Moving to
Highland City.

All Highland City data Compare Highland City

13,276people live here $90,947median household income▲ 13% above US $1,993median rent per month▲ 41% above US $347,100median home valueNear US average

Highland City is an unincorporated community in Polk County, FL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Highland City

Highland City is an unincorporated community in Florida with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Highland City deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Clean air
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Above-average commute times
High rent burden for renters
Hot summers
Above-average rainfall
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Highland City compares

Median household income

Highland City$90,947

Florida avg$74,568

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Highland City$1,993

Florida avg$1,669

US$1,413

Median home value

Highland City$347,100

Florida avg$359,000

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Highland City

Based on Highland City's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,986

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $79,720 a year
51% of Highland City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$69,420

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $34,710
Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 41% above US

$1,993/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $1,993 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices run above average, with a median around $347,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $347,100 · 51% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.8% county unemployment

Unemployment in Polk County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Polk County (county-wide)

Safety

187 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Highland City doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Polk County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 488/100k · Policed by Polk County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 12% above US

29 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

76%

Work from home

12%

Carpool

11%

Walk

0.4%

Other

0.3%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 51°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

33% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 33% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

1 public school inside the boundary

There is 1 public school inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is De Soto National Memorial (56 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Highland City's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,993/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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