How does Lakeland's quality of life measure up against other cities? Are our economy and population still booming? These top nationwide rankings of 2025 tell the story.

The Crenshaw Canopy Walk will lead through the treetops toward the lagoons around Lake Bonnet. | Photo provided by Bonnet Springs Park

Quality of life

Best Cities called Lakeland a “city-meets-oasis" whenit ranked us 89th on the “2025 America’s Best Cities Report,” highlighting our green spaces, industrial developments, and busy airport.
Speaking of green spaces... Bonnet Springs Park took the top spot in USA Today’s awards for the Best City Park in the country, beating out places like New York’s Central Park.
Swan City is also a haven for older adults, as Lakeland ranked No. 92 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best places to retire in 2026, and No. 10 in This Old House's study on the best cities for snowbirds.

Consider Lakeland for your first home. | Photo by @dietitian.anie

Real estate

Lakeland ranked No. 1 on CoreLogic's list of fastest-developing US cities, based on the number of new construction properties built + sold.
Here comes the boom. Lakeland ranked No. 8 on LendingTree’s list of “America’s Biggest Boomtowns,” thanks to an 8.6% population increase from 2021 to 2023, as well as a 15.1% workforce increase.
WalletHub ranked Lakeland the 14th most affordable small US city for homebuyers, which was determined by factors like median sale prices and average maintenance costs.

Amazon Fulfillment Center | Photo by @thedanallenn

Economy

The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro ranked No. 31 on the Milken Institute’s 2025 list of the country’s “Best-Performing Cities,” making the Tier 2 list of large cities due to job + wage growth and high-tech GDP.
For the second time, our metro area was No. 1 on Checkr’s “Best US Cities for Women in the Workforce” list. The area had the largest increases of local women in the workforce — plus their salaries — from 2018 to 2023.
CommercialCafe ranked Lakeland No. 16 on its list of “Top 20 Innovation Hubs across the South” based on its recent 91% increase in STEM employment.
Specific local organizations also made headlines. Publix once again made the Fortune 500, Lakeland Regional Health earned a spot on Newsweek’s list of “America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care 2025," and even Bright Ice got a nod from Yelp on its top 100 ice cream shop rankings.

Students come from all over to call Florida Southern's Wright-designed campus home. | Photo by @calgolden

Education

Lakeland ranked No. 44 on WalletHub's list of the best small college towns in the US, based on social environment, affordability, and opportunities for students.
Florida Polytechnic University ranked No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Top Public Colleges” in the South for the fifth year in a row.
Southeastern University increased its enrollment by more than 200% from 2013 to 2023, earning it a spot on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of fastest-growing private doctoral universities.
Florida Southern College secured spots on four of U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of national colleges: No. 11 for Regional Universities in the South, No. 12 for both Most Innovative Schools and Undergraduate Teaching, and No. 24 among Best Value Schools.
McKeel Academy of Technology ranked No. 110 in a report of Florida’s best high schools based on metrics like academic performance and college preparation.