Scores by category

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

Safety18#754/924
Economy23#709/925
Housing48#482/925
Health10#828/925
Healthcare16#776/923
Environment56#405/917
Education10#837/925
Infrastructure23#708/925
Community14#800/925
Leisure & amenities17#769/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Comfortable days · high33.0%
93/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Depression · low21.0%
85/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high9.3 /10k
82/100Florida 6.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/100Florida 0.2%2025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New business applications · high15.5 /1k
80/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Job growth · high1.0%
79/100Florida 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high98%
3/100Florida 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · high32.9 /100k
4/100Florida 15.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Income adjusted for local prices · low$51,146
5/100Florida $70,596United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Hot days · high93 days
10/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · low16.8%
10/100Florida 34.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Some college · low48.9%
10/100Florida 65.0%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
69,758 (2020) → 74,094 (2025)
+6.2%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 98% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+98 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Property crime rateImproving
2,057 /100k (2020) → 930 /100k (2025)
−55%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.6% (2015-2019) → 89.1% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Violent crime rateImproving
513 /100k (2020) → 315 /100k (2025)
−38%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /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, Lake City, FL micropolitan area improved on 10 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 9 moved within the margin of error and 5 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.

Improved10

Arts & recreation+38%2.2 /10k → 3.0 /10k
Weekly wage+29%$791 → $1,024
Property crime−55%2,057 /100k → 930 /100k
Violent crime−38%513 /100k → 315 /100k
Broadband+10 points78.6% → 89.1%

Declined7

Overdose deaths+101%14.3 /100k → 28.7 /100k
Firearm deaths+72%14.3 /100k → 24.6 /100k
Restaurants−19%7.5 /10k → 6.1 /10k
Gyms−25%0.7 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Grocery stores−14%1.7 /10k → 1.5 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Lake City, FL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.2 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	+38%	Improved	93%
Average commute time	24.8 min2015-2019	25.8 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	32%
Average weekly wage	$7912020	$1,0242025	+29%	Improved	92%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.9%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Broadband subscriptions	78.6%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	67%
Child poverty rate	23.0%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Distance to an airport	64 mi2020	64 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	24%
Drug overdose deaths	14.3 /100k2020	28.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+101%	Declined	3%
Effective property tax rate	0.97%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	82%
Firearm deaths	14.3 /100k2020	24.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+72%	Declined	5%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−14%	Declined	18%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−25%	Declined	16%
High school diploma or higher	86.1%2015-2019	86.0%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	32%
Homicide rate	8.3 /100k2020	7.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−12%	Improved	33%
Income adjusted for local prices	$40,1022019	$51,1462024	+28%	Improved	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4592015-2019	0.4492020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	78%
Median household income	$46,4942015-2019	$59,2052020-2024	+27%	Improved	52%
New business applications	11.4 /1k2020	15.5 /1k2025	+36%	Improved	35%
Pharmacies	1.7 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	78%
Poverty rate	15.8%2015-2019	16.7%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Property crime rate	2,057 /100k2020	930 /100k2025	−55%	Improved	91%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−2.7%	Little change	41%
Rent as share of income	27.6%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Rent-burdened households	43.7%2015-2019	47.7%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Restaurants and bars	7.5 /10k2020	6.1 /10k2025	−19%	Declined	4%
Suicide rate	22.9 /100k2020	26.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+14%	Declined	33%
Traffic deaths	32.3 /100k2015-2019	32.9 /100k2020-2024	+1.9%	Little change	59%
Unemployment rate	6.6%2020	4.7%2025	−1.9 points	Improved	19%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.3%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Violent crime rate	513 /100k2020	315 /100k2025	−38%	Improved	86%

“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 Lake City, FL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lake City, 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, Lake City, FL micropolitan area itself moved −5.9 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

71,789 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

27,430 households (±451)

Lake City, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k20%5,451
$25k–50k23%6,350
$50k–75k20%5,351

Homes

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

Owners and renters

27,430 households (±451)

Lake City, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Own72%19,886
Rent28%7,544

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

29,020 workers (±937)

Lake City, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone77%22,387
Carpool12%3,406
Public transit0.1%†15

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 Lake City, 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.

Lake City, FL has 1,492 employer establishments, 203 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248), with 20,689 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,200. The Census Bureau also counts 5,158 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,492; 5,158 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 203; US 248
Paid employees: 20,689
Average annual pay: $51,200; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	149	20.3	0.97×About typical	1,741	$57,048	276
Specialty trade contractors	124	16.9	1.09×About typical	887	$60,095	401
Restaurants and other eating places	106	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	2,475	$20,783	31
Offices of physicians	60	8.2	1.26×More than typical	618	$77,108	32
Limited-service restaurants	50	6.8	0.85×About typical	1,082	$18,090	17
Gasoline stations	49	6.7	2.06×More than typical	569	$22,724	—
Construction of buildings	45	6.1	0.81×About typical	348	$38,756	151
Lessors of real estate	45	6.1	0.50×Fewer than typical	112	$52,750	477
Religious organizations	42	5.7	1.03×About typical	182	$26,225	—
Full-service restaurants	39	5.3	0.69×Fewer than typical	1,176	$23,496	11
Automotive repair and maintenance	38	5.2	1.03×About typical	178	$35,629	111
Building equipment contractors	38	5.2	0.86×About typical	339	$51,437	49

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 73,347 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 $9.3M on contracts performed in Lake City, FL micropolitan area: $125 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $9.3M; −77% vs FY2025
Per resident: $125; US $1,994
Sole-source: 6.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.2%; 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$6.9M74%
Federal Acquisition Service$2.3M

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 $538M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Lake City, FL micropolitan area: $7,261 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $538M; −3.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,261; US $12,955
Loan face value: $145.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$306.7M57%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$90.5M17%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$51.4M9.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$30.9M5.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$20.9M3.9%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$7.8M1.4%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$5.7M1.1%
32.004 · Universal Service Fund - Schools and Libraries$3.9M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

FLORIDA GATEWAY COLLEGE$8.3M1.5%
LAKE CITY, FL
STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$4M0.7%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
UNITED DATA TECHNOLOGIES INC$3.4M0.6%
HOLLYWOOD, FL
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS$3M0.5%
HOLLYWOOD, FL
CEDAR PARK APTS. LLC

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$410M76%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$101.5M19%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$8.3M1.5%
Federal Highway Administration$4M0.7%
Department of Transportation
Federal Communications Commission$3.9M0.7%

Assistance by fiscal year

492MFY2021
507.3MFY2022
509.6MFY2023
540.6MFY2024
559.1MFY2025
538MFY2026

County aggregates

96%

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 Lake City, 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.

Columbia CountyCentral county2174,094

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Lake CityPrincipal city12,515

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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M29380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Lake City, 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

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Lake City, 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

Improved10

Declined7

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

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards