Lakeland, Tennessee

Population

Growing. Up 2.8% since 2020.

14,422

people, the 43rd-largest of Tennessee's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Tennessee's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

87.7%

of 2,292 jobs located in Lakeland are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 83% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,755

a month. Tennessee's median is $1,189.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,573 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Shelby County.

• $1,132 Tract 216.20
• $2,705 Tract 216.13

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

$998–$1,497

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,755 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

Building

50% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 50% of all homes were built before 2000

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.2–0.4% to the 5,519 homes here.

12–23

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

Home value

A median home costs 36% more than Tennessee's.

$388,900

median home value in Lakeland.

• $388,900 Lakeland
• $286,700 Tennessee
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year