Florida

Distance from Lakeland to Tampa

Straight-line distance

32.6mi

Lakeland, FL and Tampa, FL are 32.6 miles (52.4 km) apart in a straight line. From Lakeland, the shortest path starts out heading W (260°).

kilometers
52.4
nautical miles
28.3
heading from Lakeland
260° W
heading from Tampa
79° E
LakelandTampa

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Lakeland is from Tampa

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Lakeland and Tampa is 32.6 miles, 52.4 km or 28.3 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 32.6 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
32.6
Kilometers
52.4
Nautical miles
28.3
Bearing from Lakeland
259.7° W
Bearing arriving at Tampa
259.4°
Bearing from Tampa
79.4° E

Halfway between Lakeland and Tampa

The great-circle midpoint is at 28.013049, -82.217354 (28°00'46.98"N 82°13'2.47"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Plant City, FL, with 43,046 residents, 6.1 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Lakeland gets 13 h 55 min of daylight and Tampa 13 h 55 min; on December 21, 10 h 22 min and 10 h 22 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Tampa has 3.3 times the population of Lakeland. From July 2020 to July 2024, Lakeland changed by +9.8% and Tampa by +6.7%. Both are in Florida.

  1. 01Lakeland, FL124,990 (+9.8%)
  2. 02Tampa, FL414,547 (+6.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Lakeland from Tampa?

32.6 miles, 52.4 km or 28.3 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Tampa from Lakeland?

W. The great-circle path leaves Lakeland on a bearing of 259.7° and arrives at Tampa on 259.4°. The return trip starts on 79.4°.

What is halfway between Lakeland and Tampa?

The midpoint is at 28.013049, -82.217354. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Plant City, FL, 6.1 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Lakeland and Tampa?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Lakeland or Tampa?

Tampa, with 414,547 residents in July 2024 against 124,990 for Lakeland, 3.3 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.