33853 ZIP Code — Lake Wales, FL

Polk County, Florida

ZIP code 33853 is located in Lake Wales, Florida, within Polk County. It covers approximately 8.66 square miles and serves a population of 12,241 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 863.

About ZIP code 33853

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $177,200. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 55%.

Median household income is $42,397. Poverty affects 22% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 23% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 37% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 25 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 20% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (22%) compared to national benchmarks.

Overall, ZIP code 33853 reflects a community defined by economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

12,241

population

8.66

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

33853 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 33853

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 33853. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Lake Wales	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

33859 Lake Wales (3.1 mi) 33827 Babson Park (5.7 mi) 33838 Dundee (7.3 mi) 33884 Winter Haven (7.6 mi) 33844 Haines City (11.6 mi) 33839 Eagle Lake (11.9 mi) 33898 Lake Wales (11.9 mi) 33888 Winter Haven (12.3 mi) 33880 Winter Haven (12.6 mi) 33881 Winter Haven (13.7 mi) 33830 Bartow (13.8 mi) 34759 Kissimmee (15.2 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	12,241
Population density	1,414 / sq mi
State FIPS	12
County FIPS	105

Geography
Land area	8.66 sq mi
Water area	1.03 sq mi
Latitude	27.9026
Longitude	-81.5846
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	863

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	60.8%	48.5%	43.4%
$50k – $100k	24.3%	32.0%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	13.5%	15.7%	19.3%
Over $200k	1.4%	3.7%	6.4%

Demographics & statistics

12,241

Population

1,414

People per sq mi

38.3

Median age

$42,397

Median household income

$23,368

Per capita income

$177,200

Median home value

$949

Median monthly rent

54.5%

Home ownership

21.5%

Poverty rate

6.3%

Unemployment

3,394

Housing units

20.0%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

334

Under 5

385

390

5–9

450

522

10–14

602

327

15–19

377

214

20–24

247

721

25–34

830

736

35–44

848

719

45–54

828

470

55–59

541

260

60–64

300

565

65–74

650

288

75–84

332

142

85+

163

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,066	25.0%
18 and over	9,175	75.0%
65 and over	2,140	17.5%
Median age	38.3 years

Race & ethnicity

White 44.9%

Hispanic or Latino 17.7%

Black or African American 16.9%

Two or more races 12.3%

Other race 7.7%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Asian 0.1%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	6,677	44.9%
Hispanic or Latino	2,624	17.7%
Black or African American	2,508	16.9%
Two or more races	1,835	12.3%
Other race	1,143	7.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	55	0.4%
Asian	14	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	9	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	60.8%	48.5%	43.4%
$50k – $100k	24.3%	32.0%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	13.5%	15.7%	19.3%
Over $200k	1.4%	3.7%	6.4%

Under $10k 9.3%

$10k–$15k 8.9%

$15k–$25k 17.5%

$25k–$35k 8.6%

$35k–$50k 10.0%

$50k–$75k 16.1%

$75k–$100k 11.9%

$100k–$150k 12.0%

$150k–$200k 3.5%

$200k+ 2.1%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	9.3%
$10k–$15k	8.9%
$15k–$25k	17.5%
$25k–$35k	8.6%
$35k–$50k	10.0%
$50k–$75k	16.1%
$75k–$100k	11.9%
$100k–$150k	12.0%
$150k–$200k	3.5%
$200k+	2.1%
Median income	$42,397

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 7.5%

$50k–$100k 17.5%

$100k–$150k 13.6%

$150k–$200k 25.0%

$200k–$300k 26.9%

$300k–$500k 5.4%

$500k–$1M 4.0%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$177,200
Median rent / month	$949
Owner occupied	54.5%
Renter occupied	45.5%
Vacant	14.8%
Single-family detached	66.0%
Large apartment buildings	4.9%
Mobile homes	2.0%
Median rooms	5.0
Avg household size (owned)	2.83

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	5.9%
2000–2009	9.9%
1990–1999	11.6%
1980–1989	10.7%
1970–1979	20.0%
1960–1969	12.5%
1950–1959	14.2%
1940–1949	6.3%
1939 or earlier	9.0%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.6%
1 bedroom	13.9%
2 bedrooms	30.6%
3 bedrooms	38.5%
4 bedrooms	13.6%
5+ bedrooms	0.8%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	10.2%
1 vehicle	41.1%
2 vehicles	31.0%
3 or more	17.7%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	3.7%
Electricity	94.9%
Solar	0.5%
No fuel used	0.7%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	1,832	38.8%
Cohabiting couple	432	9.2%
Male householder, no spouse	778	16.5%
Female householder, no spouse	1,677	35.5%
Households with children under 18	1,616	34.2%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,532	32.5%
Average household size	2.53

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	35.6%	32.9%
Married	47.5%	36.3%
Separated	1.9%	4.7%
Widowed	2.4%	8.5%
Divorced	12.6%	17.6%

Education

Less than 9th grade 7.1%

Some HS, no diploma 9.2%

HS graduate 35.2%

Some college, no degree 20.2%

Associate's degree 8.4%

Bachelor's degree 13.1%

Graduate / professional 6.9%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	83.7%
Bachelor's or higher	20.0%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	90	3.0%
Kindergarten	134	4.5%
Elementary school	1,441	48.5%
High school	698	23.5%
College / grad school	611	20.5%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 27.2%

Retail trade 12.3%

Arts, food & hospitality 11.3%

Transportation & utilities 10.3%

Construction 9.3%

Manufacturing 8.8%

Other services 6.9%

Professional & management 6.8%

Finance & real estate 2.1%

Public administration 1.9%

Agriculture & mining 1.8%

Wholesale trade 1.3%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	27.4%
Service	22.0%
Sales & office	22.4%
Natural resources & construction	6.6%
Production & transportation	21.7%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	81.2%
Government	12.6%
Self-employed	5.4%
Unpaid family workers	0.8%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	81.4%
Carpool	11.4%
Public transit	0.1%
Walk	0.9%
Work from home	3.2%
Other means	2.9%
Avg commute (minutes)	24.9

Poverty

All people 21.5%

Under 18 years 24.8%

18 and over 20.4%

Married-couple families 15.7%

Female-led households 18.1%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	37.2%
Retirement income	19.2%
Supplemental Security	8.1%
Cash public assistance	2.4%
Food stamps / SNAP	23.0%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	38.3%
High blood pressure	40.8%
High cholesterol	35.0%
Diabetes	15.0%
Heart disease	8.7%
Stroke	5.1%
Asthma	9.9%
Arthritis	29.0%
Kidney disease	4.2%
Pulmonary disease	10.7%
Cancer	7.2%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	21.6%
Binge drinking	13.0%
No physical activity	32.8%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	35.6%
Depression	19.3%
Fair or poor health	24.0%
Poor mental health	16.4%
Poor physical health	15.2%
No health insurance	27.1%
Visited doctor (checkup)	76.5%
Visited dentist	48.4%
Cholesterol screening	89.4%
Teeth loss	22.5%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	675	7.4%

Disability	%
Any disability	16.1%
Under 18	8.8%
18–64 years	12.4%
65 and over	41.0%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	47.6%
Public insurance	48.8%
No insurance	13.2%
Uninsured under 19	3.6%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	11,522	94.1%
Spanish	1,214	10.5%
Other Indo-European	1,199	10.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander	9	0.1%
Other languages	6	0.1%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	11,132	90.9%
Born in same state	10,545	86.1%
Born in different state	5,920	48.4%
Foreign born	587	4.8%
Naturalized citizen	1,109	9.1%
Not a US citizen	377	34.0%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	888	7.3%
French	750	6.1%
Italian	467	3.8%
English	86	0.7%

Ancestry	Count	%
German	19	0.2%
Polish	15	0.1%
Dutch	10	0.1%
Irish	6	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	38.6%
Internet access	91.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 33853

What city is ZIP code 33853 in?

ZIP code 33853 is primarily assigned to Lake Wales, Florida.

What county is ZIP code 33853 in?

ZIP code 33853 falls within Polk County, Florida.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 33853?

22% of residents in ZIP code 33853 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 33853 have a large retiree population?

37% of households in ZIP code 33853 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 33853?

The median household income in ZIP code 33853 is $42,397, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 33853?

The median home value in ZIP code 33853 is $177,200.

What timezone is ZIP code 33853 in?

ZIP code 33853 observes the EST timezone.