Lake Wales, FL vs Cypress Gardens, FL

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricLake Wales, FLCypress Gardens, FL
Population16,78510,077
Median Household Income$56,347$75,483
Median Rent$1,110/mo$1,369/mo
Median Home Value$239,300$287,100
Cost of Living (US = 100)9797
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income59.7%46%
Poverty Rate22.4%11.1%
Unemployment Rate4.8% (county)4.8% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k319187*
Property Crime Rate /100k1,187488*
Median AQI3434
Good AQI Days /yr339339
Summer Highs93°F92°F
Winter Lows52°F54°F
Snowfall0 in/yr0 in/yr
Avg Commute23.9 min30.3 min
Hospitals1—
Avg Hospital Rating2.0 / 5—
Students per Teacher17.918.2
College Degree Rate20.8%35.4%
Foreign-Born %10.4%4.5%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+16.1%-2.3%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Cypress Gardens (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.