8 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Libraries+105%0.3 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Broadband+25 points57.3% → 82.0%
Household income+54%$35,438 → $54,417
Rent burden−14 points59.9% → 46.0%
Rent / income−5 points33.6% → 28.6%

Declined8

Arts & recreation−61%2.1 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Restaurants−37%5.6 /10k → 3.5 /10k
Grocery stores−39%1.8 /10k → 1.1 /10k
Gyms−54%0.6 /10k → 0.3 /10k
Price / income+0.7×2.5× → 3.2×

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Arcadia, FL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.1 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−61%	Declined	0%
Average commute time	26.3 min2015-2019	30.5 min2020-2024	+4.2 min	Within the margin of error	1%
Average weekly wage	$7842020	$9982025	+27%	Improved	81%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.5%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Broadband subscriptions	57.3%2015-2019	82.0%2020-2024	+25 points	Improved	99%
Child poverty rate	38.3%2015-2019	34.8%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Distance to an airport	20 mi2020	20 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	23.3 /100k2020	12.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−48%	Improved	79%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Firearm deaths	12.6 /100k2020	14.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+18%	Declined	26%
Grocery stores	1.8 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−39%	Declined	1%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.6 /10k2020	0.3 /10k2025	−54%	Declined	3%
High school diploma or higher	73.5%2015-2019	73.5%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	25%
Homicide rate	7.9 /100k2020	5.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−30%	Improved	57%
Income adjusted for local prices	$30,9112019	$38,2512024	+24%	Improved	5%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4402015-2019	0.4422020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	51%
Median household income	$35,4382015-2019	$54,4172020-2024	+54%	Improved	99%
New business applications	8.4 /1k2020	15.1 /1k2025	+80%	Improved	88%
Pharmacies	1.2 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	93%
Poverty rate	26.8%2015-2019	24.1%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Property crime rate	1,438 /100k2020	840 /100k2025	−42%	Improved	68%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	+105%	Improved	100%
Rent as share of income	33.6%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	−5 points	Improved	98%
Rent-burdened households	59.9%2015-2019	46.0%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	99%
Restaurants and bars	5.6 /10k2020	3.5 /10k2025	−37%	Declined	0%
Suicide rate	15.0 /100k2020	17.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+18%	Declined	27%
Traffic deaths	35.3 /100k2015-2019	39.0 /100k2020-2024	+10%	Declined	44%
Unemployment rate	5.4%2020	4.9%2025	−0.5 points	Little change	1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	23.5%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Violent crime rate	486 /100k2020	324 /100k2025	−33%	Improved	80%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Arcadia, FL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Arcadia, FL micropolitan area 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, Arcadia, FL micropolitan area itself moved +0.7 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

35,386 residents

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

12,824 households (±360)

Arcadia, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k24%3,033
$25k–50k23%3,003
$50k–75k21%2,640

Homes

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

Owners and renters

12,824 households (±360)

Arcadia, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Own73%9,300
Rent27%3,524

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

13,102 workers (±978)

Arcadia, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone70%9,145
Carpool22%2,930
Public transit1.1%†144

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 no occupation wages for Arcadia, FL micropolitan area.

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.

Arcadia, FL has 566 employer establishments, 156 for every 10,000 residents (0.63× the US rate of 248), with 6,281 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,898. The Census Bureau also counts 2,427 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 566; 2,427 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 156; US 248
Paid employees: 6,281
Average annual pay: $44,898; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	67	18.5	1.19×About typical	302	$35,228	244
Services to buildings and dwellings	38	10.5	1.55×More than typical	248	$41,343	345
Religious organizations	31	8.5	1.54×More than typical	131	$26,458	—
Landscaping services	30	8.3	2.36×More than typical	231	$42,234	162
Restaurants and other eating places	28	7.7	0.42×Fewer than typical	381	$20,787	10
Truck transportation	28	7.7	1.53×More than typical	330	$45,036	88
Construction of buildings	23	6.3	0.84×About typical	67	$37,776	137
Other specialty trade contractors	23	6.3	2.53×More than typical	118	$32,898	103
Ambulatory health care services	20	5.5	0.26×Fewer than typical	201	$63,831	95
Lessors of real estate	20	5.5	0.45×Fewer than typical	48	$34,542	192
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	18	5	1.57×More than typical	108	$30,426	30
Grocery and convenience stores	18	5	1.67×More than typical	279	$29,082	7

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,269 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $0 on contracts performed in Arcadia, FL micropolitan area: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
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

28.5KFY2017
23.3KFY2018
59.8KFY2019
11.5KFY2021
13.3KFY2022
166.2KFY2023
485.2KFY2024
-10.4KFY2025

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $224.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Arcadia, FL micropolitan area: $6,044 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $224.1M; +0.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,044; US $12,955
Loan face value: $3.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$133.8M60%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$19.9M8.9%
10.931 · Agricultural Conservation Easement Program$16.5M7.4%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$16.2M7.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$11.6M5.2%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$8.4M3.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$7.9M3.5%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$1.6M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$10.1M4.5%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
TALLAHASSEE TITLE GROUP$6.7M3.0%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT SERVICES C$6.2M2.7%
TAMPA, FL
FLORIDA DEPT OF AGRICULTURE$3.6M1.6%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
ARCADIA HOUSING AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$173.1M77%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$18.9M8.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Natural Resources Conservation Service$16.8M7.5%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration$10.1M4.5%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency

Assistance by fiscal year

166.5MFY2021
185.7MFY2022
231.7MFY2023
204.2MFY2024
223.9MFY2025
224.1MFY2026

County aggregates

86%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Arcadia, FL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

DeSoto CountyCentral county437,078

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ArcadiaPrincipal city7,707

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Florida

Areas based in Florida, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M11580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Arcadia, FL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Arcadia, FL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Florida

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought