• county
  • FIPS 12055
  • Largest town: Sebring

Highlands County, Florida

Highlands County had 109,778 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,017.7 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 67 in Florida by population and 14th by land area.

Population
109,778
#36 of 67 in Florida · #577 in US
Area
1,017.7 sq mi
#14 of 67 in Florida · #655 in US
Density
108 / sq mi
#37 of 67 in Florida · #857 in US
Median household income
$51,495
#61 of 67 in Florida · #2,601 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Highlands County within Florida. Pin: Tallahassee.

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Tools and pages that start from Highlands County

Highlands County population, land area and income

Highlands County had 109,778 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,017.7 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 67 in Florida by population and 14th by land area. That works out to 107.9 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Florida has 154,693 residents; Highlands County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $51,495 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

109,778

3144th1st

577th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,018 sq mi

3144th1st

655th of 3,144 (US)

Density

107.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

857th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$51,495

3143rd1st

2601st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Florida (67)

Population

109,778

67th1st

36th of 67 (FL)

Land area

1,018 sq mi

67th1st

14th of 67 (FL)

Density

107.9 / sq mi

67th1st

37th of 67 (FL)

Median household income

$51,495

67th1st

61st of 67 (FL)

How Highlands County's population changed since 2020

Highlands County gained 8,438 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 8.3%. That ranks 30th of 67 in Florida for growth. The median Florida county changed by +7.8%, and the state as a whole by +8.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Highlands County recorded 3,551 births and 8,303 deaths, a natural change of -4,752. Net international migration added +1,681 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +11,598. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 11,598 people.

101.3k2020103.3k2021106.0k2022108.2k2023109.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
3,551
Deaths
8,303
Net international migration
+1,681
Net domestic migration
+11,598
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,627

Where Highlands County is

The Census internal point of Highlands County is at 27.341100, -81.342400. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Florida's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Highlands County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Escambia County: +2.7%Okaloosa County: +4.0%St. Lucie County: +17.9%Okeechobee County: +6.8%DeSoto County: +7.8%Bradford County: -0.5%Bay County: +14.4%Holmes County: +1.6%Gilchrist County: +13.1%Manatee County: +14.1%Hardee County: +2.9%Lafayette County: +5.0%Flagler County: +17.9%Nassau County: +14.7%Pasco County: +16.4%Martin County: +4.4%Palm Beach County: +5.9%Alachua County: +4.3%Lee County: +12.5%Brevard County: +8.2%Polk County: +16.8%Pinellas County: +0.6%Highlands County: +8.3%Hamilton County: +4.4%Wakulla County: +9.5%Clay County: +8.1%Suwannee County: +9.2%Madison County: +2.9%Columbia County: +6.0%Jackson County: +6.1%Calhoun County: -3.1%Franklin County: +4.0%Gulf County: +11.3%Hernando County: +11.5%Washington County: +4.7%Levy County: +10.9%Liberty County: +1.9%Putnam County: +5.3%Volusia County: +8.5%Walton County: +18.2%Osceola County: +19.7%Leon County: +2.2%Union County: +2.0%Sarasota County: +9.2%Dixie County: +5.6%Charlotte County: +12.8%Indian River County: +7.3%Broward County: +4.8%Hendry County: +16.1%Sumter County: +18.7%Miami-Dade County: +5.3%Citrus County: +10.1%Seminole County: +4.9%Lake County: +15.0%Marion County: +13.6%St. Johns County: +20.9%Gadsden County: +1.7%Jefferson County: +10.5%Baker County: +4.3%Glades County: +8.7%Collier County: +10.3%Duval County: +5.7%Taylor County: +0.4%Monroe County: -2.3%Hillsborough County: +7.8%Santa Rosa County: +9.9%Orange County: +7.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +4.0%
  2. < +5.7%
  3. < +8.7%
  4. < +13.1%
  5. ≥ +13.1%
no data

Orange pin: Highlands County internal point. Dark pin: Tallahassee.

Internal point

Decimal
27.341100, -81.342400
DMS
27°20'27.96"N 81°20'32.64"W
UTM
17N 466131.7E 3024262.6N
Geohash
dhy5t1232
Plus code
76VW8MR5+C2

Towns in Highlands County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Highlands County, 24,771 people together, or 23% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Highlands County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Sebring with 11,795.

  1. 01Sebring11,795
  2. 02Avon Park10,415
  3. 03Lake Placid2,561
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Highlands County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Highlands County. The most populous is Polk County, FL, with 852,878 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Tallahassee and the nearest big city

Tallahassee is 278.2 miles NW of Highlands County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Port St. Lucie, FL (population 258,575), 58.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sebring, FL (population 11,795), 11.2 miles away.

Highlands County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Highlands County is 12055: state code 12 for Florida plus county code 055. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $51,495.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Highlands County, Florida?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 109,778. That is up 8,438 people (8.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 101,340.

What is the FIPS code of Highlands County?

12055. The first two digits (12) are Florida; the last three (055) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Highlands County?

Sebring, with 11,795 residents inside Highlands County in 2024.

Which counties border Highlands County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Polk County, FL; Osceola County, FL; Charlotte County, FL; Okeechobee County, FL; DeSoto County, FL; Hardee County, FL; Glades County, FL.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

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