Scores by category

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

Safety19#746/924
Economy11#819/925
Housing28#667/925
Health8#849/925
Healthcare1#915/923
Environment78#204/917
Education4#889/925
Infrastructure17#768/925
Community5#877/925
Leisure & amenities43#532/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
97/100Florida 27 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high32.7%
92/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Depression · low20.3%
90/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.3 /10k
89/100Florida 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high1.1%
85/100Florida 1.2%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
New business applications · high16.0 /1k
83/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high31.5 mi
1/100Florida 4.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high5,490 /100k
1/100Florida 3,204 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Income adjusted for local prices · low$46,842
2/100Florida $70,596United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · high34.8 /100k
3/100Florida 15.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high21.6%
4/100Florida 13.7%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Adult obesity · high44.1%
4/100Florida 34.5%United States 38.2%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
39,662 (2020) → 42,608 (2025)
+7.4%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
New homes permittedImproving
0.3 /1k (2021) → 1.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+449%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 80% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+80 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
61.5% (2015-2019) → 84.4% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Mental health providersImproving
61 /100k (2021) → 106 /100k (2025)
+73%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, Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area improved on 12 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 10. 6 moved within the margin of error and 3 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.

Improved12

Broadband+23 points61.5% → 84.4%
Child poverty−12 points37.3% → 25.2%
Household income+39%$41,760 → $57,984
Violent crime−42%482 /100k → 281 /100k
Property crime−53%2,462 /100k → 1,157 /100k

Declined10

Firearm deaths+100%14.5 /100k → 29.0 /100k
Restaurants−33%10.8 /10k → 7.3 /10k
Suicides+66%14.5 /100k → 24.1 /100k
Commute+3.9 min24.4 min → 28.4 min
Grocery stores−34%3.5 /10k → 2.3 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	3.5 /10k2025	−6.9%	Declined	17%
Average commute time	24.4 min2015-2019	28.4 min2020-2024	+3.9 min	Declined	2%
Average weekly wage	$7822020	$9632025	+23%	Improved	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.3%2015-2019	15.8%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Improved	85%
Broadband subscriptions	61.5%2015-2019	84.4%2020-2024	+23 points	Improved	99%
Child poverty rate	37.3%2015-2019	25.2%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	98%
Distance to an airport	60 mi2020	60 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	30.3 /100k2020	24.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−20%	Improved	45%
Effective property tax rate	0.95%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	79%
Firearm deaths	14.5 /100k2020	29.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+100%	Declined	2%
Grocery stores	3.5 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	−34%	Declined	2%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.8 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−38%	Declined	8%
High school diploma or higher	77.2%2015-2019	80.2%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	21%
Homicide rate	10.6 /100k2020	5.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−52%	Improved	79%
Income adjusted for local prices	$36,3582019	$46,8422024	+29%	Improved	27%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4562015-2019	0.4462020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	78%
Median household income	$41,7602015-2019	$57,9842020-2024	+39%	Improved	94%
New business applications	10.4 /1k2020	16.0 /1k2025	+55%	Improved	63%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−20%	Declined	20%
Poverty rate	21.0%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Property crime rate	2,462 /100k2020	1,157 /100k2025	−53%	Improved	89%
Public libraries	0.2 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−0.5%	Little change	60%
Rent as share of income	31.1%2015-2019	29.2%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Rent-burdened households	53.0%2015-2019	49.4%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Restaurants and bars	10.8 /10k2020	7.3 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	0%
Suicide rate	14.5 /100k2020	24.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+66%	Declined	5%
Traffic deaths	27.7 /100k2015-2019	34.8 /100k2020-2024	+26%	Declined	22%
Unemployment rate	6.3%2020	4.6%2025	−1.7 points	Improved	15%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.2%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Violent crime rate	482 /100k2020	281 /100k2025	−42%	Improved	89%

“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 Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Okeechobee, 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, Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area itself moved −3.3 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

40,816 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

15,113 households (±540)

Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k20%3,003
$25k–50k24%3,679
$50k–75k18%2,691

Homes

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

Owners and renters

15,113 households (±540)

Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Own74%11,161
Rent26%3,952

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

15,713 workers (±618)

Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone74%11,624
Carpool13%2,029
Public transit1.1%†174

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 Okeechobee, 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.

Okeechobee, FL has 922 employer establishments, 222 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248), with 7,980 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,496. The Census Bureau also counts 3,214 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 922; 3,214 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 222; US 248
Paid employees: 7,980
Average annual pay: $42,496; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	112	26.9	1.74×More than typical	455	$42,279	298
Ambulatory health care services	84	20.2	0.97×About typical	676	$54,157	168
Lessors of real estate	46	11.1	0.90×About typical	102	$40,441	261
Restaurants and other eating places	46	11.1	0.60×Fewer than typical	850	$19,436	19
Services to buildings and dwellings	43	10.3	1.53×More than typical	236	$35,581	340
Truck transportation	39	9.4	1.86×More than typical	281	$73,267	153
Building equipment contractors	37	8.9	1.48×More than typical	183	$49,268	64
Landscaping services	34	8.2	2.33×More than typical	222	$36,297	131
Offices of physicians	33	7.9	1.23×About typical	192	$71,932	21
Construction of buildings	30	7.2	0.95×About typical	106	$51,283	112
Other specialty trade contractors	29	7	2.78×More than typical	83	$56,566	127
Automotive repair and maintenance	28	6.7	1.34×More than typical	106	$36,651	80

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 41,575 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 -$2,114 on contracts performed in Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area: -$0.05 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$2,114; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$0.05; 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

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$20K0.0%
Federal Acquisition Service$19.3K

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 $257.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Okeechobee, FL micropolitan area: $6,051 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $257.8M; −2.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,051; US $12,955
Loan face value: $8.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$159.6M62%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$29.8M12%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$25M9.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$17.1M6.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$7.6M3.0%
10.931 · Agricultural Conservation Easement Program$5.9M2.3%
10.924 · Conservation Stewardship Program$3.3M1.3%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$2.6M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

TALLAHASSEE TITLE GROUP$5.9M2.3%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.3M0.5%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
JOBI LLC$744.7K0.3%
FORT PIERCE, FL
ROBBINS CATTLE COMPANY LLC$301.7K0.1%
OKEECHOBEE, FL
CLEMONS OAK CREEK LLC$300K

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$209.3M81%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$34M13%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Natural Resources Conservation Service$9.7M3.8%
Department of Agriculture
Farm Service Agency$1.3M0.5%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

218.4MFY2021
235.7MFY2022
240.5MFY2023
244.9MFY2024
265.4MFY2025
257.8MFY2026

County aggregates

95%

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 Okeechobee, 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.

Okeechobee CountyCentral county1242,608

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

OkeechobeePrincipal city5,479

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/M36380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined10

Metro and micro areas like Okeechobee, 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 Okeechobee, 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

Improved12

Declined10

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