33859 ZIP Code — Lake Wales, FL

Polk County, Florida

ZIP code 33859 is located in Lake Wales, Florida, within Polk County. It covers approximately 45.46 square miles and serves a population of 11,081 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 863.

About ZIP code 33859

The housing stock consists of a higher-than-average concentration of mobile homes. Most homes were built in the 2000s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $181,100. Owner-occupancy is high at 78%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $61,815. Poverty affects 19% of residents, above the national average. 58% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is sales and office, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 31 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 23% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of diabetes (15%), smoking (21%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include a notable veteran presence at 13% of civilians, above the national average of 7%.

Overall, ZIP code 33859 reflects a community defined by economic challenges above the national average, a strong veteran community, high homeownership, and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

11,081

population

45.46

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

33859 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 33859

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 33859. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Lake Wales	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

33853 Lake Wales (3.1 mi) 33827 Babson Park (6.7 mi) 33884 Winter Haven (7.2 mi) 33838 Dundee (8.6 mi) 33839 Eagle Lake (10.5 mi) 33830 Bartow (10.9 mi) 33880 Winter Haven (11.1 mi) 33888 Winter Haven (11.6 mi) 33844 Haines City (13.5 mi) 33841 Fort Meade (13.6 mi) 33881 Winter Haven (13.7 mi) 33898 Lake Wales (14.7 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	11,081
Population density	244 / sq mi
State FIPS	12
County FIPS	105

Geography
Land area	45.46 sq mi
Water area	2.85 sq mi
Latitude	27.8815
Longitude	-81.6298
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	52.7%	48.5%	43.4%
$50k – $100k	37.8%	32.0%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	8.7%	15.7%	19.3%
Over $200k	0.8%	3.7%	6.4%

Demographics & statistics

11,081

Population

244

People per sq mi

52.6

Median age

$61,815

Median household income

$27,057

Per capita income

$181,100

Median home value

$1,104

Median monthly rent

77.5%

Home ownership

19.4%

Poverty rate

3.4%

Unemployment

4,854

Housing units

22.8%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

201

Under 5

194

417

5–9

400

118

10–14

114

319

15–19

306

380

20–24

365

616

25–34

592

492

35–44

473

525

45–54

505

387

55–59

371

406

60–64

390

1,049

65–74

1,008

556

75–84

534

185

85+

178

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	1,688	15.2%
18 and over	9,393	84.8%
65 and over	3,510	31.7%
Median age	52.6 years

Race & ethnicity

White 65.5%

Hispanic or Latino 12.1%

Two or more races 9.2%

Black or African American 8.8%

Other race 4.3%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Group	Count	%
White	8,260	65.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,521	12.1%
Two or more races	1,157	9.2%
Black or African American	1,107	8.8%
Other race	536	4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	21	0.2%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	52.7%	48.5%	43.4%
$50k – $100k	37.8%	32.0%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	8.7%	15.7%	19.3%
Over $200k	0.8%	3.7%	6.4%

Under $10k 5.0%

$10k–$15k 7.9%

$15k–$25k 6.6%

$25k–$35k 9.8%

$35k–$50k 13.9%

$50k–$75k 19.2%

$75k–$100k 21.3%

$100k–$150k 11.4%

$150k–$200k 4.1%

$200k+ 0.9%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	5.0%
$10k–$15k	7.9%
$15k–$25k	6.6%
$25k–$35k	9.8%
$35k–$50k	13.9%
$50k–$75k	19.2%
$75k–$100k	21.3%
$100k–$150k	11.4%
$150k–$200k	4.1%
$200k+	0.9%
Median income	$61,815

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 20.5%

$50k–$100k 14.3%

$100k–$150k 5.3%

$150k–$200k 14.2%

$200k–$300k 25.0%

$300k–$500k 16.9%

$500k–$1M 3.4%

$1M+ 0.4%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$181,100
Median rent / month	$1,104
Owner occupied	77.5%
Renter occupied	22.5%
Vacant	24.1%
Single-family detached	56.5%
Large apartment buildings	2.1%
Mobile homes	31.0%
Median rooms	5.2
Avg household size (owned)	2.18

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.5%
2010–2019	9.6%
2000–2009	35.3%
1990–1999	15.4%
1980–1989	17.1%
1970–1979	11.3%
1960–1969	5.0%
1950–1959	3.4%
1940–1949	0.9%
1939 or earlier	1.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	0.1%
1 bedroom	5.4%
2 bedrooms	44.8%
3 bedrooms	44.0%
4 bedrooms	5.1%
5+ bedrooms	0.7%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.6%
1 vehicle	49.0%
2 vehicles	33.6%
3 or more	11.9%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	2.0%
Electricity	92.1%
Propane / LP gas	1.4%
Fuel oil	0.6%
Solar	0.3%
No fuel used	3.5%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,318	52.2%
Cohabiting couple	385	8.7%
Male householder, no spouse	593	13.4%
Female householder, no spouse	1,145	25.8%
Households with children under 18	819	18.4%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,325	52.4%
Average household size	2.39

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	33.0%	24.8%
Married	50.1%	49.9%
Separated	1.6%	2.5%
Widowed	2.3%	12.1%
Divorced	12.9%	10.7%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.9%

Some HS, no diploma 8.5%

HS graduate 30.8%

Some college, no degree 25.1%

Associate's degree 7.9%

Bachelor's degree 15.4%

Graduate / professional 7.5%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	86.7%
Bachelor's or higher	22.8%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	55	2.9%
Kindergarten	191	9.9%
Elementary school	790	41.0%
High school	231	12.0%
College / grad school	661	34.3%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 16.2%

Retail trade 13.6%

Arts, food & hospitality 12.2%

Professional & management 10.1%

Construction 8.9%

Transportation & utilities 8.5%

Manufacturing 8.0%

Finance & real estate 7.8%

Public administration 6.1%

Other services 4.7%

Agriculture & mining 2.0%

Information 1.1%

Wholesale trade 0.7%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	21.5%
Service	23.0%
Sales & office	26.9%
Natural resources & construction	11.9%
Production & transportation	16.7%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	83.6%
Government	11.4%
Self-employed	4.6%
Unpaid family workers	0.4%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	80.6%
Carpool	10.6%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	2.2%
Work from home	6.2%
Other means	0.4%
Avg commute (minutes)	30.7

Poverty

All people 19.4%

Under 18 years 37.5%

18 and over 16.3%

Married-couple families 11.0%

Female-led households 27.7%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	57.6%
Retirement income	40.6%
Supplemental Security	8.1%
Cash public assistance	2.2%
Food stamps / SNAP	14.7%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	35.7%
High blood pressure	43.3%
High cholesterol	41.2%
Diabetes	15.3%
Heart disease	10.8%
Stroke	5.3%
Asthma	9.4%
Arthritis	33.7%
Kidney disease	4.5%
Pulmonary disease	12.8%
Cancer	9.2%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	20.7%
Binge drinking	12.3%
No physical activity	31.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	32.4%
Depression	20.0%
Fair or poor health	22.9%
Poor mental health	15.4%
Poor physical health	15.7%
No health insurance	23.8%
Visited doctor (checkup)	77.5%
Visited dentist	51.5%
Cholesterol screening	90.6%
Teeth loss	19.2%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,233	13.1%

Disability	%
Any disability	19.5%
Under 18	7.7%
18–64 years	16.4%
65 and over	30.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	58.5%
Public insurance	55.9%
No insurance	7.5%
Uninsured under 19	4.1%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	10,686	96.4%
Spanish	979	9.2%
Other Indo-European	914	8.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander	37	0.3%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	9,900	89.3%
Born in same state	9,495	85.7%
Born in different state	3,978	35.9%
Foreign born	405	3.7%
Naturalized citizen	1,181	10.7%
Not a US citizen	458	38.8%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
French	1,260	11.4%
Italian	1,023	9.2%
Arab	962	8.7%
German	77	0.7%
English	66	0.6%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	44	0.4%
Irish	40	0.4%
Dutch	34	0.3%
Norwegian	20	0.2%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	40.1%
Internet access	92.5%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 33859

What city is ZIP code 33859 in?

ZIP code 33859 is primarily assigned to Lake Wales, Florida.

What county is ZIP code 33859 in?

ZIP code 33859 falls within Polk County, Florida.

Does ZIP code 33859 have a large retiree population?

58% of households in ZIP code 33859 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

Does ZIP code 33859 have an older population?

32% of residents in ZIP code 33859 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 33859?

19% of residents in ZIP code 33859 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 33859 have a large veteran population?

13% of civilians in ZIP code 33859 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What timezone is ZIP code 33859 in?

ZIP code 33859 observes the EST timezone.