Rankings

We know Lakeland is great, but don’t just take our word for it.

Lakeland continues to gain recognition on both state and national levels. These rankings reflect more than just numbers—they tell the story of a city that’s thriving.

Living

  • #3 America’s 10 Easiest House Market for Home Buyers – Realtor.com
  • #7 US Cities Building the Most Homes – Construction Coverage
  • #9 Best Cities for First-Time Home Buyers – Wallet Hub
  • #9 Metros that Attract the Most Out-Of-Market Search Interest – Apartment List
  • #11 US Countries that have built the most housing over the last decade – Construction Coverage

Work

  • #1 America’s Best Cities for Women in the Worforce – Checkr
  • #5 Cities Experiencing a Surge in New Business Applications – Simply Business
  • #9 Best Cities for Black Professionals – Apartment List
  • #9 Best County for Talent Attraction Market – Lightcast 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard
  • #11 – Top U.S. Growth Metros – U-Haul 
  • #13 Most successful millennial Business Owners – Flippa
  • #23 Top US Midsize Metros for women in Tech – Coworking Cafe

Quality of Life

  • #1 Best City Park – USA Today
  • #3 Most Equitable School Districts in Florida – Wallet Hub
  • #89 – 2025 America’s Best Cities Report (Link)  

Growth

  • #1 Fastest Growing Metro Areas – Cotality
  • #3 America’s most changed cities – Good Migration
  • #4 Top US Metro Areas by Percentage Growth – US Census Bureau
  • #8 America’s Biggest Boomtowns – Lending Tree
  • #16 – Top Innovation Hubs across the south – Commercial Cafe