Lakeland may not be the biggest city in Florida (or even one of the top 10), but it's certainly put itself on the map in the past few years. Take a peek at a few of Swan City + Polk County's top nationwide rankings of 2024.

Population

It's a modern-day boomtown. According to US Census Bureau data, Polk County was the No. 1 spot for new movers last year, with more people moving here than any other county in the US.
US News & World Report ranked Lakeland No. 18 on its list of the fastest-growing cities, based on its most recent net migration rate of 3.19%. Are you one of the new movers? We've got you covered.

Quality of life

We knew it, but now the rest of the country does too — Lakeland is a great place to live. US News & World Report ranked it No. 80 out of 150 major cities on its "2025-2026 Best Places to Live" list based on factors like quality of life + value.
There's something here for every stage of life. According to US News & World Report, Lakeland is the 34th best place to retire, and it claimed No. 97 on WalletHub's list of the best college towns.

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

Real estate

First-time home buyers will feel right at home here — WalletHub ranked Lakeland as the No. 7 best city to buy your first home, and also gave Swan City the No. 27 spot on its list of small cities with the overall best real estate markets.
If you needed further evidence that Lakeland's a great place to start out in real estate, check out Construction Coverage's list of the top midsize metros to find a starter home — Lakeland ranked No. 21.
Realtor.com also gave Lakeland a nod, ranking it as the No. 3 easiest housing market for homebuyers (meaning buyers have more power than sellers in this market).

Amazon Fulfillment Center | Photo by @thedanallenn

Economy

Lakeland got a big win when it ranked No. 30 in the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities index, up six spots from the year before. Cities featured here were chosen based on economic opportunity, employment, and high-tech impact.
Expect your new favorite business to pop up soon. The Lakeland-Winter Haven area ranked No. 5 on Simply Business' list of midsize metros with the most new business applications submitted from 2019 to 2023 — thanks to a 105.5% increase.
The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro also ranked No. 13 on Flippa's list of places with the most successful millennial business owners, with a little over 21% of its population being millennials born from 1981 to 1996.
Smart Asset ranked Lakeland No. 166 on its list of "Best Job Markets" based on unemployment, median earnings, housing costs, and remote workers.
Specific local spots are also climbing the ranks. Lakeland Linder International Airport recently ranked third on a list of Florida airports when it came to the amount of cargo handled last year — a whopping 903 million+ pounds.