Bartow, Florida
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 20.0% since 2020.
23,617
people, the 108th-largest of Florida's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Florida's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
93.6%
of 29,520 jobs located in Bartow are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 57% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,142
a month. Florida's median is $1,669.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,636 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Polk County.
- $529 Tract 121.31
- $2,165 Tract 121.32
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$1,197–$1,795
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,142 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
70% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 2,220 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
- 19% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 70% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–3.7% to the 8,019 homes here.
33–295
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 35% less than Florida's.
$234,100
median home value in Bartow.
- $234,100 Bartow
- $359,000 Florida
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year