Population
Sanford
30,833
Lake Wales
16,365
Median Income
Sanford
$54,294
Lake Wales
$55,799
Home Value
Sanford
$222,000
Lake Wales
$225,900
Rent
Sanford
$965
Lake Wales
$1,060
Crime Rate
Sanford
2.22
Lake Wales
2.44
Cost of Living
Sanford
97.2
Lake Wales
98.7
Avg Temp
Sanford
N/A
Lake Wales
N/A
Unemployment
Sanford
4.0%
Lake Wales
6.3%
How Similar Are Sanford & Lake Wales?
Lake Wales is Sanford's #13 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Sanford
30,833
Lake Wales
16,365
Sanford has a 47% larger population than Lake Wales.
Violent Crime
Sanford
2.22
Lake Wales
2.44
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
Sanford
24.42
Lake Wales
15.29
Sanford has a 37% higher property crime than Lake Wales.
Political Leaning
Sanford
58.3%
Lake Wales
59.9%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 3% difference.
Unemployment
Sanford
4.0%
Lake Wales
6.3%
Lake Wales has a 35% higher unemployment than Sanford.
Median Income
Sanford
$54,294
Lake Wales
$55,799
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Sanford
$222,000
Lake Wales
$225,900
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Sanford
14.1%
Lake Wales
16.0%
Lake Wales has a 12% higher education than Sanford.
Demographics
Sanford
52.5%
Lake Wales
55.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Sanford
97.2
Lake Wales
98.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Sanford and Lake Wales share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Sanford
0
Lake Wales
Lake Wales leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Sanford leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanford has a fair market rent (1br) of $880 vs $1,230 in Lake Wales (28% lower). Sanford has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,136 vs $1,497 in Lake Wales (24% lower). Lake Wales scores 85.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 91.8 in Sanford.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Lake Wales leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanford has a vacancy rate of 9.1% compared to 17.6% in Lake Wales. Lake Wales has a median property tax of $1,924 vs $2,248 in Sanford (17% lower). Lake Wales has a owner-occupied of 61.0% compared to 52.0% in Sanford.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Sanford leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanford: 14,544 vs Lake Wales: 6,000 for labor force. Sanford has a unemployment rate of 4.0% compared to 6.3% in Lake Wales. Sanford has a poverty rate of 20.3% compared to 24.4% in Lake Wales.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lake Wales leads
Source: FBI UCRLake Wales has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.18 compared to 0.48 in Sanford. Lake Wales has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 11.90 compared to 20.46 in Sanford. Lake Wales has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 15.29 compared to 24.42 in Sanford.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Lake Wales leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLake Wales has a high school diploma or higher of 39.9% compared to 29.0% in Sanford. Lake Wales has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.0% compared to 14.1% in Sanford.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanford has a population of 30,833, about 1.9x the size of Lake Wales (16,365). Sanford skews younger with a median age of 34.9 vs 41.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Sanford
Lake Wales
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanford: 3.3 vs Lake Wales: 2.4 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Lake Wales: 5 vs Sanford: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Lake Wales leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLake Wales has a public transit of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Sanford. Lake Wales has a bicycle of 0.0% compared to 0.0% in Sanford. Lake Wales has a work from home of 6.5% compared to 5.7% in Sanford.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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Compare Sanford against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.